Waupaca wins first baseball title

https://youtu.be/8LQHTh8l9yA

Comets shut out defending champs

By Greg Seubert

John Koronkiewicz capped his Waupaca High School coaching career by leading the Comets to the school's first-ever state baseball championship. Koronkiewicz, who also coached Waupaca football teams to state titles in 2006 and 2008, coached the varsity football team for 32 seasons and the varsity baseball team for 24 years. Tim Koll Photo

John Koronkiewicz coached Waupaca High School’s football team to Division 3 state championships in 2006 and 2008.

He can add the school’s first baseball title to that list as well.

The Comets handed Milwaukee Lutheran a 2-0 loss June 16 in the WIAA Division 2 state spring baseball championship game at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. Waupaca fell to Milwaukee Lutheran 3-2 last year in a Division 2 sectional final and the Red Knights went on to win a state championship.

The Red Knights had a chance to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning, as Matthew Brandt scored on T.J. Walker’s single. However, several Waupaca fans sitting in front of third base told Koronkiewicz to appeal the play after Brandt didn’t touch the base while rounding it on his way home and the run was taken off of the scoreboard.

Waupaca came up with what turned out to be the game’s only runs in the bottom of the third on RBI hits from Hayden Neidert and Jason Ellie. Ellie’s single scored Walker Smith, while Ellie came home on Neidert’s double.

Smith held the Red Knights to five hits to pick up his ninth win of the season without a loss and also had two of the Comets’ four hits.