Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel Legion second baseman Josh Richter jumps to make a catch as Shawano’s Parker Pues steals second base late in Bonduel’s 14-2 home loss Tuesday.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel Legion first baseman Dalton Cairns extends to get an out on Noah Brodhagen’s ground ball during Tuesday’s 14-2 home loss. Bonduel allowed 14 hits and made five errors.
The Shawano Legion baseball team had its way with the Bonduel pitchers, pounding out 14 hits in Tuesday’s 14-2 road victory.
The Patriots scored in six of the seven innings of the Fourth of July rivalry game.
“We had really good at-bats, so that’s why we scored the runs we did,” Shawano head coach Ryan Koenig said.
Alex Hoffman and Jacob Lacy each drove in three runs, while Connor Klish added two RBIs on a single in the seventh inning.
Brett Ainsworth, Lacy, Noah Brodhagen and Kien Moorman each racked up multiple hits.
Koenig liked the approach his team took at the plate against six Bonduel pitchers.
“You’ve got to make the other pitcher pitch,” Koenig said. “You’ve got to let them get behind in the count, and then get good at-bats.”
Bonduel’s starter Riley Allen got out of the second inning without allowing a hit but was pulled after Shawano’s two-run third in favor of Isaac Boldt. Parker Bohm, Jordan Boldt, Bryce Engel and Josh Richter also saw time on the mound.
“Pretty much been relying on Brent and then Jordan for the entire season, so I wanted these other guys that have thrown limited or hardly at all to see mound time,” Bonduel coach Jason Boldt said. “I thought we might take some bumps there, but, hey, got them an inning.”
Shawano starter Dylan Sumnicht scattered eight hits over seven innings, giving up two earned runs while walking three and striking out seven. The final five outs for Sumnicht were strikeouts.
“We put the ball in play, just couldn’t come up with a big hit with guys on,” Boldt said. “They weren’t pressing. It was nice to see they were actually making good contact, just hard-hit balls right at everybody.”
Jordan Boldt scored twice on three hits for Bonduel, while Bailey Dingeldein drove in both runs on the day. Pieper added two hits for the Grizzlies (3-2).
Bonduel put a runner in scoring position in each of the first five innings but managed just the one run.
“When they got a hit, he made sure we got out of it,” Koenig said of Sumnicht. “There were a few times early in the game where he could have given up a few runs, and he really, really wanted to be out there, really wanted to pitch well, and being our senior leader, he did really well.”
It’s the second consecutive loss for Bonduel, which was three-hit by Clintonville last week.
“We’ve had a couple of games here in a row that things just haven’t gone our way,” Jason Boldt said.
Shawano (6-6), meanwhile, is on a three-game winning streak heading into the final stretch of its season. Ainsworth had two doubles, including an RBI in the first inning.
Hitting from the second spot in the lineup, Ainsworth continues to produce behind Sumnicht, the leadoff hitter.
“He can bunt, he can hit to the opposite field, so when Dylan gets on, we can do a lot of different stuff,” Koenig said. “I think that’s a perfect spot for him.”
Shawano hosts Ashwaubenon Wednesday night before facing Kaukauna at home Thursday. Bonduel, which will play in a tournament in New London, has five more games before the end of the weekend.
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Shawano 1 0 2 1 2 4 4 14 14 2
Bonduel 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 5