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MarshfieldAreaSports.com
WAUSAU – Jackson Smithpeter knocked in Landon Parlier with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning to plate the go-ahead run and Wausau West held over the final two innings to defeat Marshfield 4-3 in a WIAA Division 1 baseball regional semifinal Tuesday at West High School.
West starter Lucas Hager went the distance, allowing just five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts, outdueling his counterpart, Braxton Kurth of Marshfield. Kurth gave up just three hits and did not walk a batter with four strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Marshfield took a 1-0 lead in the third inning. Bennett Lang and Owen Griesbach had back-to-back singles, and after a ground out, Lang scored when Ben Dietsche reached on an error to give the Tigers the advantage.
The lead didn’t last for long as West battled back in the bottom of the third. Two hit batters was followed by a two-out three-run home run by Dylan Dobratz to put the Warriors up 3-1.
Marshfield tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth. Adam Gilbertson had an RBI double to plate Lang and Judd Higgins scored on another West error to tie the game.
West took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth as Parlier led off with a double, moved to third on a bunt by Jackson Albee, and scored on Smithpeter’s fly ball.
Hager slammed the door, allowing only one baserunner, and West’s fifth error of the game in bottom of the sixth, and struck out two over the final two innings.
The No. 8 seed Wausau West (10-12) will at No. 1 seed Stevens Point (22-1) in a Division 1 regional final Thursday at Bukolt Park at 5 p.m. Marshfield, the No. 9 seed in the bracket, ends its season with a 10-15 record.
Click here to view the statewide WIAA regional semifinal scoreboard and regional finals schedule.
Warriors 4, Tigers 3
Marshfield 001 020 0 – 3 5 2
Wausau West 003 010 x – 4 3 5
WP: Lucas Hager. LP: Braxton Kurth.
SO: Kurth 4; Hager 8. BB: Kurth 0; Hager 0.
Top hitters: M, Adam Gilbertson 2B, RBI; Bennett Lang 2×3, 2 runs. WW, Landon Parlier 2B, 2 runs; Dylan Dobratz HR, 3 RBI.
Records: Marshfield 10-15; Wausau West 10-12.