Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Without its top two pitchers to start the American Legion season, Bonduel is going to need its bats to come alive.
Trevor Pedersen and Wyatt Erb, both starting pitchers for the Bonduel High School team this spring, have injuries that will hold them out of play until early July, head coach Jason Boldt said.
In the meantime, Jordan Boldt will be relied on as the starter, and Brent Pieper will pitch a few innings, but neither of them has much time on the mound.
Behind those two, Jason Boldt will have to count on a few inexperienced pitchers.
“It’s going to be by committee after that,” Jason Boldt said. “Whoever wants to step up and says, ‘Hey, I’ve got a couple of innings in me.’ Because nobody else is really a proven pitcher out there.”
The Grizzlies put up 13 runs on Clintonville in a season-opening victory at home Monday, with the offense improving on its three-run showing in Shawano on Thursday.
“We didn’t hit the ball well last week, and we made some stupid mistakes that these guys normally don’t make,” Boldt said.
Boldt wants to clean up the fielding and base-running mistakes before his starting pitchers return.
The majority of the team’s roster played on the BHS squad that had a 16-win season in the Central Wisconsin Conference-8.
“We’ve got two other players who didn’t play high school that were able to come back, in Travis Wollenberg and Austin Siolka,” Boldt said. “Two good ball players for years past with the high school team, so they’re going to be helping us out.”
Wollenberg played in the outfield on Monday. Siolka was the shortstop during the nine-run victory over the Diamond Cats.
Once the team is back at full strength, Boldt hopes the Grizzlies show up to play in the postseason.
“Get healthy as we move along here,” Boldt said. “Get our other pitchers back and ready to go by the time regionals roll around at the end of July.”