Blackhawks threaten late, but key hits don’t fall in state title game

By TODD SOMMERFELDT / La Crosse Tribune

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. — Five runners left on base in the last two innings spelled the end of a WIAA Division 2 state championship bid for the Prairie du Chien High School baseball team on Friday.

The Blackhawks loaded the bases and didn’t score in the sixth inning and put their first two batters on and didn’t score in the seventh of a 6-2 loss to West De Pere at Fox Cities Stadium.

The Phantoms (21-5) led the entire game after scoring twice in the top of the first inning and won their first state baseball title. “They made pitches when they needed to, and we didn’t get the key hits we were getting all year,” said Prairie du Chien catcher Kyle Sime, whose team completed a 19-6 season. “We had good situations, but we couldn’t get the hits.”

A walk to Kyle Nack was followed by a single from Sime to lead off the bottom of the seventh. But West De Pere pitcher Brent Kakwitch struck out the next three batters to end the game.

The Blackhawks stranded 11 baserunners, and six of them were left in scoring position.

A single by Casey Cox, a hit batter and a walk loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth, but Kakwitch struck out Brett Hogan swinging to escape that situation.

The Phantoms placed second here in 2006 and put together two solid victories to get the title this time around.

“This gives the whole community and the whole school the belief that we can compete at the state level,” West De Pere coach Joe Rukamp said. “People know who we are. That’s what it’s all about.”

Prairie du Chien scored its runs in the first and third.

Sime drilled a solo home run in the first, and Hogan scored in the third when he stole third base, and the throw from the catcher to get him sailed into left field.

The Blackhawks could have added to that in the fourth if it wasn’t for a big play by West De Pere shortstop David Schneider made a big play up the middle to end it.

With runners at the corners, Hogan sent a pitch back up the middle, but Schneider was there to field it, step on second base and fire to first for the double play.

“We had some chances to get back in it, but they made a couple nice plays,” Prairie du Chien coach Mark Pedretti said. “The double play, it was just inches from going up the middle. I thought that was huge.”

The Blackhawks were also hurt by a couple of fielding plays, one of which they had no control over. Right fielder James DuCharme slipped in a puddle while trying to get a jump on one fly ball, and left fielder Dylan Mallat dropped another ball after making a long run to get to it.

“We took some bad breaks,” Pedretti said. “Those are two plays where we’re probably out of the inning (if they are made).”

Only the dropped fly ball led to a run.

DIVISION 2 CHAMPIONSHIP

WEST DE PERE 6, PRAIRIE DU CHIEN 2

W. De Pere 210 200 1 — 6 10 2

PdC 101 000 0 — 2 7 2

WEST DE PERE (21-5)

Pierre, cf, 3-2-1-1; Pichler, 2b, 4-0-1-1; Kakwitch, ss/p, 4-1-3-1; Jansen, dh, 4-0-1-1; Romenesko, c, 4-0-1-1; Willems, pr, 0-0-0-0; Cantalupo, p/rf, 4-0-1-0; Mason, pr, 0-1-0-0; Scray, lf, 2-0-0-0; Schneider, 3b/ss, 2-1-2-0; Wickman, pr, 0-0-0-0; Piontek, 1b, 3-0-0-0; Bero, pr, 0-1-0-0; Berns, rf, 0-0-0-0; King, p/3b, 0-0-0-0. Totals 30-6-10-5.

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN (19-6)

Hogan, 3b, 4-1-1-0; Nack, 2b, 2-0-0-0; Sime, c, 4-1-3-1; Mikkelson, 1b, 2-0-0-0; Polodna, pr, 0-0-0-0; O’Kane, cf, 2-0-0-0; Cox, ss, 4-0-1-0; Wessling, p, 2-0-0-0; Mezera, p, 0-0-0-0; Pedretti, pr, 0-0-0-0; Mallat, lf, 2-0-1-0; Aspenson, ph, 1-0-0-0; Kozelka, dh, 2-0-1-0; DuCharme, rf, 0-0-0-0. Totals 25-2-7-1.

2B—Kakwitch, Romenesko, Schneider. 3B—Pierre. HR—Sime.

Pitchers

West De Pere: Cantalupo 2 2/3ip, 2h, 2r, 1er, 0k, 4w; King 2/3ip, 2h 0r, 0er, 1k, 0w; Kakwitch 3 2/3ip, 3h, 0r, 0er, 7k, 2w.

Prairie du Chien: Wessling 5ip 7h, 5r, 4er, 4k, 2w; Mezera 2ip, 3h, 1r, 1er, 1k, 0w.

WP: Kakwitch. LP: Wessling.