Blugolds take down nemesis, Marathon, now play defending champs
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – For the first time since 2010, the Aquinas High School baseball team is headed back to the state championship.
The Blugolds defeated Marathon 11-3 at Fox Cities Stadium on Wednesday.
At noon Thursday, No. 2-ranked Aquinas (27-3) will play top-ranked and defending state champion, Lake Country Lutheran (27-2), for the WIAA Division 3 title. The Lightning were the state runners-up in 2013, as well.
The Blugolds have been to state four other times, from 2007-2010, winning the title in 2007 and losing in the championship in both 2008 and 2010.
Wednesday, against Marathon (25-3), Aquinas had seven hits and took advantage of five errors. The three runs they gave up, were their first three of the entire playoffs.
The Blugolds got on top right out of the gate when Alex Dee hit an RBI triple and Alex Schulte followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
It was 4-1 heading into the sixth when Aquinas put the game out of reach with seven runs – taking advantage of wild pitches, hit-by pitches, errors, bunt singles and, of course, a bunch of hits, too.
Jacob Hortsman started the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tim Bettis came up next and laid down a bunt for a single. Tyler Young walked the bases loaded, and Eric Wilson opened the scoring with an RBI on a fielder’s choice.
Rudy Rott continued the run, getting the hardest RBI of his career, taking one for the team with the bases loaded.
Still loaded, Chris Curti nailed an RBI single, and Dee followed with a two-run double. An error scored another run on that hit, and Andy Gundersen capped off the big inning with a sacrifice fly.
Dee finished the game 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Schulte started the game and got the win, going five innings. The 6-foot-3 junior gave up six hits, two runs and two walks. He struck out two. Dee pitched the final two innings, striking out three, walking none, while giving up three hits and no runs.
This is the fifth trip to the WIAA state tourney for Aquinas, but the eighth to state championships. From 1984 to ’87, Aquinas won WISAA state titles – a team that current coach Scott Bagniefski played on.
The win over Marathon for Aquinas, is like the little brother finally getting the best of big bro. The two teams met in the state playoffs in 2008, 2009 and 2010 – the first and last of those, for state titles.
In 2008, Marathon won 3-2. Aquinas was up 2-1 after the first inning, but the Red Raiders scored two in the top of the second and the teams went scoreless from there on out.
In 2009, the teams met in the semifinals. Another close one. Another Red Raiders victory, 7-6. Aquinas had a 6-4 lead heading into the seventh, where Marathon scored three to win. It went on to lose in the state championship.
In 2010, Marathon came away the champs in a 15-7 shootout. Aquinas fell behind 6-1 in the first inning, but tied the game with five runs in the third. Marathon, however, struck back with two in the fourth, three in the fifth and sealed it with a four-run seventh.