According to Shawano American Legion baseball coach Will Gillis, the Patriots are heating up at the right time.
It showed Sunday as Shawano defeated Pulaski 6-5 to win the Class AA regional championship and a berth in the state tournament, which begins Wednesday in Kaukauna. The Patriots play Waterford at 4 p.m. at Bayorgen Field.
“We have just hit our peak,” Gillis said. “Last year, we hit the peak too early.”
Against Pulaski, the Patriots bounced back after allowing a first-inning run with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Chase Henning drove in leadoff hitter Zack Sousek and scored on a single by Jacob Lacy. Tasa Grignon followed up with a single to plate Grant Wainio.
Henning, who was 3 for 4, tripled in two runs in the second inning, scoring Tommy Stueck and Ky Schmidt.
Shawano tacked on a run in the fifth inning with Kasey Kristof’s single scoring Lacy, who doubled.
Wainio held Pulaski to two runs until the top of the sixth inning when he gave up a three-run home run to Nate Otto, pulling Pulaski within a run.
Shawano’s defense tied it down the remainder of the game to secure the win.
Wainio, who pitched 14 innings in four days, gave up five runs on five hits over seven innings. He struck out two and walked four.
“Grant did a great job out there and made only one bad pitch all game,” Gillis said.
Waterford defeated Union Grove, 7-4, Saturday to win its regional. Waterford Union High School’s baseball team compiled a 19-5 record and won the Southern Lakes Conference championship with a 12-2 record.
Waterford’s top pitcher is knuckleballer Dylan Malecki, who was named all-Racine County Player of the Year as a senior at Waterford Union High School. He was 9-2 and recorded a 2.64 ERA for the Wolverines.
Offensively, Waterford Legion (15-6) is led by infielder Michael Schmidt, a second-team all-SLC selection.
Other AA games Wednesday in the double-elimination tourney pit Menasha (21-4) against Antigo (18-7); Onalaska (30-9) vs. River Falls (19-6) and Beaver Dam (17-12) vs. Kaukauna (10-12).
Shawano (18-10) last qualified for the state tournament in 2003 when it won its second consecutive title and third overall.
Shawano won the Class A state tournament title in 1994, the same year Shawano Community High School’s baseball team last qualified for the WIAA state finals.
