The win was as sweet as parade-thrown candy for Bonduel.
What was expected to be a tightly contested American Legion baseball game turned into a Fourth of July rout Saturday at Village Park in Bonduel.
Connor Rosin completely shut down Shawano, mixing up his fastball, curve and slider masterfully to lead Bonduel (7-1, 5-1 Central Wisconsin Legion League) to an 8-0 victory.
Rosin was a workhorse, with his pitch count up over 100 through six innings. He allowed four hits and four walks while striking out eight. Only one Shawano batter reached third base.
“Rosin really battled out there today,” Bonduel coach Kevin Thiel said. “He got tired in the fifth, so we asked him to go out and give us one more, and he did.”
Shawano (6-6, 3-1 Fox River Valley-West) didn’t do itself any favors defensively early in the game.
In the first inning, with a runner on third, shortstop Zack Sousek threw the ball just out of the reach of first baseman Nate Laude, leading to the game’s first run.
In the second, a throwing error by catcher Grant Wanio allowed an inning to continue. Hunter VanDerLinden capitalized, knocking in Colton Dobratz with a two-out single to push the lead to 3-0.
Then it all broke down in the sixth inning as three Patriots errors led to three unearned runs.
“We were flat and we just didn’t come to play today,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said.
Shawano committed six errors in the game.
Meanwhile, Bonduel (7-1, 7-0 Central Wisconsin Legion) continued its seven-game win streak with error-free baseball and clutch hitting, scoring six of its eight runs with two outs.
“We played flawless baseball, great base running, clutch hitting. … Everybody played well today,” Thiel said.
Dobratz sparked Bonduel’s offense, going 1 for 2 with two walks, one RBI and three runs scored.
Also for Bonduel, Rosin went 2 for 4 with a double, VanDerLinden went 2 for 4 with one RBI, Travis Wollenberg went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Brent Pieper scored two runs.
“This is the biggest game of the year for us,” Rosin said. “Every year our goal is to beat Shawano on the Fourth.”
It was a stinging defeat for Shawano.
“I’ve been coaching here for three years, and this is the first time we’ve lost to them,” Gillis said. “It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.”
Ky Schmidt went 2 for 3 with a walk for the Patriots.
Jack Lacy picked up the loss, pitching 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five runs, including three earned, on eight hits and two walks. He had three strikeouts.
