After cruising through pool play, Shawano’s 11U baseball squad came up short in the Shawano Youth League tournament championship Sunday, losing 12-9 to Kimberly.
In other SYL finals Sunday, Seymour claimed the boys 12U tourney title and Kaukauna won the girls 8U softball crown.
The league’s three-weekend run of tournaments continues Friday through Sunday at Memorial Field with the boys 9U and 10U baseball tourneys.
Shawano’s 11U team defeated Peshtigo 8-3 Friday and followed up with a 3-2 win Saturday against Little Chute to win Pool D. Shawano defeated Seymour 9-2 in the quarterfinals and Wausau 10-0 in the semifinals.
“We had real strong pitching throughout the weekend,” Shawano coach Chris Popp said. “Kimberly hit the ball really well. Our pitching other than that one game was the best I have seen all year.”
Boys 12U Baseball
Bonduel rattled off five straight wins before falling to Seymour, 7-1, in the championship game.
The team defeated Seymour, Merrill, Shawano Red and Black Creek to earn a first-round bye.
“Our pitching and defense were really good again this weekend,” Bonduel coach Dan Stoltenow said. “We only allowed three runs in four pool-play wins against some really good teams.”
Bonduel defeated Shiocton 11-1 in the semifinals before losing to Seymour.
“We made a few uncharacteristic mistakes in the championship game, but other than that these kids played unbelievable all weekend,” Stoltenow said.
Stoltenow noted the Bonduel squad performed well all tournament season, compiling a 15-4-1 record and winning the Peshtigo Summer Slam Tournament.
“Our strength all year has been consistency,” he said. “We have 11 really good ball players who enjoy playing the game and love to be around each other. These kids amazed us this year.”
Shawano Black also finished pool play undefeated, with wins over Shiocton, Peshtigo, Wausau and Ripon. The team lost to Seymour in the semifinal round.
Girls 8U Softball
Shawano took fourth in the girls 8U tournament with a 2-2 record, including two wins against Bonduel, which finished 0-5.
Kaukauna won the championship.
