Tournament starts July 26 in Westby
By Greg Seubert
Don’t pack up the gloves, bats, uniforms and cleats just yet.
Waupaca’s American Legion baseball team is heading back to state for the first time since 2005.
A 9-1 win over Bonduel in the championship game of a regional tournament in Clintonville July 22 means the team will compete in the state Class A tournament, which starts Friday, July 26, and runs through Tuesday, July 30, at Veterans Memorial Field in Westby.
Waupaca will open the eight-team, double-elimination tournament at 4:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, against Prairie du Chien, which won the Prairie du Chien Regional.
Waupaca opened the Clintonville Regional with an 11-6 win over Oconto Falls July 19 and followed that up with a 7-5 win over Bonduel July 21. Clintonville handed Waupaca its only loss of the tournament – 13-3 – July 21.
Waupaca 11, Oconto Falls 6
Waupaca had a 6-2 lead after three innings after coming up with three runs in the first, one in the second and two in the third.
Oconto Falls cut the lead to 6-5 with two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, but Waupaca added to its lead with a five-run sixth.
Waupaca 7, Bonduel 5
Waupaca headed into the seventh inning down by four runs after Isaac Banker, Bryce Weier and Dylan Burch scored on Jordan Boldt’s hit in the sixth that gave the Grizzlies a 5-1 lead.
Clintonville 13, Waupaca 3
Waupaca never recovered after the Diamond Cats scored 10 runs in the first inning.
Waupaca 9, Bonduel 1
Bonduel committed five errors that led to Waupaca’s 7-0 lead.
Waupaca scored two runs in the each of the first two innings before added three more in the fourth.
The Grizzlies scored a run in the fifth, but Waupaca added two more in the sixth.
“In big games, you have to take advantage of anything,” coach Jay Krcmar said. “Put the ball in play and see what happens. We did that early and often and that was a big part of the game.”
Jack Erspamer picked up the win despite walking seven batters in 4 2/3 innings.
“He was always behind in the count, but he did make the pitch when he had to,” Krcmar said. “We made some nice defensive plays and turned a double play that was big. Even at 2-0, you can get a hitter out. I thought he came back and got sharper as he was behind.”
Krcmar returned this year to coach the team. He took Waupaca teams to the Class AA state tournament in 2004 in Waterford and the following year in Kimberly. He coached the team for 10 years before taking 10 years off.
“It means a lot for the kids,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for them to build memories of something that not everyone gets a chance to do. As a player, I always wished that I could get there, but never got a chance to be there. I think they need to realize it is pretty special to get there and enjoy every second of it because it goes fast.”
This year’s team includes several recently graduated players.
“The great thing is the seniors came out this summer,” Krcmar said. “They came out to play and they were rewarded for it. That builds it for the future because those guys could’ve said, ‘Hey, I’m going to college, I’m done.’ They wanted to play baseball and when you want to play baseball, good things can happen when you put it together.”
Waupaca’s competition during the regular season included Ashwaubenon, which qualified for the Class AA state tournament, and Oshkosh, a state qualifier in Class AAA.
“It made us step our game up,” Krcmar said. “We got to see some new teams and sometimes, you see teams that you play all the time. We saw some new pitching. We didn’t see any of these pitchers (at Clintonville) in the regular season and I think we had a good approach at the plate. We drove the pitch count up on guys and we were very picky early in the count.
“That’s what our goal is: drive that pitch count up, but also be selective,” he said. “When you get a good one, hit it, but don’t be afraid to take pitches and get your pitch early in the count. These guys respond well to that. There are good curve ball and off-speed pitchers out there. We want to make sure we’re being aggressive on the right pitch early in the count.”
Greg Seubert Photo
Krcmar said Waupaca will face some of the state’s top Legion programs at state.
“There are going to be a lot of good pitchers and the key is putting the ball in play,” he said. “Sometimes, the pressure gets to teams and you have to just play the game and play as loose as you can. The game is the same. They still give you three outs and you still have to throw strikes. The team that can throw the most strikes and play the best defense are usually the teams that advance deep.
“When you’re playing a double-elimination (tournament), you can’t get too high and you can’t get too low,” he added. “Our kids do that. We were down four runs in the seventh the other night and you couldn’t tell if we were winning or losing. We came from that and that will help you during those pressure situations in a state tournament.”
State Class A Baseball Tournament
July 26-30
Veterans Memorial Field, Westby
July 26 schedule
10:30 a.m.: West Salem Regional champion (West Salem or Arcadia) vs. Waupun Regional champion (Waupun or Ripon).
1:30 p.m.: St. Mary’s Catholic Regional champion (St. Mary’s Central or Wrightstown) vs. Baldwin/St. Croix Central Regional champion (Altoona or Osceola).
4:30 p.m.: Clintonville Regional champion (Waupaca) vs. Prairie du Chien Regional champion (Prairie du Chien).
7:30 p.m.: Marathon Regional champion (Medford) vs. Westby/Coon Valley.
July 27 schedule
Games scheduled for 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
July 28 schedule
Games scheduled for 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
July 29 schedule
Games scheduled for 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
July 30 schedule
Games scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and, if necessary, 4:30 p.m.