The St. Stephen Steves, who finished last in the B Division of the Victory League during the regular season, avenged a pair of 1-run losses to the Buckman Billygoats during the year with a wild 9-8 win in Avon on Saturday.
After a scoreless 1st inning, the Billygoats put up 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd against Steves starter Matt Young when Ben Thoma led off with a double to the gap in left-center, followed by a Matt Kummet single. Andrew Rueckert then drove in Thoma with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 1-0. Jack Suska followed with an infield single, then Max Barclay clubbed a double off the wall in left to score Kummet and make it 2-0. Jack Suska then scored on a ground out by Travis Kahl to make it 3-0 after 2 innings.
In the top of the 3rd, the Steves bats exploded with 5 straight hits off starter Matt Tautges to open the inning. Singles by Derek Durant, Charlie Kent and Jake Schelonka loaded the bases. Then a Cole Fuecker rbi single made it 3-1, and a Mat Meyer rbi single made it 3-2. Zach Fuecker drive in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to right as Jake Schelonka came in to score. The next batter, Joe Tuholsky, also had a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Cole Fuecker and St. Stephen had taken a 4-3 lead.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the 5th when Travis Kahl lined a lead-off single to right, then Matt Tautges added a single. After a fly out to center by Lane Girtz, Noah Boser crushed a 3-run Homer off the scoreboard in right-center to put Buckman back in front at 6-4.
In the top of the 7th, it was the Steves turn to regain the lead. Derek Durant reached on a throwing error, then Charlie Kent singled. After Jake Schelonka fouled out to 1st baseman Max Barclay, Cole Fuecker singled to drive in Durant and make it 6-5. Mat Meyer then singled as well to load the bases with 1 out. Matt Tautges then hit Zack Fuecker with a pitch to force in Charlie Kent and tie the game at 6-6. Joe Tuholsky’s ground ball was then thrown away for an error, allowing both Cole Fuecker and Mat Meyer to score and the Steves had taken an 8-6 lead.
In the top of the 8th, Jake Schelonka singled with 1 out off reliever ben Thoma, then Cole Fuecker walked. Mat Meyer then collected his 3rd hit, an rbi single as Schelonka raced home to make it 9-6.
In the bottom of the 8th, Matt Kummet led off against reliever Landon Lunser by getting hit by a pitch. Andrew Rueckert then popped up to 3rd. Jack Suska then stepped to the plate and belted a 2-run Homer to right-center to pull the Billygoats within a run a t 9-8. After the Suska Home Run, the Steves brought in Jake Schelonka to pitch and he got the final 2 outs on a strikeout and a fly out to left.
Ben Thomas retired the Steves in order in the top of the 9th as Buckman had one last shot to come back in the bottom of the 9th.
In the bottom of the 9th, Jake Schelonka got Matt Tautges to pop up to 1st baseman Mat Meyer, then Lane Girtz went down on strikes, leaving it up to Noah Boser. Schelonka finished things off with another strikeout and the Steves had completed their 9-8 win.
St. Stephen will now play Avon Lakers on Sunday at 11:00 am in Avon in a winners bracket game.
The way the District 4B brackets are set up, the 3 first round losers (Foley, Fort Ripley and Buckman) would be slotted into a predetermined elimination bracket where the highest seeded team to lose in the 1st round would have an elimination round bye and not have to play until next Saturday in Sobieski. Since Buckman was the #2 seed, that bye goes to the Goats. That means that #3 Foley will play #5 Fort Ripley in an elimination game on Sunday in Avon. That game should start around 4:00 pm.
St. Stephen 9 12 0 – 9
Buckman 8 11 3 – 8
WP: Landon Lunser 2.1IP 2 runs 2 hits 0k 0bb 1hp
SV: Jake Schelonka 1.2IP 0 runs 0 hits 3k 0bb
Matt Young 5.0IP 6 runs 9 hits 1k 1bb
LP: Matt Tautges 6.1IP 8 runs 10 hits 5k 0bb 2hp
Ben Thoma 2.2IP 1 run 2 hits 2k 1bb
Steves:
Jake Schelonka 3-5 2B, 2 runs
Cole Fuecker 2-4 bb, 2 rbi, 2 runs
Mat Meyer 3-5 sb, 2 rbi, run
Zack Fuecker 0-3 sac fly, hp, 2 rbi
Joe Tuholsky 0-4 sac fly, rbi
Jack Greenlun 1-4 hp
Matt Young 0-5
– Landon Lunser
Derek Durant 1-4 2 runs
Charlie Kent 2-4 2 runs
Billygoats:
Matt Tautges 1-4 bb, sb, run
Lane Girtz 1-5
Noah Boser 1-5 Hr, 3 rbi, run
Ben Thoma 2-4 2B, run
Matt Kummet 1-3 hp, 2 runs
– Reese Young
Andrew Rueckert 0-3 sac fly, rbi
Jack Suska 2-4 Hr, 2 rbi, 2 runs
Max Barclay 2-4 2B(2), rbi
Travis Kahl 1-4 rbi, run
