By Steve Pilz
For OnFocus
TOMAHAWK – The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team hit the road again Saturday night and came home with a 7-4 win over the Tomahawk Titans running their Dairyland League and overall record to 3-1 on the young season.
The Chaps struck first in their half of the second inning when newcomer Jacob Neve led off with a single. After an out, Kade Lancour lashed a double sending Neve to third. After another out, Kyle Westhuis walked. Sam Schwanebeck provided a glimpse of what was to come in his big night at the plate by plating both Neve and Lancour with a double. Westhuis was nailed in a close play at the plate, but the Chaps were up 2-0.
The Titans got half of that back in their half of the second when starting pitcher Caleb Armstrong led off with a single. He later scored on an unearned run on a Chaparrals’ error and it was 2-1
It stayed that way until the fourth when Connor Jasurda led off with a walk for Marshfield. Al Lalicata singled two batters later and Westhuis reached on a fielder’s choice, bringing Schwanebeck to the plate. The Pittsville native drove in both runs again putting Marshfield up 4-2, but that was short-lived.
The Titans scrambled back yet again against Lancour. The lanky right-hander yielded a lead-off double to Jacob Kahle and three consecutive singles after that. Isaac Weber had a two-RBI single after the first out of the inning to tie the game at 4-4 before Lancour retired the side with a pop-up to the second baseman. But he faced all nine batters in the inning, effectively ending his night on the hill.
Jacob DeMeyer replaced Armstrong on the mound and promptly plunked Neve to start the fifth. Jasurda walked, and after a strike out, Lalicata also walked to load the bases. Westhuis’ fielder’s choice plated a run bringing Schwanebeck to the dish. It couldn’t have surprised many in attendance when his blast to left-center nestled at the base of the fence for his sixth RBI of the game and provided the Chaps with a lead they would never relinquish and a score of 7-4 that wouldn’t change.
“Sam had some big-time hits in big situations for us,” Chaparrals manager Justin Rayburn. “He really came up clutch.”
DeMeyer threw an effective sixth and seventh, and Eli Wurl came in to blank the Chaps in the eighth and ninth, but both paled in comparison to what Connor Jasurda did in his five innings of relief.
Jasurda was spot on in giving the Titans a whole lot of nothing. They got one runner as far as second in the ninth, but he would get no further. Jasurda slammed the door on the Chaps’ third win, allowing no runs on just three hits, walking only one and striking out 10 of the 20 batters he faced.
“Give Connor credit for coming in and really shutting the door on Tomahawk,” concluded Rayburn.
Schwanebeck went 3-for-4 on his big night with a double and the six RBIs. Bobby Pilz was 2-for-3, Neve went 2 for 4 with two runs scored, and Lancour was had a double for Marshfield.
The Chaparrals travel to Plover on Tuesday to take on the Pteradactyls at 8 p.m. before returning home to play Eau Claire at Marshfield’s Jack Hackman Field on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Chaparrals 7, Titans 4
Marshfield 020 230 000 – 7 11 2
Tomahawk 010 300 000 – 4 10 2
WP: Connor Jasurda. LP: Jacob De Meyer.
SO: Kade Lancour (4 inn.) 5, Jasurda (5 inn.) 10; Caleb Armstrong (4 inn.) 5, DeMeyer (3 inn.) 4, Eli Wurl (2 inn.) 1. BB: Lancour 3, Jasurda 1; Armstrong 5, DeMeyer 6, Wurl 1.
Top hitters: MAR, Sam Schwanebeck 3×4, 2B, 6 RBIs; Bobby Pilz 2×3; Jacob Neve 2×4, 2 runs; Lancour 2B. TOM, DeMeyer 2×4, 2 2Bs; Logan Hile 2×4, RBI.
Records: Marshfield 3-1 overall and Dairyland League; Tomahawk not reported.
Steve Pilz writes for MarshfieldAreaSports.com, a contributor to OnFocus sports.
Author: News Desk
This piece was posted by our news team! Contact us or submit stories at [email protected].
