DEFENSIVE BATTLE: Hornets Sneak Past Braves

GREEN BAY---The Gladstone High School Baseball team turned three double plays on defense and got a gutsy pitching performance from Clay Cole, but couldn't get the big hit on offense and lost to Green Bay Preble, 2-0, Thursday night in Wisconsin.

The game was played at the 3,200-capacity Joannes Stadium, home to the Green Bay Bullfrogs baseball team. It was played under 85-degree heat, a rarity this season.

Cole, battling sickness all week long, faced a potent Hornet line-up and scattered seven base hits in five innings of pitching. Three of those hits were bunt singles.

Indeed, "small ball" contributed big in the Hornet victory.

In the second inning, Bryce Miller and Jordan Gawke led off with singles, and were moved over on a perfectly-placed sacrafice bunt by Zach Renier. Then Max Bobholz put down an even better suicide squeeze bunt that turned into an RBI single and a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Gawke's bunt single with two outs put two men on base and Renier followed with an RBI single to give Preble (16-3) a 2-0 lead.

The Hornets had other chances to score but were turned away by good Braves defensive plays. The first inning ended when Lucas Weinert turned a 5-3-5 double play at third base, with an assist to Cooper Cavadeas at first. The third inning ended on a nice defensive play by Weinert at third, and then the fourth inning ended on a spectacular throw from right fielder Dan Martin that turned into a double play at home plate.

In the sixth inning, Preble was threatening to blow the game open against Cavadeas, who relieved Cole one batter into the inning.

With the infield drawn in and the bases loaded with no outs, Max Wagner smoked one that Braves second baseman Zach Hanson jumped up to catch. Hanson then got the double play at first base.

Gladstone faced a tough pitcher in Ryan Stefiuk, who had a lively fastball in the low 80's. Stefiuk was a bit wild early, walking five Braves batters, including two in the second inning. But Gladstone could not get the big hit.

The Braves' best chance to score came in the third fifth inning when Braeden Lamberg and Cody Frappier had back-to-back singles with two out. But Martin, who had the team's only other hit earlier in the game, popped up to end the threat.

Gladstone received a tough break (literally) before the game, when pitcher/first baseman Jared Crow took a ball to the face during warm-ups. The accident broke his nose, forcing the team to shuffle around the infield defense.

Braves Manager Don Lauscher had no compliants with his defense, nor with Cole's pitching. But after the game, he challenged his team to have better at-bats on the offensive side, noting that the playoffs are just around the corner.

The loss broke Gladstone's 14-game winning streak, and dropped the team's record to 25-3. The Braves will try to start a new winning streak on Friday in Marquette, with a doubleheader starting at 4:00. It will be broadcast on NewsTalk 600 WCHT.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos taken by Laura Lamberg and hear Don Lauscher's interview.