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Tigers Open With Win in Essig

5/4/14

Springfield traveled to the Essig Ballpark on Sunday afternoon to open the 2014 Tomahawk East League season. There was a bit of a chill in the breeze as is typical for early May ball games, but after eight months without amateur baseball, the excitement of getting back on the field kept everyone warm. The Tigers built a two-run lead three times in the contest, but the Bluejays kept battling back before Springfield secured the 5-4 win.

Manager Steve Helget handed the ball to Jason Nachreiner as the opening-day starter. Essig countered with left hander Sam Hansen.

Christian Loomis and Matt Vogel started the top of the second with back-to-back base hits. A ground out by Jacob Vanderwerf opened the scoring, plating Loomis. Carter Erickson was hit by a pitch in the top of the third. Erickson swiped second and advanced to third on an overthrow. Then Brandon Wilhelmi pushed the Tiger lead to two with a base hit.

Nachreiner retired the first seven Essig batters before a Tiger error allowed Jory Dove to reach base in the bottom of the third. Hansen helped himself out with an opposite field single. A wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position, before Kyle Krzmarzick drove in the Bluejays' first run with a ground out.

Eric Scheibel came on in relief for Essig to start the fourth. He kept the Tigers off the scoreboard, allowing just one hit during his three innings of work.

Springfield also went to the bullpen after their starter worked three innings, turning things over to Isaac Kirschstein. He walked the first batter he faced, before a pair of wild pitches and a base hit by Kyle Helget tied the game at two. After the RBI single, he allowed just an infield hit to start the bottom of the fifth, keeping the score knotted at two through six.

Essig went to the bullpen again to start the seventh. The Tigers put together back-to-back, one-out singles from Cooper Scheffler and Erickson to greet Dove. A hit batter and a ground out later and Springfield was back on top by two, 4-2.

Wilhelmi got an inning of work in the bottom of the seventh, coaxing a 5-3 double-play to get out of a bases-loaded jam without any damage.

Alex Frank came on for the Tigers in the home-half of the eighth. Again, a leadoff walk came around to score to make the tally, 4-3.

Jordan Guggisberg worked the ninth for Essig. After getting the first two batters, a walk came back to haunt him as well. Pat Moriarty made the score 5-3 when he smashed a double to right-center field.

Given the 5-3 lead, Frank walked the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth. A wild pitch and ground out brought the Bluejays within one with the tying run at third. A walk and defensive indifference put Essig a base hit away from the win, but Frank notched his fifth strikeout in his two innings of work to preserve the Springfield victory.

Carter Erickson and Brandon Wilhelmi led Springfield with two hits each. Cooper Scheffler, Pat Moriarty, Christian Loomis, and Matt Vogel all added one hit apiece. Jory Dove's two hits led the way for Essig. Isaac Kirschstein picked up the win, working three innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, with four strikeouts. Dove took the loss, allowing two runs, one earned, in two innings of work. Alex Frank got the save working the final two frames, allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit, but issuing four walks.

The win starts the Tigers off on the right foot at 1-0 for the season. Next up, they'll travel to Stark to battle to Longhorns on Sunday at 2pm. Come over for a ballgame and enjoy a Stark Burger! See you there!

NOTES: This season marked the tenth straight year the Tigers have played their first or second Tomahawk East League game in Essig...Carter Erickson started his amateur baseball career with a single in his first at-bat. Erickson was joined by Pat Moriarty and Sam Baier, making their Springfield debuts. Moriarty is completing his second year as the principal at Springfield High School. He formerly played for the Green Isle Irish and was named to the Class C All-Tournament team in the 2012 State Amateur Baseball Tournament in St. Cloud...Three of Essig's four runs were the result of leadoff walks.


Scorecard


Linescore

123456789RHELOB
Springfield0110002015839
Essig00110001145611

Springfield Box

ABRHRBIBBSO 
Scheffler, 2B511000 
Erickson, RF422101HP
Wilhelmi, SS/P302101HP
   Frank, P010010 
Moriarty, 1B5012002B
Loomis, DH511001 
Nachreiner, P------ 
   Kirschstein, P------ 
   Baier, SS------ 
Vogel, 3B401000 
Vanderwerf, CF300100SAC
Anderson, LF400000 
Bisel, C400003 
 3758516 
        
 IPHRERBBSO 
Nachreiner3 11005 
Kirschstein (W, 1-0)3 21124 
Wilhelmi1 10011 
Frank (SV, 1)2 12145

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