Despite Wild Ending, Tigers Win in Sleepy Eye
5/26/13
Springfield went into the bottom of the ninth leading 5-1, but three wild pitches and a Tiger error got Sleepy Eye within one before the final out was recorded. The game was originally scheduled for Friday night, but was postponed to Sunday and a 3:30 start due to rain.
The mound match-up pitted Alan Woitas against Brandon Wilhelmi. Both starters were solid through seven innings, never facing more than five batters in any frame. Springfield took advantage of an Indian error to start the second inning, along with singles from Jordan Milbrath and Zach Bisel to get on the board.
A lead-off walk in the bottom of the seventh turned into Sleepy Eye's first run. Andrew Woitas followed with a single. A 4-6-3 double-play got the Tigers two outs, but a two-out double by Scott Salfer made it a new ballgame at 1-1.
Another inning opening error cost Sleepy Eye big in the top of the eighth. Alex Fink followed with a double and Ryan Sturm walked to load the bases. After a line out, Christian Loomis was hit by a pitch to put the Tigers on top. Milbrath launched a sac fly to drive in Fink. Marc Salazar chased Woitas with a two-out RBI base hit to make the score 4-1. Matt Helget took over on the hill and was able to get out of the inning without any further damage.
Given the three-run lead, a rejuvenated Wilhelmi pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth. Springfield added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on singles by Wilhelmi and Fink.
Wilhelmi got a fly out to start the bottom of the ninth. A single and a walk put the tying run in the on-deck circle for the Indians. Springfield turned to Milbrath to slam the door on the victory. The hard-throwing right-hander unleashed a wild pitch to put the runners at second and third before getting a strikeout. With two down and ahead in the count 1-2, Milbrath hit Cody Walter to load the bases. Then came a wild pitch to make the score 5-2. Then another to make the score 5-3. On the second wild pitch, the similarity of the Springfield and Sleepy Eye uniforms caused Tiger catcher Bisel to throw the ball toward the plate, but Milbrath was not yet close to covering it, and it allowed Sleepy Eye to get within one, 5-4. Finally, Milbrath ended the game with a strikeout to preserve the win.
Alex Fink and Marc Salazar led the way for the Springfield offense with two hits each. Ryan Sturm, Jacob Menage, Jordan Milbrath, and Zach Bisel all added one hit each. For Sleepy Eye, Andrew Woitas had two of the four Indian hits, with Alan Woitas and Scott Salfer adding the other two. On the mound Brandon Wilhelmi earned the win, going 8 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Alan Woitas took the loss, giving up four runs, none of which were earned, on seven hits. Jordan Milbrath picked up a save with two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning.
The win improves the Tigers' record to 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the Tomahawk East on the season. Springfield would grab a quick bite to eat and then head south on Highway 4 toward Stark for their second of two on the day at 7:30pm.
NOTES: The win was Springfield's first for a game finished in Sleepy Eye since 2007. They did beat Sleepy Eye in 2011 in a game that was suspended in the bottom of the ninth tied at one. The contest was completed in Springfield when Sleepy Eye traveled there later in the season...The Springfield High School baseball team won their first two Section 3A playoff games on Saturday. They will continue play against Lac qui Parle Valley on Tuesday in Granite Falls with the first pitch scheduled for 5pm.
Scorecard
Linescore
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | LOB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 10 |
| Sleepy Eye | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Springfield Box
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilhelmi, P/CF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | SAC |
| Scheffler, 2B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | SAC |
| Fink, SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2B, HP |
| Sturm, 3B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Menage, LF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Loomis, DH | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | HP |
| C. Milbrath, RF | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| J. Milbrath, CF/P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | SAC |
| Ma. Salazar, 1B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | SAC |
| Bisel, C | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | HP |
| 32 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 4 | ||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | ||
| Wilhelmi (W, 3-0) | 8 1/3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 5 | |
| Milbrath (SV, 1) | 2/3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Pictures
