Marshfield Chaparrals drop final regular-season game to Eau Claire

Marshfield Chaparrals pitcher Sam Schwanebeck looks in toward home during the eighth inning of Wednesday’s game at Jack Hackman Field. The Chaps lost to the Eau Claire Cavaliers. (Photo by V. Pilz/For MarshfieldAreaSports.com)

This story is sponsored by Victory Apparel

By Steve Pilz
For MarshfieldAreaSports.com

MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team may have come up on the short end of a 10-7 loss to Eau Claire on Wednesday night, but the larger than usual crowd for the last home game of the season seemed to enjoy the fight the Chaps had in them on Wenzel’s Farm Sausage night at Jack Hackman Field.

“In the last two games we’ve had 24 hits and just one error,” said Chaparrals player/manager Justin Rayburn. “Although the outcome of those games may not be what we wanted, we’re continuing to play well going into the playoffs.”

The Chaps, who finish their regular-season schedule with an 11-9 record, will play at the Haugen Knights at 8 p.m. Friday to open the Wisconsin Baseball Association playoffs.

Although the Chaps lost their second straight game, they continue to hammer the ball near the end of the season. After 11 hits against Osseo on Tuesday, the Chaps had 13 against the Cavaliers.

Luke Wirtz got the first of his four hits to lead off the second. He scored on Bobby Pilz’s liner down the right field line. The Chaps got two more in the inning and led 3-0. Wirtz hit five bullets Wednesday night, the last straight to the third baseman’s glove as he was 4-for-5.

Nate MacDonald led off the sixth with a triple to right center driving in Alex Steines, who had reached on an error. Rayburn drove MacDonald in with a single and it was 6-2 after the sixth.

The Cavs came back to tie the score in the seventh but the Chaps answered that in the eighth when Curt Englebrecht bashed a triple to left, followed by a Schwanebeck double that rattled off the left field fence scoring Englebrecht.

Leading 7-6 heading into the ninth, the Chaps were unable to keep their lead as Eau Claire scored four times in the final frame. Marshfield wrapped up a successful home season going 7-4 at Jack Hackman Field.

Cavaliers 10, Chaparrals 7
Eau Claire 001 100 404 – 10 15 2
Marshfield 030 003 010 – 7 13 0
WP:
Lukas Lanners. LP: Sam Schwanebeck.
SO: Adrian Bethel (6 inn.) 1, Lanners (3 inn.) 1; Cale Cuddie (4 inn.) 4, Ryan Metz (3 inn.) 1, Schwanebeck (2 inn.) 2. BB: Bethel 2, Lanners 0; Cuddie 4, Metz 1, Schwanebeck 1.
Top hitters: EC, Tom Mewhorter 3×5, RBI; Cole Tyman 2×5, 2B, RBI; Matt Miller 2×5, 2 RBIs. M, Luke Wirtz 4×5’ Schwanebeck 2×4, 2B, RBI; Justin Rayburn 2×4, RBI; Nate MacDonald 2×5, 3B, RBI.
Records: Marshfield 11-9; Eau Claire not provided.