By RICK SOLEM
ricks@mwfbroadcasting.com
Westby High School hopes to keep the drama at bay heading into the WIAA Division 3 state baseball tournament.
At around 3 p.m. Wednesday, the Norseman will play Deerfield at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis., to open the tourney.
Westby (20-4) is riding a 13-game winning streak heading into its first state tournament since 1997. Deerfield (18-4) has won six of its last seven.
The Norseman hope its first-round game isn’t as dramatic as the sectional final June 4.
Westby blew a two-run, seventh-inning lead to Parkview, the team that lost in the state championship last year.
The Norseman somehow overcame the mentality that they may have just blown their chance at state and won the sectional on an Alex Robson RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
Robson’s single to center field scored Nick Schroeder from third base for the 5-4 win.
Up 4-2 in the seventh, Parkview (18-6) managed a triple and an RBI-double to tie the game, before Robson ended the inning with the bases loaded with a fantastic defensive play at second base and that was the difference.