Lakemen edge Loggers in 13 innings
By Greg Seubert
Little Falls handed Waupaca a one-run loss in last year’s BABA Grand Championship.
This year, the Lakemen returned the favor.
An unearned run in the bottom of the 13th inning gave Waupaca a 2-1 over the Loggers Sept. 1 at Lakemen Field and also gave the team their 16th championship and second in three seasons.
Waupaca’s Cam Seidl and Little Falls’ Chris Dunn were two of the top pitchers in the BABA this season and combined for 37 strikeouts in the game, including 19 from Dunn and 18 from Seidl. Dunn also threw 199 pitchers and Seidl finished with 173.
Waupaca broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth, as Walker Smith and Kyle Douglas walked and Travis Holat, running for Douglas, scored on Jake Popham’s single.
Little Falls tied the game in the sixth after Kasey Morgan singled, stole second base and scored on Drew Radies’ single.
Waupaca had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Wes Austin led off with a double, the Loggers intentionally walked Luke Behm and Travis Holat walked to load the bases, but Dunn stuck out Ethan Dayton to send the game to extra innings.
Both pitchers stayed on the mound and neither showed any signs of slowing down. Seidl struck out all three batters he faced in the 11th and kept the Loggers off of the bases in the 12th and 13th. Meanwhile, Dunn retired the Lakemen in the 11th and ended the 12th with a pair of strikeouts.
Smith and Douglas flied out for the first two outs of Waupaca’s half of the 13th, but Austin kept the inning alive with a single and stolen base.
Popham then sent a fly ball to center field, but Morgan dropped the ball and Austin scored from second base.
Behm and Austin each had two of Waupaca’s seven hits and Radies had two of the Loggers’ six hits.
Popham, Dayton and Johnny Popham also had a hit for the Lakemen, while Morgan, Dunn, Hunter Gruenwald and Jenner Gullixon had a hit for the Loggers.