A five-run eighth inning gave Hortonville an 8-3 nonconference baseball win May 24 over Waupaca.
Hortonville scored twice in the third, but Beau Ash hit a solo home run in the bottom of the inning to cut the lead to 2-1. Hortonville added another run in the fourth, but the Comets tied the game with a pair of runs in the sixth.
The Comets loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh, but didn’t score.
Ash had three of Waupaca’s five hits, while Nate Pritzl and Caleb Boushley led the Polar Bears with two each. Dan Borek picked up the win on the mound for Hortonville, while Kevin Moe took the loss.
Waupaca opened state tournament play May 29 at Appleton East. The Comets received a No. 10 seed in their Division 1 sectional, while the Patriots are seventh. The winner of that game will play at No. 2 De Pere at 4:30 p.m. today (Thursday, May 31) for a regional championship.