Rattled nerves and a hard-hitting Coleman High School team contributed to Bonduel’s 4-1 loss Tuesday in a WIAA Division 3 baseball sectional semifinal at Marathon.
Bonduel junior Trevor Pedersen retired the first six Cougars he faced, but hit a roadblock in the third inning when Coleman scored all of its runs. It was Bonduel’s second loss of the season.
“Bonduel had a good game plan coming in, but in the third inning, we started hitting the ball hard,” Coleman coach Kent Casper said.
In the fateful inning, Pedersen walked Jacob Steeno, then struck out the following two batters before the wheels fell off. Nick Sailer (2 for 3) hit a double, and starting pitcher Matt Osterberg brought in both runners with liner down the first-base line. Osterberg later scored on a rocket up the middle by Hunter Stodola, who eventually scored on a fielding error on an attempted pick-off to make it 4-0.
Pedersen, visibly shaken, needed to take a step off the mound to recompose himself.
“He got rattled by those hits,” BHS coach Don Gruenewald said. “That was the first time all season that Trevor was hit that hard, and they were not cheap hits; they were line drives up the middle.”
Pedersen returned for the fourth inning and sat the Cougars down in order before being lifted for senior left-hander Connor Rosin. Pedersen finished with two strikeouts and a walk. He allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits.
Rosin pitched three scoreless innings, striking out five hitters and holding Coleman (21-6, 10-2 Marinette & Oconto Conference) to a hit and walk.
“(Rosin) did a good job coming in. He has good stuff, a good slider,” Casper said. “He shut us down when he came in.”
Hunter VanDerLinden, who led off the sixth inning with a double, scored Bonduel’s only run on a one-out RBI single by Travis Wollenberg (2 for 3).
Bonduel (22-2, 13-1 Central Wisconsin Conference-8) squandered multiple scoring opportunities, leaving eight runners on base, compared to four for Coleman.
“We just couldn’t get our bats going,” Gruenewald said.
Osterberg struck out seven and allowed one run on five hits. He issued three walks.
Bonduel will lose nine of its 14 players to graduation, including Rosin — the CWC-8’s player of the year, Wollenberg, VanDerLinden, Colton Dobratz, Jordan Richter, Tanner Mews, Austin Siolka, Patrick Thiel and Steven Olson.
“These guys came to work this year, worked hard every day, never complained and were honorable kids,” Gruenewald said. “They handled themselves well all year long and opposing coaches said the same thing
The Bears will rely on Pedersen and fellow juniors Bailey Dingeldein, Blake Stoss and Bennett Gunderson next season.
