The Shawano Community High School baseball team came up short Tuesday in its effort to replicate last year’s WIAA regional win over Pulaski.
Like last year, the 10th-seeded Hawks were on the road at Memorial Park to face No. 7 Pulaski in a Division 1 regional semifinal. Unlike last year, when Shawano posted a 5-3 upset, the Hawks faded down the stretch, giving up three runs in the sixth inning to lose 6-2 after being behind 3-2 for most of the game.
“We played well enough to win,” Shawano coach Rob Wolf said. “That 6-2 score really doesn’t reflect that. It was definitely a closer ballgame than that.”
The game could not have started much better for the Hawks (7-16, 5-11 Bay), who collected four straight singles off Pulaski ace Luke VanLanen. Taylor Prey’s single scored Zach Sousek to give Shawano a 1-0 lead.
“We got on top right away,” Wolf said. “That’s just a confidence builder. We’re facing one of the best pitchers in the area.”
The Red Raiders had an answer, though, tying the game on a VanLanen hit in the bottom of the inning.
In the second inning, the Hawks regained the lead on a Ky Schmidt RBI single.
Once again Pulaski (10-14, 9-11 Fox River Classic) had an answer. Conrad Feivor’s double scored two runs to give the Red Raiders the 3-2 lead they would hold until the bottom of the sixth.
Pulaski led of the sixth with a pair of singles. After Pulaski’s Taylor Splan ground up, Shawano intentionally walked Luke Reynolds, loading the bases.
Shawano pitcher Grant Wainio, who had held Pulaski to three hits through the first five innings, struck out one batter before giving up two runs on a hit batsman and a walk. Wainio gave up another run on a single, before striking out a batter to end the inning.
Wolf had high praise for his junior pitcher, who gave up six hits, struck out two batters and walked two.
“He shut their offense down,” Wolf said. “Yes, they were hitting the ball, but they were right at them. That’s what Grant is, more of a contact pitcher. Hitting his spots and making them put the ball in play, and we had good defense behind him.”
Jaryd Wilber took a base on balls, but that’s all the Hawks could muster in the top of the seventh.
“We had, I think, four or five runners on second base,” Wolf said. “He’s one of the best pitchers in this conference. We did what we needed to do. We had the opportunities, the breaks just didn’t go our way.
“In that last inning we had some mistakes, which were the first mistakes we made all game.”
With the loss, the Hawks say goodbye to five seniors: Cody Urban, Clint Dallas, Jonathan Koth, Jaryd Wilber and Prey. The good news is that seven juniors with experience will return next year.
“We need to put the time and energy in, but I think we’ll have a hell of a ball team next year,” Wolf said.
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