Blugolds lose on two-out, two-run walk-off single
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – First, it was ecstatic. Minutes later, heartbroken. The Aquinas High School baseball team went through a rollercoaster seventh inning that ended in defeat in the WIAA Division 3 state championship.
After the second-ranked Blugolds took a 4-2 lead with a three-run, top-of-the-seventh inning against the defending state champions, Lake Country Lutheran (28-2) had an answer.
The top-ranked Lightning scored three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, winning the title 5-4 with a two-out, two-run, walk-off single to right field Thursday at Fox Cities Stadium.
The runs came off Alex Dee, who entered the game for Rudy Rott to close things out in the seventh. In 23 innings this season, Dee was 1-1 with a 1.22 ERA.
Dee started things well enough, getting the Lightning’s leadoff hitter to ground out. The next three batters, however, all singled to load the bases.
No. 5 hitter, Jake Hall, came up next, hit another single to pull Lake Country to 4-3. Dee got the next batter looking for out number two, before No. 7 hitter Joe Lipsky hit the walk-off, two-out, two-run single to right field for the win.
Heading into the seventh, the Blugolds (27-4) were facing a 2-1 deficit on a pitcher they had gotten just one hit on per inning – the big hit being Dee’s RBI double in the third inning.
But in the top of the seventh, Aquinas’ rally started with a one-out single by Rott. Chris Curti walked and Dee followed with a single to left, loading the bases.
Alex Schulte got the scoring started with an RBI single to left to tie the game and Andy Gunderson reached on an error that scored another run.
That play knocked starter Ben Wikins out of the game with six strikeouts, giving up seven hits and five walks. Ryan Nehls entered and Hortsman hit a sacrifice fly to left to give the Blugolds a 4-2 lead, before the dreaded bottom half of the inning.
Rott went six innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs as Aquinas’ starter. He struck out one and walked one. Dee, who was 2-for-3 at the plate, gave five hits in 2/3 inning.