The Pierz Brewers, a State Tournament team last year, began their 2026 season with a 4-1 win at Freeport over the Black Sox. The Brewers got Home Runs from Gunnar Wicklund and Stephen Nezerka to lead the way and Wicklund got the Win in middle relief with Peter Schommer coming on to earn the Save. It was Stephen Nezerka’s first game for the Brewers after signing with the team after playing with Vesili previously.
The starting itchers in this game were Nathan Solinger for the Brewers. Nathan is a Pierz graduate and just finished his Freshman season at Central Lakes College in Brainerd where he started 8 games for the Raiders on the mound and hit .254 with 3 doubles, 2 triples and 4 rbi in 29 games and 63 at-bats. The Black Sox gave the Opening Day starting assignment to Kaden Toutges, a Freshman at Jamestown University in North Dakota out of New London-Spicer High School. Toutges didn’t appear in any games for the Jimmies this Spring but he did make the Dean’s List academically!
The only baserunner in the 1st inning for either team was Freeport’s Mason Toutges, who singled to lead off the 1st but Nathan Solinger got a fielders choice to erase Toutges, but put Bryan Benson on base with 1 out. Solinger then got a strikeout and then catcher Gunnar Wicklund threw out Benson trying to steal to end the 1st.
The Brewers got their 1st baserunner in the top of the 2nd when Rylee Rauch walked with 1 out, but Toutges Ryan Stuckmayer to ground out and Nathan SOlinger grounded out.
In the top of the 3rd, Derek Dahmen led off with a walk and was sacrificed to 2nd by Peter Schommer. Michael Nezerka then grounded out to 2nd baseman Mason Toutges, advancing Dahmen to 3rd with 2 outs. Gunnar Wicklund then lined an rbi single to center to score Dahmen and put the Brwers ahead 1-0. Stephen Nezerka then belted a line-drive Homer to left and the Brewers were up 3-0. Kaden Kruschek then singled before Kaden Toutges got a strikeout to end the inning.
The Black Sox answered in the bottom of the 3rd when Ben Mettenburg led off with a walk, then Bentley Ritter, a 15-year old from Sauk Centre, collected his first career VIctory League hit with a single. After a force out, a strikeout and a walk, the Brewers brought in Gunnar Wicklund to pitch in relief of Nate Solinger. Matt Johnson’s ground ball was misplayed for an error, allowing Ritter to score and make it 3-1.
The score remained 3-1 until the top of the 7th when the Brewers added their final run. With new pitcher Jadin Norby, the 26-year old out of Williston, North Dakota on the hill, the first 2 Brewers batters went down on strikes before Gunnar Wicklund got a hold of a Norby pitch and sent it out of the ballpark for a solo Homer and make the score 4-1.
The Brewers brought in Peter Schommer to pitch the bottom of the 7th and responded with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out to 2nd baseman Ryan Stuckmayer for a quick 1-2-3 inning.
The Brewers threatened in the top of the 8th when Kaden Kruschek doubled, Ryan Stuckmayer singled and Derek Dahmen was hit by a pitch with 2 outs to load the bases. But the inning ended on a fly ball to left to keep it a 4-1 game.
In the bottom of the 8th, Mason Toutges singled with 1 out but Peter Schommer got Bryan Benson to ground back to the mound, where Schommer started an inning-ending double play.
In the top of the 9th, Stephen Nezerka walked with 1 out bat that’s all the Brewers could manage, as the game went to the bottom of the 9th with the Brewers still ahead 4-1.
Peter Schommer got the 1st out on a ground ball to shortstop Rylee Rauch, then picked up a strikeout before ending the game with a ground out to 1st base and the Brewers had the 4-1 victory.
Pierz Brewers 4 8 2 – 4
Freeport 1 4 1 – 1
WP: Gunnar Wicklund 3.1 IP 0 runs 1 hit 7k 0bb
SV: Peter Schommer 3.0 IP 0 runs 1 hit 3k 0bb
Nathan Solinger 2.2 IP 1 run 2 hits 3k 3bb
LP: Kaden Toutges 6.0 IP 3 runs 5 hits 7k 2bb 1hp
Jadin Norby 3.0 IP 1 run 3 hits 5k 1bb 1hp
Brewers:
Michael Nezerka 0-4
– Tyler Fischer 0-1
Gunnar Wicklund 3-5 Hr, 2 rbi, 2 runs
Stephen Nezerka 1-4 Hr, bb, 2 rbi, run
Kaden Kruschek 3-4 2B
– Mike Poser 0-1
Rylee Rauch 0-3 bb
Ryan Stuckmayer 1-3 hp, sb
– Chuck Boser 0-0
Nathan Solinger 0-4 sb
Derek Dahmen 0-2 bb, hp, run
– Jesse Marshik
Peter Schommer 0-3
Black Sox:
Mason Toutges 2-4
Bryan Benson 0-3 bb
Matt Johnson 0-4
Carter Neuenschwander 1-4
Ben Millard 0-4
Dominic Ritter 0-2 bb
Iver Papke 0-3
Ben Mettenburg 0-2 bb
Bentley Ritter 1-3 run