Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Shawano pitcher Taylor Prey winds up during Thursday’s game against Clintonville at Memorial Park in Shawano. Shawano won 11-5.
Leader Photo by Gerrard Diaz Clintonville slugger Turner Doornink, center, is greeted at home plate by teammates after hitting a home run during a game against Shawano Thursday at Memorial Park in Shawano. Shawano won the game, 11-5.
The Shawano Community Legion baseball team pulled away with a five-run sixth inning to beat Clintonville 11-5 Thursday at Memorial Park.
“In the first couple of games of the season we’ve had here, we’ve kind of fallen behind and didn’t battle back,” Shawano coach Will Gillis said. “We got on top, they came back on us and we battled back.”
Shawano (1-4, 0-2 Fox River Valley) wasted no time getting runners on, loading the bases in the first inning and getting three runs in on a single by Taylor Prey, a walk of Mason Boogren and sacrifice fly by Jaryd Wilber.
Clintonville (3-2, 3-0 Central Wisconsin Legion) loaded the bases in the second, but stranded all three runners.
Turner Doornink hit a two-run home run over the center field fence in the third to cut the Diamond Cats’ deficit to 3-2.
“He’s a stud,” Gillis said. “He crushed the ball out of here. It was a big-timer, no double shot.”
Boogren hit a triple in the bottom of the frame and got home when Doornink overthrew first baseman Jansen VanDaalwyk on a Wilber ground ball. Jon Koth then hit a ball into center field to score Wilber.
In the top of the fifth, Clintonville’s Hunter Vollmer reached on a Shawano error, stole second and got to third when Shawano had trouble fielding a Doornink shot to left field.
VanDaalwyk then hit a two-run double to put Clintonville within one, 5-4, but that was as close as the Diamond Cats would get.
Shawano scored one run in the bottom of the fifth on a Koth sacrifice fly.
“The score, 11-5, it wasn’t really that type of game until we got to late in the sixth,” Clintonville coach Jeremy Schoenike said. “We had a couple clutch hits to get us there. Turner hit the ball well tonight, VanDaalwyk hits the ball well. We were knocking right on the door.”
Shawano loaded the bases in the sixth with a walk, a perfect bunt down the third base line by Grant Wainio and a base hit by Prey. Clintonville walked in one run, and another scored on a wild pitch. A double by Wilber brought in two more runs. Wilber scored on a Koth double a few batters later.
“We gave away way too many things, whether it was an error or a leadoff walk,” Schoenike said. “We’re not a good enough team to do that.”
After Vollmer walked in the seventh, Doornink hit a double. Prey then struck out Parker Mindel. VanDaalwyk hit a sacrifice fly out in right field to score Vollmer, but Damon Lorge was put out at first after an uncaught third strike to end the game.
Prey allowed eight hits and five runs in seven innings, striking out eight and walking three. He was 2 for 4 at the plate with a RBI.
“He really did a great job tonight,” Gillis said. “He’s a guy that sometimes you have to push the right buttons. He went out there and was just phenomenal. It was his game the entire time, he knew it.”
Wilber finished 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs. Boogren was also 2 for 4 with a triple and a RBI.
Doornink pitched the first four innings, allowing four hits and five runs, striking out five and walking four before giving way to Parker Mindel. Mindel walked two, struck out one and allowed six runs on six hits.
Doornink had a home run and a double and two RBIs. VanDaalwyk went 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs.