Waupaca improves to 7-3 in conference
By Greg Seubert
Don’t count the Waupaca baseball team out of the North Eastern Conference race just yet.
The Comets improved to 7-3 in conference play May 6 by sweeping a doubleheader at Marinette. Waupaca also split a twinbill May 2 with Luxemburg-Casco.
Waupaca followed up a 6-3 win in the opener at Marinette with a 5-4 victory. The Comets opened their doubleheader with Luxemburg-Casco at Lakemen Field with a 4-0 win, but fell 5-4 in the second game.
The Comets trailed 3-1 heading into the seventh inning of the first game in Marinette, but came up with five runs on two runs and an error.
Marinette scored twice in the second on two hits and a pair of Waupaca errors and added another run in the fourth, but the Comets cut into the Marines’ lead with Brenden Canterbury’s single that scored Jake Pankratz.
Pankratz started Waupaca’s rally by drawing a leadoff walk in the seventh. Alex Ronaldson followed with a one-out walk and Canterbury reached on an error. Pankratz scored on another error and Brandon Wanty tied the game with an RBI single that scored Keegan Stanchik. Max Menzies drove in three more runs with a bases-loaded double before Ryan Dayton held the Marines scoreless in the bottom of the seventh.
Menzies and Dayton each had two hits for Waupaca.
Waupaca took a 2-0 lead in the second game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, but the Marines tied the game in the fourth.
The Comets took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth. Marinette cut the deficit to 5-4 in the next inning, but never got any closer.
Pankratz had two hits for Waupaca and also Canterbury picked up the win on the mound.
Waupaca hosted Freedom May 9 and will face the Irish at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 11, in Freedom. The Comets will also host Oconto Falls for a North Eastern doubleheader Saturday, May 13. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.