The Pierz Brewers won a key game on Sunday, coming from behind with 3 in the 9th to beat the Opole Bears 6-4. Both team came into the game with records of 4-1. Leading the way for the Brewers was Gunnar Wicklund, who led off the game with a Home Run and ended up going 5-5 with a pair of doubles, including a go-ahead 2-run double in the 9th.
The Brewers got off to a quick start when Gunnar Wicklund belted the 4thpitchof the game from Opole starter Sam Butler over the fence in left-center to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.
Brewers starter Pete Schommer retired the first 6 men he faced as the game moved to the 3rd.
Pierz got off to a promising start in the top of the 3rd when both Gunnar Wicklund and Rylee Rauch singled, but then Sam Butler got Preston Veith to hit into a 4-6-3 double play and the fanned Phil Zynda to keep it 1-0.
Opole picked up their first 2 hits off Schommer in the bottom of the 3rd on a 1-out double into the left field corner by Tate Lange and a 2-out single from Drew Lange to put runners at the corners. Pete Schomer got out of that trouble by getting Brodi Huls to foul out to shortstop Rylee Rauch.
In the 4th, Pierz got a walk from Derek Dahmen whole the Bears got a single from Luke Bieniek, but neither team would score a run.
In the top of the 5th, Mike Leidenfrost led off with a single, followed by an infield hit from Gunnar Wicklund. Rylee Rauch then flew out to right fielder Luke Bieniek and as Leidenfrost tagged up and tried to move to 3rd, Bieniek made a perfect throw to Tate Lange at the bag to get Leidenfrost for the 2nd out. With Gunnar Wicklund now at 2nd after a stolen base, Preston Veith lined an rbi single to center to score Wicklund and put the Brewers up 2-0.
In the bottom of the 5th, the Bears tied things up when Maverick Novitski led off with a single and went to 2nd on an error in the outfield. Novitski went to 3rd on a wild pitch, and then Schommer got Tate Lange to pop up to 3rd and struck out Sam Butler. Drew Lange lined an rbi single to score Novitski and make it 2-1, then Lange stole 2nd. A Brodi Huls single moved Lange to 3rd, and right after that, Huls swiped 2nd giving Opole the tying run at 3rd and the go-ahead run at 2nd with 2 outs. Alex Lange hit a slow ground ball that was misplayed for an error, allowing Lange to score the tying run. Lange then was thrown out trying to stela to end the inning with the game now tied at 2-2 after 5 innings.
Sam Butler came out in the top of the 6th and retired the Brewers on just 4 pitches to get the Bears back in the dugout.
In the bottom of the 6th, Keaton Gustin led off with a double down the left field line and was lifted for pinch-runner Will Eichten. Luke Bieniek then followed with a double of his own, scoring Eichten and putting Opole up 4-3. Masyn Patrick then sacrifice Bieniek to 3rd. Maverick Novitski put a bunt down the 3rd base line, but Peter Schommer was able to field the ball, hold Bieniek at 3rd and get Novitski at 1st for the 2nd out. Tate Lange then came up and hit a hard ball back up the middle that deflected off the glove of Schommer and rolled to a stop on the dirt at near shortstop for an infield rbi single, plating Bieniek and putting the Bears ahead 4-2 after 6 innings.
The Brewers got a run back in the top of the 7th on a lead-off single by Ryan Stuckmayer. After Mike Leidenfrost flew out to right, Gunnar Wicklund laced his 4th hit, a double, chasing Stuckmayer to 3rd with 1 out. Ryle Rauch drove in Stuckmayer with a sacrifice fly to left before Butler got Preston Veith to fly out to Jordan Schmitz in center to end the inning with Opole now leading 4-3.
After 6 innings from Pete Schommer, the Brewers turned the ball over to Rylee Rauch to pitch the 7th. He made quick work of the Bears with a fly out to right, a strikeout and a ground out to 3rd.
Sam Butler had another efficient inning in the top of the 8th, setting the Brewers down in order on just 7 pitches.
In the bottom of the 8th, Rylee Rauch had another 1-2-3 inning, including his 2nd strikeout.
Trailing 4-3 heading into the 9th, the Brewers sent up pinch-hitter Chuck Boser to face Sam Butler. Boser came through with a single to center, with Pete Schommer re-entering as a runner at 1st. Ryan Stuckmayer then sacrificed Schommer to 2nd with 1 out. Mike Leidenfrost then took a walk to put men at 1st and 2nd with 1 out. Gunnar Wicklund then came up and smacked a double of the right field wall, easily scoring Schommer from 2nd to tie the game and Mike Leidenfrost raced around 3rd and just beat the throw to the plate, sliding in ahead of the tag from catcher Alex Lange to give Pierz a 5-4 lead. Rylee Rauch then lined out to a leaping Drew Lange at shortstop, but the Brewers then added an insurance run on Preston Veith’s rbi double to right-center, scoring Wicklund to make it 6-4. Drew Lange then came in to relieve Sam Butler and got the final out on 1 pitch as Phil Zynda flew out to right.
In the bottom of the 9th, Maverick Novitski led off with a single on the first pitch from Rylee Rauch, to bring the tying run to the plate. Rauch got Tate Lange to line out to left, then pinch-hitter Dierks Opatz flew out to center for the 2nd out. Rauch then ended the game when Drew Lange flew out to Gunnar Wicklund in right to secure the Brewers 6-4 victory.
Pierz Brewers 6 13 2 – 6
Opole 4 10 0 – 4
WP: Rylee Rauch 3IP 0 runs 1 hit 2k 0bb
Pete Schommer 6IP 4 runs 9 hits 6k 0bb
LP: Sam Butler 8.2IP 6 runs 13 hits 3k 3bb
Drew Lange 0.1IP 0 runs 0 hits 0k 0bb
Brewers:
Gunnar Wicklund 5-5 Hr, 2B(2), sb, 3 rbi, 3 runs
Rylee Rauch 2-4 sac fly, rbi
Preston Veith 2-5 2B, 2 rbi
Phil Zynda 0-5
Derek Dahmen 0-3 bb
Michael Nezerka 1-3 sac
– Aiden Jones 0-0
Jonah Prokott 0-3
– Pete Schommer 0-0 run
– Chuck Boser 1-1
Ryan Stuckmayer 1-2 bb, sac, run
Mike Leidenfrost 1-3 bb, run
Bears:
Drew Lange 2-5 sb, rbi, run
Brodi Huls 1-4 sb
Alex Lange 0-4
Keaton Gustin 1-4 2B
– Will Eichten 0-0 run
– Dominic Hoikka 0-0
Luke Bieniek 2-4 2B, rbi, run
Masyn Patrick 0-3 sac
Maverick Novitski 2-4 run
– Jordan Schmitz 0-0
Tate Lange 2-4 2B, rbi
Sam Butler 0-3
– Dierks Opatz 0-1