First trip in school history
By now, most of you know UW-La Crosse is headed to the Division III College World Series. Word travels fast in this town.
A three-game win streak at Copeland Park over the weekend – two against Coe (Iowa) – was what it took.
And, when it was all said and done, Holmen, Wis., native Taylor Kohlwey comes away the hero.
But not for his 4-for-5 effort in the 15-4 win that got them to the World Series. Sure, sure, the junior was a double away from hitting for the cycle that included four RBI. Big whoop.
It was what Kohlwey did to get them to that true Midwest Regional Championship, earning a 7:45 p.m. Friday night matchup at Fox Cities Stadium against Salisbury (Md.) – a 33-4-1 team that heads into the double-elimination series with a nine-game win streak.
It was quite a simple thing. One that every kid dreams about, scoring that winning run. But, in a tie game, after his team just blew a two-run lead, Kohlwey led off the top of the ninth with a double down the right-field line. Pressure off. Or some of it, anyway.
After an out, the junior scored on a single up the middle by Appleton native Ben Morgan (featured picture at top).
Senior Jameson Sadowske closed the door in the bottom of the inning, a bit of redemption for the two runs – one earned – given up when he first took the mound in the seventh. And UW-L (33-13) was on its way to making history.
In the final game, the end score is no indication of how tight things were – for a bit. UW-L got up 2-0, but Coe (33-14) tied it and took the lead 4-2 in the fourth. The Eagles tied it in the fifth and sent the Kohawks packing with a six-run sixth inning.
You can view the World Series bracket here.
