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LIGHTNING STRIKES: Braves Beat Appleton North
 APPLETON---The Gladstone High School baseball program has only been around for four years, but one of the goals that has eluded the Braves in that short history is a victory against the Appleton North Lightning. Even while the Braves were making long playoff runs in Michigan, they found themselves on the short end in these regular season match-ups against the Fox Valley team taht has produced a number of NCAA-Division One players in recent years.  But Gladstone scored twelve straight runs and A.J. Lundberg settled down on the mound, and the Braves finally beat the Lightning, 13-8, to split the doubleheader. "They are a very good team, and we knew there were going to be some tough games coming down here," Gladstone Assistant Coach Kurt Lauscher said. "But we've got a good group, as well." "We've been pitching well, playing good defense, and hitting the ball," Lauscher continued. "When you do those three things, you will have some success." "It felt great to beat Appleton North," Gladstone second baseman Lucas Weinert said. "They're a good team. But I think we're real good, too. It was great to win this one." The Braves actually had plenty of chances to win both games Saturday, but they left eleven men on base, made four errors on defense, popped up bunts on back-to-back plays, and had several poor baserunning plays that took them out of big innings.  And Weinert did his best to keep the Braves in the lead as he made all three putouts in the third inning. His best was a full-out dive to rob Evan Sankey of an extra base hit with two men on. And after catching a pop-up, Weinert was there as Quin Henwood smoked one toward the gap. Weinert knocked it down, spun, and threw to first base. "It was hit hard, I just dove," Weinert said about the first play. And then, about the one that ended the inning? "It hit my hand real hard and it dropped down. I still got it and threw him out at first. I spun around to get it!" But Appleton North scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning against Braves pitcher Tyson Seymour. The Lightning added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning off reliever Brandon Cooper. And so, it was another loss in Appleton. In the nightcap, Lundberg was hit hard in the first three innings, with the Lightning scoring five runs on six base hits. Will Monroe and Wes Sommers had RBI hits to the fence in the first inning, and Monroe had another double in the third inning.  "He was leaving the ball up, leaving it down the middle of the plate," Lauscher said. "They were taking advantage of it. After that, he kept the ball at the knees, kept the ball on the corners. That's what you've got to do as a pitcher." Gladstone rallied from the 5-1 deficit with five runs in the fourth inning. Braeden Lamberg's two-run single tied it, and Ben Schwalbach's sacrafice fly put the Braves ahead, 6-5. Then in the fifth inning, Gladstone scored four more runs, with Schwalbach and Clay Cole each getting RBI base hits. And in the top of the seventh, the lead grew to 13-5 as Weinert capped off his afternoon with an RBI single. Gladstone's outfielders did a nice job in the victory, with Owen Hanson diving for one in left field and making a second grab to end the game. Hunter Botruff tracked down several long fly balls in both games of the doubleheader.  Botruff allowed three runs in a relief pitching role, and Cole came in to get the final three outs. Gladstone (5-2) will have its home opener on Monday against the North Central Jets. The game is scheduled to start at 4:30, and it will be broadcast live on WUPF-FM (Eagle 107.3) and on-line at www.radioresultsnetwork.com. Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos taken by Laura Lamberg. Also, listen to post-game interviews with Lauscher, Hanson, and Weinert.  |
