Three upsets highlight Dairyland League playoff action

The highly anticipated Dairyland League playoffs got started Sunday, with three upsets highlighting the action. Hofa Park, Shawano, Waupaca and Nichols earned wins and kept their seasons alive.

Hofa Park 5, Hortonville 3

The eighth-seeded Hofa Park Panthers rallied for a win over the top-seeded Hortonville Stars in Hortonville.

Trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, Hofa Park’s Marcus Hornacek drove in a run with a single before being doubled home by Rob Schuettpelz. In the ninth, Tyler Nystrom drove in a run with a groundout before Carson Williquette scored on a passed ball.

Mike Delgado earned the win on the mound after pitching the final two innings. Jon Zacharias worked the first seven innings. Schuettpelz and Bob Tilot had two hits each for the Panthers.

Schuettpelz tripled in the fourth inning before scoring on a Tyler Jacobson sacrifice flyout to tie the game at one after Hortonville had opened the contest with a run in the bottom of the first. The Stars scored twice in the fourth to regain the lead.

Shawano 8, Navarino 2

The seventh-seeded Shawano Lobos eased to an upset win over the second-seeded Navarino Rangers in Navarino.

Jimmy Lacy earned the win for Shawano, pitching 8⅔ innings.

Chase Henning led Shawano’s offense with three hits, while Ryan Coffey, Ben Bystol, Hunter Hoffman and Drew Radies all had two hits. Bystol drove in three runs, while Coffey had two RBIs.

Navarino finished with nine hits, with Brett Krull and Travis Wollenberg tallying two each. Paul Sellner and Ryan Boettcher pitched for the Rangers.

Waupaca 6, Bonduel 1

The Waupaca Lakemen were the lone team to defend their home turf, topping the Bonduel Broncos. Waupaca was the No. 3 seed, and Bonduel the No. 5 seed.

Waupaca’s Jim Nighbor held Bonduel to just four hits in a complete game effort on the mound. Every Waupaca hitter finished with a hit, with Kyle Douglas posting two hits and Jake Pankratz homering to lead the way.

J.C. Reinke drove in Chase Reinke for Bonduel’s run. Mitch Pleshek, Noah Beilfuss and Chase Reinke pitched.

Nichols 12, Pulaski 7

The fifth-seeded Nichols Nitros picked up a high-scoring win over the fourth-seeded Pulaski Reds in Pulaski.

Pulaski, which lost its fourth straight game after starting the year 6-0 in league play, topped Nichols 3-2 back on July 2.

Upcoming matchups

Hofa Park, the winner of the league’s past five titles, will look for a second straight upset as it travels to Waupaca. Nichols will host Shawano.

First pitches for both games are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday.