Baseball team comes up short in playoffs

• First baseman Matt Strachota waits for a pickoff attempt

Hudson first baseman Matt Strachota waits for a pickoff attempt from pitcher Brett Steinwagner in the Raiders’ 4-3 loss to Merrill in a WIAA regional semifinal game last Tuesday at Grandview Park. Photo by Bob Burrows

Talk about it

Hudson rallied from a 4-1 deficit with two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning but came up one run short in a 4-3 loss to Merrill in a WIAA regional semifinal game at Grandview Park last Tuesday, May 31.

Raider pitcher Brett Steinwagner was dominant through the first five innings, striking out nine and allowing just two hits as the Raiders took a 1-0 lead into the sixth. But with two outs and a man on second in the top of the sixth, Merrill strung together four straight hits that resulted in four Blue Jay runs.

The Raiders pulled to within a run in the bottom of the inning when Steinwagner and Austin Evenson each singled and Matt Strachota laced a single to right to score Steinwagner and make it a 4-2 game.

Later in the inning with the bases full and one out, Ben Christensen delivered his second hit to score Evenson and make it a one-run game. But the Raiders hit into their second inning-ending double play of the game to kill the rally.

Hudson’s first run of the game came in the third when Mike Hommes led off with a single and moved to second when Miles Lewis was hit by a pitch. A sacrifice bunt by Christensen moved the runners to second and third before Derek Krumrei walked to load the bases. Hommes scored on a single by Austin Lenzen but a double-play ended the inning with just one run on the board.

The Raiders left a runner on third base in the first and fourth innings and also had a base running mistake in the fifth inning with no outs that could have led to a run.

Steinwagner went 6 1/3-innings on the mound and took the loss, allowing four earned runs on six hits with 10 strikeouts and five walks. Kellen Pearson got the final two outs while walking a batter.

Christensen was 2-for-2 at the plate with a double, walk and RBI while Steinwagner had two hits and scored a run. Lenzen and Strachota each had RBI singles and Evenson had a hit and scored once while Hommes and Lewis had a single apiece.

The Raiders ended the season with a record of 10-10 while Merrill advanced to last Friday’s regional final, where they dropped a 5-2 decision to Stevens Point.

Tags: sports, baseball, raiders, prep