This story is sponsored by: WDLB-AM 1450 and WOSQ-FM 92.3 radio
By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com
IRMA – The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team used the long ball to get their record back to even on Sunday afternoon, as they beat the Rock Falls Gunners 14-0.
The Chaparrals moved to 7-7 overall and they improved their playoff chances by evening their Dairyland League record to 5-5.
The Chaps hammered five extra-base hits, four of those home runs, to bolster another strong performance by starter Ryan Metz to keep their playoff hopes alive.
After a scoreless first inning, the Chaps took advantage of a wild Collin Grefe, the Gunners starter, who plunked three batters in the second. Noah Panzer drilled a two-out double to plate all three of them and the Chaps led 3-0 after two innings.
Riley Erickson started the home run barrage with a solo shot in the fifth to put the Chaps up 4-0.
Erickson struck again in the sixth with an RBI single scoring Cale Cuddie, who led the inning off with a single. The Chaps got three in the sixth to make it 7-0.
The Chaps made a short game of it in the seventh by erupting for seven runs. After Cuddie reached on an error, Bobby Pilz reached on a one-out single, putting runners on second and third. Erickson walked with two outs before Curt Englebrecht bashed a grand slam to make it 10-0.
Sam Schwanebeck walked, giving him a statistical baseball anomaly, as he went 0-for-0 with two runs scored, as he walked three times and was hit by a pitch twice.
Luke Wirtz hit a bomb to left and Jack Donahue did the same to center, giving the Chaps a seven-spot in the seventh for their seventh win f the season.
“We hit the ball really well tonight,” said Chaparrals player-manager Justin Rayburn. “Every one of our outs were hard-hit outs. (Ryan) Metz pitched another gem for us. We played well from start to finish in all aspects of the game.”
Metz was stellar, pitching six innings and yielding just six hits while striking out seven and walking one. He gave up just six hits. Donahue pitched the seventh, striking out two and walking one.
The Chaps play at home on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against Osseo.
Chaparrals 14, Gunners 0
Marshfield 030 013 7 – 14 11 0
Rock Falls 000 000 0 – 0 6 2
WP: Ryan Metz. LP: Collin Grefe.
SO: Metz (6 inn.) 7, Jack Donahue (1 inn.) 2; Grefe (6 inn.) 6. BB: Metz 1, Donahue 1; Grefe 4, Kenon Stellingworth (2/3 inn.) 2, Kyle Brooks (1/3 inn.) 0.
Top hitters: M, Riley Erickson 3×4, HR, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Curt Englebrecht 2×3, HR, 4 RBIs, 2 runs; Donahue 2×5, HR, RBI; Luke Wirtz HR, 2 RBIs; Noah Panzer 2B, 3 RBIs; Sam Schwanebeck 2 runs; Cale Cuddie 3 runs.