Willdcats Whip Waterford in Doubleheader

It was Cinco de Mayo, and the University School baseball team was in full sync on the baseball diamond.  Behind strong pitching performances by seniors Lane Stanford and Josh Baker, the Wildcats to sweep a doubleheader from Waterford High School in Waterford Saturday afternoon. Stanford won the first game for USM, 6-2.  Baker won the second game by a 13-2 margin.

“It was a dominant performance,” said USM’s coach Tim Bartz after the game.  “Waterford is a Division 1 school.  We saw them in the D1 state tournament in 2010.  Winning a doubleheader from them is a real statement about us.  Everyone on our team contributed today, and Lane and Josh did very well.”

The doubleheader had originally been scheduled for USM, but the field there was too wet, so the games were played in Waterford.  The change meant that each team would lead off one game and bat second in the other.

Stanford scattered four hits and two walks, and struck out seven in five innings of work in the first game.  He and his teammates produced three runs in the bottom of the first inning to give him help.

Greg Trinkl walked with one out and went to second on a wild pitch.  Baker was hit by a pitch.  Tommy Pennington then doubled to right to drive in Trinkl.  Billy Lawton followed with another double to score Baker and Pennington.

Stanford gave up two singles and a walk in the top of the next inning, but he worked out of the jam with two strikeouts and a fly ball to Baker in center to end the inning, stranding three Wolverines to shake their heads on the base paths.

The Wildcats added two more in the bottom of the second.  Nishad Agrawal led off the inning with a single.  Jack Wells then legged out a beautiful bunt down the first base line for a second single.  Trinkl added a third straight single, and the bases were loaded.  Baker hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Agrawal and send Wells to third.  Pennington then reached on an error that allowed Wells to cross the plate.

USM made it 6-0 in the bottom of the third.  Duncan Brown led off with a walk, and stole second while Agrawal was at bat.  Agrawal bunted.  His bunt did not advance Brown, but it was so well executed that Agrawal made it to first for a single.  Wells singled to load the bases and Trinkl then walked to drive in Brown.

Stanford conceded a run in the fourth.  He hit the first batter, Matt Bartling, with a pitch.  Tanner Hunsucker then reached on an error and Bartling took second.  Kevin Draper grounded into a fielder’s choice, but an error on the play loaded the bases.  Bartling then scored on Tommy Dugandzic’s sacrifice fly.

Waterford scored once more in the seventh off or USM reliever Nathan Burke.  Hunsucker led off with a single, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Draper’s single.  Burke got the next three Wolverines to make outs on a fielder’s choice, and two strikeouts.

In the game, Stanford was the winning pitcher and Draper took the loss.  Wells and Agrawal were each 2 for 3.  Lawton was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a double.  Pennington was 1 for 4 with two RBIs and a double.

In the first five innings of the second game, Baker walked one, gave up one hit and struck out twelve.  Five of those strikeouts came in the bottom of the first inning.  Two runners reached on dropped third strikes by catcher Duncan Brown.  USM’s head coach Tim Bartz explained, “Duncan hurt his hand in the first game.  Josh was throwing so well that Duncan had trouble at the start.  I asked him if he wanted to sit out. He said, “No.  I’m a hockey player, I can handle it.”  As a result of the runners reaching and Hunsucker’s single, the Wolverines scored a run in the inning.

They were already down by three, however.  In the top of the first Stanford led off with a single and soon stole second.  Trinkl then singled to put Wildcats on the corners.  Baker doubled to score Stanford and send Trinkl to third.  Pennington walked.  Lawton then singled to drive in Trinkl, and Burke’s grounder behind the runners allowed Baker to score USM’s third run of the inning.

USM added a run in the top of the second.  Pennington walked and stole second.  With two out Burke drove a fly ball to center that deflected off the center fielder’s glove like water off of concrete.  Running on the play, Pennington raced across the plate.

Baker struck out the side in the second, and Brown handled each pitch with dexterity.

The Wildcats scored nine runs in their last three at bats.  Four came in the fifth.  With one out Baker and Pennington hit back-to-back triples.  Lawton reached on an error on which Pennington scored.  Burke doubled to send Lawton to third.  Hitting behind the runners, Wells advanced Lawton and Burke on a ground out to second.  Then, like he was hitting BP in a cage, Jake Watton drilled a single over third to score Burke and give USM an 8-1 lead.

In the top of the sixth, USM made it 9-1.   With one out, Baker doubled.  Pennington walked.  Then with two out Burke lined a single to center to drive Baker home safely.

In the top of the seventh, USM added four more runs.  With one out John Shwieters singled and Paul Shimshak followed with another single.  Trinkl reached on an error to load the bases. For the third time during the day, Baker was hit by a pitch.  Schwieters trotted home as Baker trotted down to first.  Tommy Pennington walked to drive in Shimshak, and Joey Pennington then walked to drive in Trinkl.  Burke then hit a sacrifice fly to score Baker and give USM a 13-1 lead.

Waterford scored one run in the bottom of the seventh on a long homerun by Mitch Nelson.  It was the only hit that Trinkl allowed in two solid innings of relief.

Baker was the game’s winner.  Bill Malecki took the loss for Waterford.  Baker went 3 for 4 at the plate with two doubles, a triple and 2 RBIs.  Tommy Pennington was 2 for 5 with 2 RBIs and a triple, and Burke was 2 for 4 with 4 RBIs and a double.

Waterford is now 6-9.  The two non-conference wins gave USM a 15-0 record.  The Wildcats put their perfect 10-0 conference record on the line at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when they play Living Word Lutheran in a Midwest Classic Conference North game in Jackson.