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By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
STEVENS POINT – The Marshfield Clinic Post 54 baseball team unleashed its high-powered offense, pounding out 19 hits in a 17-2 rout of Wisconsin Rapids in the opening game of the 2015 Class AAA American Legion Regional at Bukolt Park on Tuesday.
After falling behind 1-0, Marshfield scored multiple runs in four-straight innings, including seven in the fifth, to roll to the victory in seven innings via the 10-run rule.
Marshfield (21-6) will play Stevens Point (16-10) in a second-round matchup at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the double-elimination tournament. The tournament continues Thursday and wraps up Friday night.
Each of the Blue Devils’ nine starters had at least one hit and eight of the nine scored at least once.
Jack Donahue, Nate McDonald and Sam Neville each had three hits, with Donahue smacking a home run and a two-run double, McDonald scoring five times, and Neville driving in five runs for Marshfield.
“One through nine, and actually 10 and 11 and guys on the bench, we have some pretty good hitters this year,” Marshfield coach John Southworth said. “We started out a little slow, hit some balls hard that were caught, but they stuck with it and we started hitting some pitches up and running the bases.”
Jeremy Binder gutted out a complete game for the Blue Devils. He gave up 12 hits, but did not walk a batter and struck out three. Of equal importance, Binder was able to save the rest of the Marshfield pitching staff for the tournament’s upcoming games by going the distance.
“Before the game I told Jeremy not to be too fine, we’re going to put a really good defense out there and to just throw strikes,” Southworth said. “That’s what he did.”
Marshfield got the bats going in the third as McDonald doubled, moved to third on a single by Logan Johnson, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Dupee. Mitch Susa added an RBI double to put the Blue Devils up 2-1.
Donahue drilled a home run down the left field line with one out in the fourth and Neville had a two-run double to make it 5-1. Neville’s hit was a hard shot that took a wicked hop over the shortstop’s head and rolled into the left-center field gap to score McDonald and Johnson.
“We all try to get our pitch and hit it hard,” Donahue said. “I was actually looking for an outside pitch or some sort. I saw it was in on my hands, so I got my hands through and hit it hard.”
The Blue Devils put the game away in the fifth. Donahue had a double with the bases loaded to score a pair, McDonald followed with an RBI single, and after a strike out, Dupee had an RBI single to make it 9-1 and chase Wisconsin Rapids’ starter Derek Krzykowski.
Marshfield scored three more runs with the help of an error, a sacrifice fly RBI by Shane Coker, and a wild pitch.
Neville cleared the bases with a three-run double with two outs in the sixth, and McDonald walked and scored on an error in the seventh to finish the scoring.
“I’m expecting a lot closer games and we’re going to be playing some better teams,” Donahue said. “They’re going to save their better pitchers for us.”
Blue Devils 17, Rangers 2
Marshfield 002 374 1 – 17 19 1
Wisconsin Rapids 100 001 0 – 2 12 4
WP: Jeremy Binder. LP: Derek Krzykowski.
SO: Binder (7 inn.) 3; Krzykowski (4 1/3 inn.) 3, Caleb Zwicke (1 2/3 inn.) 1, A.J. Weiss (1 inn.) 1. BB: Binder 0; Krzykowski 2; Zwicke 2, Weiss 2.
Top hitters: M, Sam Neville 3×5, 2 2Bs, 3 runs, 5 RBIs; Mitch Susa 2×6, 2B; Shane Coker 2×3, 2 RBIs; Nolan Matson 2×5; Trevor Schwecke 2×5, 2 runs; Jack Donahue 3×4, 2B, HR, 3 runs, 3 RBIs; Nate McDonald 3×3, 2B, 2 BBs, 5 runs. WR, Krzykowski 2×4; Weiss 2×4; Austin Erdman 2B; Caleb Krommenakker 2×2; Colby Wolff 2×3.
2015 Class AAA American Legion Baseball Regional
July 21-24, at Bukolt Park, Stevens Point
Tuesday, July 21
Plover 14, D.C. Everest 4
Marshfield 17, Wisconsin Rapids 2
Stevens Point 5, Wausau 4
Wednesday, July 22
D.C. Everest vs. Wisconsin Rapids, 1:30 p.m.
Plover vs. Wausau, 4:30 p.m.
Marshfield vs. Stevens Point, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 23
If Plover defeats Wausau:
Everest-Rapids winner vs. Marshfield-Point loser, 1:30 p.m.
Plover vs. Marshfield-Point winner, 4:30 p.m.
Winner of 1:30 p.m. game vs. Loser of 4:30 p.m. game, 7:30 p.m.
If Wausau defeats Plover:
Everest-Rapids winner vs. Wausau, 1:30 p.m.
Plover vs. Marshfield-Point loser, 4:30 p.m.
Marshfield-Point winner vs. 1:30 p.m. game winner, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 24
Championship games, 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. (if necessary)