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By John Casper Jr. Leader-Telegram staff Eau Claire Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney issued a challenge to his young team a few weeks back. He wanted to reach 30 victories on the season - a relatively modest goal considering the Cavs have easily cleared that total every year since joining the Wisconsin State League in 2006. But that fact didn't make Sunday's sweep of Janesvile at Carson Park any less satisfying. The Cavs beat the Aces, 2-1 and 9-2, in their final WSL series of the season, passing McHorney's goal of 30 victories. "It's definitely good to go out on a good note," said Brad Hallberg, a recent Barron graduate who will play at Ohio State next year. "It was a big goal for us, and a good way to end the season." The Cavs (31-23, 14-18) have won nine of their past 13 games and four of their past five. They have two more games left on the season - both at home. "We thought 30 wins was a reachable goal for us," said McHorney, who is in his first year as manager. "Obviously you want to finish up strong, but I'm hoping all the kids have a good, positive experience. And I think they have." Everything was going right for the Cavs in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader. They scored seven runs with two outs and made two sparkling defensive plays in the bottom of the seventh to seal the victory. Catcher Mike Darley delivered the first big hit in the third inning, driving in two runs on a bloop single to left-center field. Cole Kraft had another two-out, two-run single the following inning. The Cavs were 7-for-14 with two outs. "I think it's contagious," said Hallberg, who had the first two-out run-scoring hit in the first inning. "If you see one guy do it, you get more confidence as a team. It just keeps going around." In the third and fourth innings combined, the Cavs scored seven runs and sent 17 batters to the plate. "That's huge," McHorney said. "We haven't had many big innings. Most of the time we had big innings against us. It just picks the kids up mentally. It picks up the pitcher." Francis Murphy (4-0) picked up the victory, allowing just four hits and one walk in six innings while striking out five. Dave Oestreich pitched a perfect seventh inning and was helped by two highlight-reel plays. Soya Aoki made a diving catch in right field and Matt Miller had a sliding stop of a ground ball. "That was just tremendous," McHorney said. "That's kind of electric stuff. When that happens, you know it's going good." In the first game Cody Bunkleman (5-2) allowed just three hits and struck out seven in seven innings. Ty Fadness had an RBI double in the first inning. In the second Rob Rybicki hit a one-out triple and came around to score on a single by Brady Sand.
The Manitowoc Bandits turned its struggles around in a hurry in Saturday's doubleheader against Kenosha. After losing the first game, 1-0, the Bandits came back with 10 runs on 14 hits in the second game to help knock off the Kings 10-5 in a Wisconsin State League contest. The Bandits jumped out early in the second game, tallying four runs in the first inning and one more in the second to take a 5-3 lead. Manitowoc would get two more runs in the fifth inning and three more in the eighth to help hold off Kenosha. Kyle Schroeder had a solid day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs, while Kyle Dreger was 2-for-5. Sam Spurney had a perfect day with the bat, finishing 4-for-4 with two doubles. Greg Herr was the beneficiary of all the offense, picking up the win by pitching seven innings with four strikeouts and two walks. While the second game was filled with offensive fireworks, the same could not be said in the opener. The Kings scored their only run in the sixth inning and it was enough to hold off any Manitowoc rally. Randy Johnson earned the win for Kenosha, tossing a complete game with five strikeouts and two walks. Keith Thompson was the hard-luck loser on the mound, lasting six innings, striking out three and walking one. Josh Underkofler was 2-for-3 for the Bandits (41-16 overall, 17-11 in WSL).
~ The Sheboygan Press The Sheboygan A's got two exceptional pitching performances Tuesday night, but had to settle for a doubleheader split at home against Oshkosh. Taylor Schwarz tossed a shutout in the first game, a 1-0 A's victory thanks to Kreston Albright's deep walk-off double to center that scored Graham Bintliff with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Sheboygan lost the second game 4-2, despite a solid complete-game effort by Ryan Schmitz. The split left the A's at 38-18 overall and 21-11 in Wisconsin State League play. In Game 1, Schwarz and Kyle Kannenberg engaged in a great pitchers' duel. Schwarz threw a two-hitter, struck out two, walked two and improved to 5-1 on the season while Kannenberg struck out four. Albright had two hits in the win, as did Grant Berkovitz. As thrilling as the first game was, A's general manager Denny Moyer was not pleased with his team's Game 2 performance, save for Schmitz's effort. "We stunk up the place," Moyer said. "We had four physical errors, and at least that many mental errors. It was awful, really the first time in a long time that we played really poorly." Sheboygan actually led 1-0 in the first, but Oshkosh took a 4-1 lead with a three-run fifth aided by two A's errors in the inning. Sheboygan tried to rally in the seventh, scoring once, but couldn't come back. Schmitz struck out eight and walked just one (the game's first batter). He threw a six-hitter.
The Wisconsin State League - Chicago Suburban Baseball League 2008 Challenge includes 32 games between two of the nation's finest semi-pro leagues. After one week-end of play, the WSL led the Challenge 16-10, with six games postponed by rain. On July 22 in Oswego,IL, the Addison Braves (WSL) clinched the Challenge with a 11-10 victory over the Oswego Cats (CSL). The Cats had tied the game in the bottom of the 9th inning, 10th, and 11th, to push the game to 12 innings. In the last frame, at close to midnight, Brandon Harwell walked to lead off the inning and was eventually driven in with a single by Josh Harwell. Last night, the Kenosha Kings (WSL)added to the WSL victories by sweeping a double header against the Crestwood Panthers (CSL) by scores of 5-3 and 9-8 (in eight innings). The victories by the Kings give the WSL a 19-10 record with only three games to play (games may or may not be made up due to scheduling conflicts). 2008 marks the second year of the WSL/CSL challenge with the WSL winning both years. The Chicago Suburban Baseball League is considered by many to be the #1 ranked semi-pro baseball league in the nation.
Article by the Sheboygan Press The Sheboygan A's went 3-1 during their four-game weekend at Addison, Ill., winning both Saturday games 7-5 and 21-2 before losing Sunday's opener 3-2 and winning the nightcap 10-9. The A's are now 20-10 in the Wisconsin State League, in second place behind Lombard, Ill. (25-2). In Sunday's opener, Taylor Schwarz knocked in two runs and Lucas Wilsing went 3-for-3. Alex Tomter took the loss despite allowing just one earned run. Tim Patzman 3-for-5 with a home run and six runs batted in in the second game. Grant Berkovitz went 4-for-5 and Max Schilter scored three runs. Wilsing got the win. In Saturday's second game, Phil Kramsky went 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBI, Graham Bintliff had three hits, three RBI and two runs and Kreston Albright had four RBI and two runs. Sam Radbil added three hits and Berkovitz had three RBI in the rout. Mike Rauwerdink got the easy win. Other W.S.L. Action: The Lombard Orioles also claimed three out of four over the weekend versus the Oshkosh Giants. Lombard won by scores of 5-2, 6-0 on Saturday. On Sunday, the Giants gave the Orioles their second W.S.L. loss of the season by a score of 5-3 before bouncing back to win the second game 10-4
Pitcher Cody Griebling remained perfect on the season, running his record to 5-0 and leading the Sheboygan A's to a 6-2 victory over Manitowoc on Tuesday night. The A's are in the middle of marathon stretch of games, and are handling the grind just fine. Tuesday's win was their eighth in nine games, and their 14th out of the last 16. Sheboygan general manager Denny Moyer said there were about 500 fans in the stands to see Griebling's strong performance. The Germantown native and Madison Area Technical College (MATC) standout went the distance, striking out four and scattering six hits. Manitowoc led 2-0 early, but Griebling settled down and Sheboygan scored three in the third and never trailed again. That inning was marked by two-out clutch hitting, as Tim Patzman scored Graham Bintliff and Shawn Wozniak doubled home two more after a Manitowoc error. Sheboygan added two in the fifth when Lucas Wilsing laced a two-run single. The A's are now 32-15 on the season overall, and took over third place in the Wisconsin State League on Tuesday (Sheboygan is 17-9 in the WSL) while improving to 14-6 in the Northeastern Wisconsin League. Sheboygan, which turned three double plays against Manitowoc, hosts De Pere tonight at 7:30 and Appleton on Thursday before heading to Chicago for a weekend four-game series. article by Sheboygan Press
The Oshkosh Giants swept the Addison Braves Sunday in a Wisconsin State League doubleheader, taking the first game, 4-3, and the second, 10-5. Both games featured complete pitching performances from the Giants, with Eric Schmitz pitching seven innings in Game 1, and Adam Roos going the distance in Game 2. The Giants (17-8, 16-6) tallied their four runs in Game 1 in the third inning, with RBI singles by Derek Hiroskey and Brad Demmin, and a two-run double by Wes Munson. Demmin, the leading hitter in the WSL, got the Giants started in the second game with a two-run homer in the first inning. Derek Leighton put up a RBI double in the third, and RBI doubles by Munson and Leighton in the fifth put Oshkosh up for good. Next up for the Giants is a pair of road doubleheaders against the defending national champion Lombard Orioles Saturday and Sunday. The Giants are second in the WSL behind the Orioles.
The first-place Lombard Orioles limited the Kenosha Kings to one run in a doubleheader sweep Sunday afternoon at Simmons Field. The Kings lost the first game 3-1 and dropped the second game 3-0. Kenosha (8-16 WSL, 21-19 overall) stranded 16 runners on base on the day against the Orioles (21-1 WSL). "We're a base-to-base team with no speed," Kings manager Tim Pulizzano said. In the first game, Lombard scored twice in the top of the seventh inning with the second run scoring on a dropped fly ball. After the Orioles took a 1-0 lead in the sixth, the Kings tied it up in the bottom half of the inning when John Lequia scored after Kevin Zalnis reached on a throwing error by the third baseman. Randy Johnson (2-5) pitched a six-hit complete game with no walks and one strikeout. "As far as I'm concerned, Randy pitched the best game he has all year," Pulizzano said. "He definitely did his job." Lombard's Mike Recchia and Shawn Estan teamed up for a six-hitter. In the second game, Lombard broke open a 1-0 game with a two-out, two-run double in the seventh off Jon Olson, who pitched a four-hit complete game. Olson (3-2) walked one and struck out five. Left-hander Matt Aronson pitched a five-hit shutout. The Illinois Wesleyan hurler walked one and struck out five. "Another game that was well pitched," Pulizzano said. "Jon made one mistake in the seventh. Aronson and Olson are pretty much 1-2 in the league as far as ERA." Paul Pulera had two of Kenosha's five hits.
The temperature isn't the only thing that's been hot lately. The Sheboygan A's offense has been downright red-hot. On Sunday at Wildwood Baseball Park, Sheboygan completed its second doubleheader sweep of Janesville in as many days with 5-1 and 8-4 victories over the Aces. The A's won at Janesville on Saturday by scores of 10-0 and 11-1. Sheboygan (now 30-14 overall and 16-9 in the Wisconsin State League) has won six straight games and 12 of its last 13. The A's have also racked up 10 or more hits in seven of their last eight games. On Sunday, pitcher Alex Tomter earned the Game 1 victory. Janesville was limited to just three hits. Offensively, Matt Schilter, Tim Patzman and Shawn Wozniak each had two hits. Wozniak also had two runs batted in. Patzman also tied an A's single-season record — set by Lee Wetenkamp in 1991 — with his 24th double. In Game 2, Sheboygan broke open a 4-2 game with a four-run fourth inning. Patzman had three hits and Wozniak and Kreston Albright added two each. Wozniak finished with two more RBI. Starting pitcher Adam Ferrell worked five innings and got the win.
The Oshkosh Giants split a Wisconsin State League doubleheader with the Addison Braves. Oshkosh took the first game, 4-3, in nine innings and dropped the nightcap, 4-1. The Giants remain in second place in the WSL. In the first game, Derek Leighton connected with a two-out single that scored Derek Hiroskey from third after reaching first base safely with a bunt single. Kyle Kannenberg took the win, pitching all nine innings, and fanning three hitters. Oshkosh held a 1-0 lead going into the top of the seventh inning. Then, with two outs on the board, the Braves managed to score four runs and steal the victory from the Giants. Luke Vosz suffered the loss in 6 innings of work.
Cody Griebling has been quite a find for the Sheboygan A's. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee pitcher keeps on delivering for the A's, who beat Kenosha 9-2 in a Wisconsin State League baseball game on Thursday night at Wildwood Baseball Park. Griebling, who no-hit the Kings the last time he faced them on July 2, allowed one earned run over seven innings on Thursday, striking out five and walking three. He gave up four hits. Griebling is now 4-0 on the season, and has allowed just three earned runs in 40 innings for the A's. Sheboygan improved to 25-14 overall and 12-9 in the WSL (fourth place). The A's put the game away in their last three bats, scoring seven runs. Kreston Albright's triple in the sixth and Taylor Schwarz' two-run double were the key hits late. Former A's pitcher Jason Bunton took the loss, allowing seven runs (four earned) and 12 hits in seven innings. Sheboygan hosts Little Chute tonight before embarking on a grueling three-day stretch of doubleheaders. The A's travel to Whitewater to play Janesville on Saturday at 5 p.m., then return home to face the Aces in a doubleheader Sunday. The final doubleheader in the stretch is at Wildwood against Menasha on Monday, scheduled to get under way about 6:30 p.m.
These Bandits couldn't get away with anything. After putting up four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-5 lead over the Oshkosh Giants, it looked like Manitowoc could sneak away with the win. But the only thing that snuck away was the ball over its first baseman's head in the bottom of the frame, allowing speedster Brandon Birschbach to score all the way from first to tie the game. Oshkosh added another run in the inning and Cory Reiland came in to shut down the Bandits the next three innings, allowing the Giants to snatch a 7-6 victory at E.J. Schneider Field Tuesday in a Wisconsin State League baseball game. "We got down but we didn't give up and kept battling," Giants field manager Brian Gerl said. The Giants' four-run third inning put them in good position for the win. Paul Heinkel came up with the bases loaded and two outs, and deposited the ball to the right-field grass for a two-run single. Heinkel went to the bank again in the fifth inning and cashed another run with a ground ball to first base that scored Brad Demmin and gave the Giants a 5-2 advantage. "It helps when you have a guy step up like that and really contribute a lot to the game," Gerl said. "Clutch hits help a lot." Manitowoc first got on the board with a Sam Spurney two-run homer off Ryan Kuepper that landed over the left-field wall and into the trees. Oshkosh cracked its own goose egg in the third inning when Derek Hiroskey hit a sinking liner to right field that scored Jason Fosler. At 7-6 after six innings, there was no reason to believe the game wouldn't continue at a high-scoring pace. But Reiland came in and only gave up one hit in the remaining three innings. "It was great to see him throw well because he's struggled the last few times he'd been out," Gerl said. "He kept the ball down, threw strikes and battled every batter. He did a great job." Game Ball: Paul Heinkel's three RBI led the Giants. Numbers Game: 11 Bandits hits through six innings.
While there are six games yet to be played, the Wisconsin State League can finish no worse than a tie for the 2008 WSL/CSBL Challenge. Sixteen games were played on Sunday, with the WSL gaining 9 victories, giving the league a total of 16 victories (out of a possible 32 total) over two days of action. Six games were rained out and may or may not be rescheduled. If they are rescheduled, the CSBL would have sweep all six to gain a tie. The Lombard Orioles and the Sheboygan A's were the big winners for the WSL over the weekend, with each sweeping thier four games. Oshkosh, Eau Claire, and Manitowoc all gained splits in thier four game sets. Three double headers were rained out over the weekend (Addison Braves at Oswego Cats, Kenosha Kings at Crestwood Panthers, and Janesville Aces at Oak Forest Shooters). These games may or may not be made up depending on scheduling conflicts or if the games will matter in the standings of each league. All games played during the challenge count in the respective teams league.
Strong pitching fueled the Sheboygan A's impressive four-game sweep this weekend. A's pitchers allowed only 12 runs in 33 innings this weekend, as Sheboygan finished off its weekend with a doubleheader sweep of the Westmont Redsox on Sunday at Wildwood Baseball Park. After holding Crystal Lake to three runs in a doubleheader on Saturday, Sheboygan came back to beat Westmont by scores of 6-5 and then 5-4 in the 12-inning nightcap on Sunday. "Our pitching has been absolutely outstanding," said A's manager Chad Gehr. "Cody Griebling threw well for us Sunday on short rest, and Alex Tomter had only two days rest and pitched great." Griebling and Tomter combined to allow just seven hits and one earned run in the extra inning game. Sheboygan won the marathon in the 12th inning on Tim Patzman's RBI single. In Sunday's opener, the A's jumped out to a 5-0 lead and led 6-2 before holding on. Shawn Wozniak and Jordan Rennicke each had two RBI in the game. The victory was Sheboygan's sixth straight, and 11th in the last 13 games. North grads Lucas Wilsing and Ryan Schmitz had solid starts on Saturday against Crystal Lake to get the weekend off to a good start. "It's just a case of guys starting to come together and jell," Gehr said.
MANITOWOC — Turnabout turned unfair for the Manitowoc Bandits on Sunday. After sweeping a twinbill from Chicago Suburban League member Westmont on Saturday, another CSL squad, Crystal Lake, grabbed a pair of wins of over the Bandits at Municipal Field in the second day of the Wisconsin State League-Chicago Suburban League Challenge. Crystal Lake handed the Bandits back-to-back losses for just the second time this season, winning the first game, 5-4, while taking the second, 5-0. Manitowoc is now 6-2 overall in two WSL-CSL challenges. In the opener, Manitowoc (35-8 overall) led the entire way until Crystal Lake struck for a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Bandits couldn't muster up the tying run in the bottom of the frame as Crystal Lake held on for the win. Jake Waddle went 2-for-3 to lead the Bandits' nine-hit attack in contest, while Kyle Schroeder also picked up a double. Keith Thompson allowed just one earned run in seven innings, but took the loss. He scattered 10 hits and two walks, while striking out two. The second game was all Crystal Lake as Manitowoc was limited to just three singles — one each from Schroeder, Josh Krowiorz and Nat Richter. Matt Phipps went the distance for Manitowoc and took the loss. Steve Wright went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run for Crystal Lake. Manitowoc will return to Wisconsin State League action on Tuesday with a contest at the Oshkosh Giants, who have beaten the Bandits in two of three meetings this year. The Bandits then return home on Wednesday to host the Menasha Macs beginning at 7:15 p.m. at Municipal Field.
By Justin Harings Leader-Telegram staff The Eau Claire Cavaliers have had to work extra hard to make good things happen this summer. And even when they did force their way to a victory in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday, they apparently used up all of their offense in the process. The split-happy Cavaliers beat the same worn-out drum Sunday, mounting a last-inning rally to edge the Melrose (Ill.) Indians, 5-4, in the first game before being one-hit and going out on a 12-1 nightcap whimper in the twinbill, which was part of the Wisconsin State Baseball League/Chicago Suburban Baseball League Challenge. In a span of eight innings, an announced crowd of 250 at Carson Park watched the Cavaliers (22-19 overall, 11-17 WSBL) float from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other on very windy but otherwise clear, comfortable afternoon. The unfriendly transition started after the Cavaliers peaked in the seventh inning of the opener, plating three runs to recover from a two-run deficit. The rally was punctuated by a walk-off single by Jared Anderson with two outs and runners on second and third base. "Second and third, I knew all I had to do was get a base hit," said Anderson, who pounded a liner through the left side of the infield to score Matt Miller and Ty Fadness. "I was just able to put the bat on the ball and shoot it through." Cole Kraft deposited a one-out offering from Indians pitcher Brandon Townsend onto the Fan Deck beyond right field to start the seventh-inning comeback, and Anderson's hit made a winner out of left-hander Francis Murphy (3-0), who didn't allow a hit and struck out one in 1q frames. "It was huge to come back like that," said first-year Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney, whose team has split nine of its 16 doubleheaders this season. "You obviously watch how the kids react when we do something like that, and it's exciting." The second game moved along in a fairly orderly manner, with the Indians (20-9, 17-9 CSBL) holding a 1-0 lead through five innings. That's when the singles started falling in rapid succession for the Indians, who entered Sunday in second place in the North Division of the CSBL. They scored four runs in the sixth and piled on seven more in the seventh while totaling 15 hits - all of the one-base variety. "The emotions are high after that first game, and we were doing real well until those last two innings," Anderson said. "It just kind of fell apart in the last two innings." It certainly didn't help the Cavaliers' cause that Indians starter Jamie Friel was nearly unhittable. The side-arming southpaw allowed one run on one hit - a bloop single by Kraft in the sixth - walked three and struck out two, going the distance. "Pretty much everything was on today," said Friel, who normally stands on the right side of the pitching rubber but slid to the left Sunday because the hole in front of the rubber was too big for his liking. "I was pretty much just throwing strikes." Friel carried a no-hitter into the sixth, when Kraft lifted a one-out single into shallow center field. It was the only hit Friel surrendered. "(Kraft) just threw his hands out there, hit the ball - a little blooper," said Friel, whose drop-down delivery made his moving two-seam fastball and reliable changeup all the more effective. "That's how it usually happens." The Cavaliers scored their only run when Matt Miller grounded out to the first baseman in the sixth and scored Soya Aoki, who walked to start the inning. "I think (Friel) was probably the definition of the crafty left-hander," McHorney said. "It looks like he hid the ball well. It kind of looked like he might be slinging it at us rather than throwing it. We probably weren't seeing the ball real good early on." Although the Cavaliers have been eliminated from the WSBL title race, the still have four league games remaining - all against Janesville, which entered the weekend winless in the WSBL - and 11 non-league contests to finish out the summer. "I think one thing these kids will have is the pride," McHorney said. "Regardless of if you're playing for first place, these kids want to go out and compete, and they want to win games, as we all do. "Hopefully, it's that pride that continues to drive them."
KENOSHA NEWS STAFF Despite giving up 24 hits on the day, the Kenosha Kings still managed to split a doubleheader with the Chicago Wildcats Sunday at Oak Forest High School. The Kings won the first game 9-6 and lost the second game 5-2. The twinbill was a part of the Wisconsin State League/Chicago Suburban League Challenge. The games counted in the league standings for both teams. "It wasn't pretty, but we only had one error," Kings manager Tim Pulizzano said. "We scratched one out. We'll take it." The Kings took advantage of five errors and never trailed in the first game. They were credited with only three RBI on their nine runs. Kevin Zalnis went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored and John Hasser went 2-for-2 with a triple. Jason Dennis also contributed an RBI single. The Kings (8-13 WSL, 21-15 overall) scored three runs in the second and one in the fourth for a 4-0 lead, but the Wildcats responded with three in the bottom of the fourth. The Wildcats pulled to within one run in the sixth at 6-5, but Kenosha plated three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Randy Johnson (2-4) pitched a complete game, scattering 12 hits and two walks. The right-hander struck out five. In the second game, the Kings fell behind 4-1 after three innings and weren't able to mount a comeback. Jack Olson (2-3) was tagged with the loss after fiving up four runs on 11 hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out two. Ross Conwell surrendered the final run in the sixth. Kenosha's John Lequia tied it up at 1-1 with a solo home run in the top of the second, but the Wildcats reclaimed the lead with one run in the bottom half of the frame. Lequia and Mark Cibrario both finished 2-for-3. Dennis also had a double.
The Wisconsin State League / Chicago Suburban League challenge kicks off on Saturday July 12th. The Challenge pits two of the nation's finest semi-pro baseball league against one another for an exciting week-end of baseball. In the 2007 WSL/CSL Challenge, the WSL took the crown winning 19 of 32 games. This year's challenge once again includes 32 games between eight CSL teams and eight WSL teams (including the Lombard Orioles and Addison Braves who play in both leagues). The teams have been matched up according to the 2007 league standings. Below is the full WSL/CSL Challenge schedule. Each game is a double header. Saturday July 12 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M. 6:00 P.M. Saturday July 13 1:00 P.M. 5:00 P.M.
MANITOWOC — The Manitowoc Bandits didn't let their first losing streak of the season last very long. After dropping back-to-back games to the Oshkosh Giants earlier this week, the Bandits got back to their winning ways on Saturday by sweeping a Wisconsin State League doubleheader from the Kenosha Kings at Municipal Field. Manitowoc won the first game, 7-4, while taking the second contest, 7-5, to improve to 32-5 overall and 12-5 in the WSL. The Bandits, who were shutout in their second loss to Oshkosh on Wednesday, were held scoreless for the first three innings of the opener and trailed 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth. But with two outs, and after a Kenosha error on a double steal allowed a run to score, Manitowoc strung together five straight hits to take a 6-4 lead. Sam Spurney started the outburst with a single that put runners on first and third with two outs, before Josh Underkofler ripped a two-run double. Underkofler then scored on Brad Liermann's double while Stephen Hilliard — who finished 2-for-3 — and Donovan Strouf smacked back-to-back RBI singles to cap the inning. Manitowoc added an insurance run in the sixth and thwarted a Kenosha rally in the top of the seventh to get the win. Keith Thompson scattered seven hits and five walks, while striking out seven in 6 1/3 innings to earn the win, leaving with one out in the seventh and two runners on. Jordan Bischel, though, retired the next two batters to get out of the jam and earn the save. In the second game, Nat Richter smacked a solo home run in the first inning and Kyle Schroeder keyed a four-run outburst in the second inning with a two-run single that gave the Bandits a 5-4 lead. Kenosha knotted the game in the top of the fourth with a run, but Schroeder — who was 2-for-3 in the game — broke the tie with a two-run double in the bottom of the inning and the Bandits held on for the win. Richter also finished with two hits in the game for Manitowoc. Hillard allowed eight hits and five runs in four innings, but still picked fup the win, while Matt Phipps tossed three scoreless frames to earn the save. Phipps allowed only two hits, while fanning two. OTHER WSL ACTION: The Eau Claire Cavaliers split a Wisconsin State Baseball League doubleheader with the Addison (Ill.) Braves on Saturday night in Addison, Ill., losing the opener, 9-1, before winning, 7-2, in the nightcap. Francis Murphy earned a victory for the Cavaliers (19-15, 8-14), allowing two runs on five hits and striking out six.
MANITOWOC — Kyle Kannenberg had the Manitowoc Bandits number … again. For the second time in just more than two weeks, the Oshkosh Giants' right-hander stifled the potent Bandits' lineup, allowing just four hits on Wednesday night as the Giants handed Manitowoc its second straight loss with a 2-0 defeat in a Wisconsin State League contest at Municipal Field. "That's the second time (Kannenberg) has thrown against us, and we haven't hit him either time," Bandits' co-player-manager Jordan Bischel said. "He hammers the strike zone. He puts you in a tough spot because if you don't swing early, you're going to be down in the count. But if you attack early, it makes life a lot easier for him because you're making outs early in the count. "He did a nice job. Give him credit." Manitowoc (30-5 overall, 12-5 in the WSL) was averaging more than eight runs per game over its first 34 contests and had seven members in the starting lineup hitting better than .300. Yet, the Bandits mustered only four singles off Kannenberg — who walked two and struck out 10 — and had only one inning where they had more than one baserunner. With the game still scoreless in the fourth, Brock Wetenkamp and Jake Waddle smacked back-to-back two-out singles and Sam Spurney walked to load the bases. But Donovan Strouf, one of the hottest hitters in the Bandits' lineup, struck out to end the threat. "The last couple of weeks its seemed like he was on base every time he batted," Bischel said. "It was a big spot and we just didn't get the big hit. But if you only give yourself one big spot a game, you're kind of playing with fire." Oshkosh, which stranded 12 runners in the game, took the lead on a run-scoring groundout in the fifth and then tacked on an unearned run on Derek Hirosky's RBI-single in the seventh. Three Bandits pitchers scattered nine hits and four walks, while striking out nine, but the strong effort wasn't enough to get the victory, marking the first time this season the Bandits have lost back-to-back games. "To give up only two runs when you struggle defensively, you can't ask for anything more. They did a nice job," Bischel said. "The younger guys who haven't been here before, this is the first time they've had to deal with a losing streak. It will be interesting to see how the guys come out on Saturday (against Kenosha). "When you play 60 games, you're going to deal with adversity at some point. It's surprising that it took this long to see some, but we'll see how the guys bounce back." Notes: The Bandits have been shutout in three of their five losses. … Mike Hall and Kyle Schroeder also had hits for the Bandits. … Adam Kohls took the loss allowing two runs (one earned) and striking out seven in four innings. Wednesday was likely Kohls' last appearance with the Bandits as the right-hander signed a contract with Brainerd of the Northwoods League. … Manitowoc's defense turned two double plays in the game, but also committed four errors. Steve Clark: (920) 686-2965 or sclark@htrnews.com
Cody Griebling didn't feel anything special when he took the mound for the Sheboygan A's on Tuesday night at Wildwood Park. But the performance he put out there will certainly be classified as such. Griebling threw a nine-inning no-hitter against the Kenosha Kings, and Sheboygan won its fifth straight, 4-0. It is only the seventh no-hitter in the 45-year history of the modern A's franchise. The last no-hitter was a seven-inning win by Geoff Lefeber in 2002. The last nine-inning no-hitter was in 1994, by current major league pitcher Jarrod Washburn. It is Griebling's second career no-hitter. The UW-Milwaukee pitcher didn't allow any hits in a game for his high school team at Germantown. Griebling, 19, struck out seven with two walks and two hit batsmen. "I just kind of threw, and it ended up I didn't allow any hits," said Griebling. "I was not really paying attention." Graham Bintliff provided all the offense Griebling needed in the second inning, hitting a three-run home run to give the A's a 3-0 lead. Sheboygan tacked on a late run in the eighth, and the pitcher did the rest. "I felt relaxed. I felt average, to be honest," said Griebling. "I missed a couple."
OSHKOSH - It looked like the Oshkosh Giants were about to coast to an easy 6-0 victory but the Manitowoc Bandits had other plans in the top on the ninth inning. It wasn't until Jason Fosler made an over-the-head catch in right field that the Giants clinched a 6-5 victory Tuesday at E.J. Schneider Field in Wisconsin State League baseball action. "I don't like to see us giving up five runs in the top of the ninth, but as long as you get the 'W,' that's the main thing," Giants field manager Brian Gerl said. Fosler also helped out on the offensive end, hitting a leadoff home run in the top of the third inning that broke a 0-0 stalemate. On a windless night, the ball sailed well over the top of the left-field wall and awoke the Giants' offense against Bandits pitcher Alex Byrne. Oshkosh was able to score again in the fourth and fifth innings, running its lead out to 3-0. Oshkosh (8-2) couldn't cash in following the home run despite Brad Demmin lifting a fly to shallow center field that resulted in Pete Berg being tagged out at the plate when he attempted to score from third base. The Giants didn't need a hit or an error to score in the fifth inning. Berg walked and advanced to second base on a Derek Leighton bunt and then moved to third and home on two wild pitches from Byrne. That made for three straight innings with Oshkosh runs. "It's good to see that," Gerl said. "It means everyone's contributing and staying consistent and that's what you want to see out of a baseball team." Cory Reiland pitched a gem for the Giants until a shaky ninth inning that saw five Bandits (12-4) score. In his first eight innings, Reiland struck out five while allowing no runs. "He had thrown a lot of pitches," Gerl said. "He was throwing a shutout so I was going to leave him out there to see what he could do with it … I'm happy with his performance, though." Reiland's game was also helped by solid defense. After surrendering a one-out walk in the top of the seventh, Leighton caught a screamer off the bat of Jake Waddle and gunned down Brock Wetenkamp before he could recover to first base. "I was throwing mainly fastballs and curve balls," Reiland said. "I don't know why they couldn't hit it." As for the ninth inning: "They just got a few hits." The Giants plated crucial runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Two came on sacrifice flies while the other came on a double error by Wetenkamp. On the play, Wes Munson hit a ground ball to third, where it was bobbled, allowing him to reach first safely. Wetenkamp then whirled and threw to home, but the ball went over the catcher's head, allowing Kyle Kannenberg to score. Reiland gave up four consecutive hits to the Bandits to start the ninth, and was pulled in favor of Ryan Kuepper. Four runs came in before Kuepper was able to retire Mike Hall for the final out. Notes: Fosler was unable to get on base again after his home run … Derek Hiroskey scored in the fourth inning after a walk and a stolen base put him in scoring position … Bandits field manager Jordan Bischel batted ninth and went 0-3 with an RBI Game Ball: Reiland held the Bandits scoreless for eight innings Numbers Game: 3 hits allowed by Reiland until he gave up four more in the ninth inning.
KENOSHA NEWS STAFF - The Kenosha Kings dropped both games of a Wisconsin State League doubleheader, 6-1 and 7-3, from the first-place Lombard Orioles Sunday at Madison Meadows Park. The Kings (3-6 WSL, 13-7 overall) never threatened in the first game. Paul Pulera drove in the lone Kenosha run in the sixth inning to make it 2-1, but Lombard put the game away with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Making an emergency start for an ailing Jon Olson, Joe Ferro gave up six runs on nine hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out three. "Joe pitched valiantly through five innings," Kings manager Tim Pulizzano said. "Lombard is a buzzsaw. I don't seem them losing more than a couple of games the rest of the year." In the second game, Lombard (10-1 WSL) jumped out to a 6-0 lead before Jason Dennis cut the deficit in half with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. It was one of only five hits in the game for the Kings, who had only three in the first game. Kenosha starter Randy Johnson (1-2) surrendered six runs on 11 hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. NOTES - The Saturday night doubleheader between the Janesville Aces and the Sheboygan A's was rained out. No make up date has been announced. Manitowoc swept thier doubleheader with Janesville on Sunday by scores of 9-1, 11-0. - Kenosha and the Addison Braves split a Saturday doubleheader.
By Justin Harings Leader-Telegram staff The Eau Claire Cavaliers found out Sunday afternoon that the snowball effect works in two different directions - both to varying proportions and without much warning. A late rally in the first game of a Wisconsin State Baseball League doubleheader once again put the Cavaliers in position to stay above .500 in league play. A second-game letdown once again kept the Cavaliers running in place. Like they did Saturday, the Cavaliers seized Sunday's momentum, plating a couple sixth-inning runs in a 4-3 victory over the Manitowoc Bandits, who were undefeated heading into the teams' four-game series. Like they did Saturday, however, the Cavaliers settled for a schizophrenic split, getting tagged hard in the early going of a 13-5, second-game loss. "That's just baseball," first-year Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney said. "That's our kind of Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde approach right now. I wish I had the answer for that. I'd bottle it and know what to do every game." After entering the WSBL weekend in fourth, it was a lot of Dr. Jekyll for the Cavaliers (13-7, 6-6) in the opener. Cabrillo (Calif.) College left-hander Francis Murphy made his first start, mostly laboring through 53 innings. The 6-foot-3 southpaw, who tweaked his release point with pitching coach Steve Page during the game, allowed two runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out six. "He fought through some early innings," McHorney said, "and then he seemed to get in a groove and carried us through." Newly arrived Mark Shaver got a win in relief when Nolan Fadness drove in Brad Hallberg with a single to the left side. That run-scoring hit immediately followed an RBI flare to the right side by Jon Knapp. "I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit, sitting fastball - and got one," said Fadness, who was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in the first game. "They had the infield in, so luckily, it got over his head. It's always good to get those comeback wins, and we got one today." The next one was much more Mr. Hyde for the Cavaliers. The Bandits (15-2, 4-2), who entered the weekend perfect overall and leading the WSBL, teed off in the late game, getting 13 hits and scoring all 13 of their runs in the game's first three innings. Kyle Dreger capped the scoring with a two-run home run that cleared the left-center field wall. "Our lineup's deep," Bandits manager Jordan Bischel said. "We've hit the ball all year, and they just come in bunches. When one guy gets going, sometimes it gets the whole team going." It made for a frustrating four-game set for the Cavaliers, who battled just to avoid being 10-run-ruled in the second game. The last time they were on the wrong end of a mercy-rule game was last season - a 10-0 loss at eventual WSBL champion Lombard (Ill.) on July 8. "Many times, you say you're pleased with a split," McHorney said. "But not really. It's four games on our home field. You'd like to say you could take three out of four of those games." The Cavaliers, who have a WSBL schedule front-loaded with home games, now must hit the road for 12 straight league games - a trio of four-game series against Oshkosh, Kenosha and Addison (Ill.). Having already played more league games than anyone else, the Cavaliers likely will need to do better than splitting in the coming series to climb out of the middle of the WSBL race. "You win the first one, you always want to come back and try to get that second one," Fadness said. "We didn't do a good job of that this weekend, but we've got lots of baseball left to play, so we've just got to come back, keep getting three out of four at every (series)." Notes:
The Sheboygan A's finished off a forgettable weekend at Wildwood Park on Sunday, losing both games of a doubleheader, 6-2 and 2-1, to Wisconsin State League foe Lombard of Illinois. Sheboygan also lost a pair of games to Lombard on Saturday, going 0-4 on the weekend and dropping to 2-7 in WSL play. Nothing went right in the Game 1 loss. The offense managed only four hits, the fielders committed three errors and the pitchers walked 10 and threw five wild pitches. Jon Valdez had two hits and Ryan Schmitz and Graham Bintliff knocked in runs. In the nightcap, Taylor Schwarz allowed both runs on seven hits in a complete-game effort. But Sheboygan managed only four hits. Phil Kramsky knocked in Lucas Wilsing for the team's only score.
MANITOWOC — When things are going right, like they are right now for the Manitowoc Bandits, it seems like no matter what happens during the course of a game, there will always be something positive. And when things aren't going good, things seem to stay that way. Even before the start of the game, things didn't look so good for the Sheboygan A's on Tuesday night. While warming up in the bullpen, scheduled starter Brad Mey injured his arm, setting into motion a domino effect that hurt the A's, who fell 8-4 to Manitowoc. Emergency starter Frank Raff pitched well under the circumstances, allowing four runs in six innings, but the A's depleted bullpen couldn't hold the Manitowoc bats down. Reliever Zach Hoch left the game with an arm injury. A 4-1 deficit wasn't enough to shake the Bandits, as they bounced back in a big way late in the game, pulling out an 8-4 victory over the Sheboygan A's. It was a big win for the Bandits, as it not only ran their record to 13-0, but also gave them crucial conference victories in the Wisconsin State League and Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League. Sheboygan fell to 8-5 overall, and is 5-2 in the Northeastern League and 1-4 in the Wisconsin State League. "It's a little scary, to be honest," Bandits co-manager/pitcher Jordan Bischel said. "We've got pretty confident guys that have shown they can score runs pretty consistently." The Bandits weren't getting any consistent offense through the first five innings, stranding five runners and scoring only one run off Sheboygan starter Frank Raff. But then Manitowoc's offense came to life in the sixth inning. With two outs, Jake Waddle hit a single, while Donovan Strouf walked before Josh Underkofler hit an RBI single that cut the lead to 4-2. Mike Hall followed the offensive production with a two-run double that tied the game 4-4. If the Bandits were to take the lead, they would have to look to Bischel. While that's usually a wise idea most nights, it came at an unexpected time on Tuesday. After Nat Richter was ejected in the fifth inning, it was Bischel's who took his teammates' spot in the No. 2 hole. Having coached most of the night at third base, Bischel was a tad rusty. "I didn't expect to be in there," Bischel said. While Bischel didn't expect to be in that position, he did expect some good pitches to hit with No. 3 hitter Kyle Schroeder waiting in the wings. Bischel delivered for the Bandits, hitting an RBI single to score Hall and Manitowoc a 5-4 lead. "I knew I'd get a good pitch to hit, especially with Schroeder behind me," Bischel said. "I was just trying to make the most of it and help the team out. (Sheboygan) had a meeting before pitching to me, so I figured it'd be something good." After grabbing the lead in the sixth, the Bandits would put the game away in the seventh. With the bases loaded, Strouf drilled a bases-clearing double that pushed the Bandits advantage to 8-4. Strouf said he was looking for a "middle-in fastball." And what kind of pitch did he get from Sheboygan reliever Zach Hoch? "Middle-in fastball," a smiling Strouf said. Sheboygan intentionally walked Waddle to load the bases for Strouf, giving the Bandits outfielder a huge RBI opportunity. It was an opportunity Strouf relished. "Every guy kind of wants that situation," Strouf said of the bases being loaded. "It was a big game against Sheboygan in the State League and the NWBL, so I was glad I could come through." Manitowoc's offense got some late-inning help from the A's bullpen as Hoch tallied six walks in one inning of work. The Bandits have had a good deal of heroes so far this season, and it wasn't any different against the A's. The proof rests solely on Strouf's seventh inning at-bat. "We have the lineup to put up eight runs a game," Strouf said. "We're so consistent and we're getting more and more confident. We have great camaraderie and very good baseball players. If one of us doesn't get the job done, then someone else will." The only trouble the Bandits had all night was the fourth inning. With the game tied 1-1, Manitowoc pitcher Adam Kohls surrendered a lead-off home run to Shawn Wozniak. Then, with two outs, Kreston Albright hit a two-run single to give the A's a 4-1 lead. Kohls settled down from there, not allowing hit in the fifth and sixth inning to pick up the win. Bischel finished it off with three scoreless innings to nail down the triumph. Sheboygan plays at Kenosha tonight in more Wisconsin State League action, with Ben Stanczyk, recently released from the Milwaukee Brewers organization (AA), scheduled to pitch. * Marc Correnti of the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter and the Sheboygan Press contributed to this article. Marc Correnti: (920) 686-2135 or mcorrenti@htrnews.com
By Justin Harings Leader-Telegram staff and the Sheboygan Press Defensively, the Eau Claire Cavaliers took a serious step toward long-term stability Sunday afternoon. The pitching staff? Not so much. In fact, injuries - some new and some old - defections and an extended prep season combined with the sheer amount of innings Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney needs to fill every weekend may have left the staff more in flux than ever. For the second consecutive day, McHorney was forced to reach deep into his roster and pull out an unconventional pitcher in a Wisconsin State Baseball League doubleheader against the Sheboygan A's. After winning both Saturday, the Cavaliers split Sunday, losing the opener, 3-2, before rallying for a 10-2 victory in the nightcap. Sheboygan, which committed 11 fielding errors during the weekend, dropped to 8-4 overall. One more everyday starter moved to the mound Sunday when Jared Anderson was called upon to eat an inning in the middle of the first game. Saturday night the Cavaliers (10-5, 4-4) leaned on their outfielders, having Alex Burian work an inning before Ty Fadness entered, threw more than 100 pitches and ultimately was the winner in the nightcap. Anderson, who has settled in at third base for the Cavaliers and didn't see any time on the mound at Winona State (Minn.) University in the spring, allowed no runs on two hits and walked one in relief of starter Tyler Graskewicz, who took the loss. "If you look at (Anderson) on the mound, he ain't bad," said McHorney, who added Anderson now may see more innings. "He looks like he's pitched. You can just see his skill set - he's pitched." Anderson started the season at shortstop for the Cavaliers. Now, McHorney considers his infield pretty set with the move of Nolan Fadness to center field - leaving Lance Poppy at first, Matt Miller at second, Cole Kraft at short and Anderson, who hasn't minded the switches, in the hot corner. "For me, it's not too bad," said Anderson, who doubled twice Sunday and laced a solo home run over the left-center field fence in his final at-bat of the day. "I think the coaches do a really good job. They know their jobs, and they make the right moves. "I think a lot of these guys - you could put them at any position, and they're going to come through for you." Until the rotation finds any sort of stability, pitcher likely will be one of those positions. Cody Bunkelman, who won Saturday, and Graskewicz have solidified starting spots. However, the staff's anchor abruptly was uprooted when McHorney found out Thursday that Garrett Nix signed a 10-day contract with the Waterloo (Iowa) Bucks of the Northwoods League. What's more, Dave Oestreich injured his elbow in the nightcap of Saturday's twinbill and likely will miss a considerable amount of time. Additionally, McHorney said left-hander Dan Olson, who was injured much of last season, still hasn't reached 100 percent. "I don't want guys throwing injured," McHorney said. "My goal is not to have anyone hurt their arm here. That's not what we want to do." Taylor Schwarz went the distance for the A's in the opener, allowing just four hits and no earned runs.
By Ron Buckli Leader-Telegram staff Cody Bunkelman is looking to get a second shot in professional baseball. If anyone interested was looking on Saturday night, he didn't hurt himself any. The big right-hander from Chippewa Falls allowed just four hits and no earned runs in hurling the Eau Claire Cavaliers to a 3-1 win over the Sheboygan A's in the first game of a Wisconsin State League doubleheader. In the second game, Sheboygan took a big early but the Cavaliers came back and rallied in the seventh inning for an 11-10 victory and the sweep. "I love this, it's a whole different game," Bunkelman said. "With the Indians, it was a business. This is a game. I love it." Bunkleman, who can reach 90 mph on his fastball, walked only one and struck out just two but forced 11 harmless ground balls. "I was getting a little tired in this heat," he said. "They asked me if I wanted to come out but I told them I'd finish." The only run for Sheboygan (7-2, 0-1) came in the fifth when two runners reached on errors. After an infield single by Matt Shilter, Grant Berkovitz plated the run on an infield ground ball. "Cody is a real gamer," Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney said. "He's got experience and skill, but you can also see his demeanor and composure on the mound. "He got in a little trouble, but he got the outs when he needed to." The Cavaliers opened the scoring in the second when Dan Olson drew a bases loaded walk. In the third Alex Burian singled to score Cole Kraft, who opened the frame with a single. In the fifth Matt Miller's single plated Burian, who led off the inning with a one-baser. The Cavs (8-4, 2-3) got six hits in all off Mike Rauwerdink, who pitched well in defeat. The win was Bunkelman's second of the year in three decisions. After three seasons in the Cleveland farm system, he took spring training this year and left. "I parted ways with the Indians, but I'm looking to hook on with another minor league team," he said. "We'll see. I'm in college right now." He said playing with the Cavaliers is keeping him sharp. "This is very competitive ball. It allows me to pitch against Division I players." The two teams are scheduled for another double-header beginning at 12:30 p.m. today.
By Justin Harings Leader-Telegram staff The Eau Claire Cavaliers survived Sunday without losing any more ground to the Lombard (Ill.) Orioles in the Wisconsin State Baseball League standings. However, when the visiting defending league champions packed up their equipment and made their way out of Carson Park following the teams' final matchup of the weekend - and the season - the Cavaliers hadn't gained any, either. After being swept off their home field by the Orioles on Saturday, the Cavaliers retaliated Sunday with a 4-2 victory in the opener only to fall victim to a last-inning rally in a 5-2 defeat in the nightcap, leaving the hosts in need of some outside help just one weekend into their WSBL season. "These guys understand," first-year Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney said. "We're mature enough that our guys know - defending champion. If you want to have a chance at the league, you've got to try to get a couple on these guys. I think not letting them come in our house and sweeping us is important." The Cavaliers (6-3, 1-3) were a few timely hits and three late outs away from doing one better - a four-game split. Third-year Cavaliers starter Garrett Nix did his part. He threw a complete game in the morning, allowing two earned runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Despite battling accuracy issues - he walked five batters and hit three - Nix hauled in a towering pop-up while tripping over the mound to end the first game and secure his second victory of the season. "Their pitching was very good," said Orioles manager Jeff Vukovich, last season's WSBL manager of the year. "They had a couple good pitchers that threw against us - threw strikes. And they're a good ballclub. They don't beat themselves." The Orioles (5-1, 3-1), who held off the Cavaliers to win the WSBL outright last season and went on to win the American Amateur Baseball Congress Stan Musial World Series in Huntsville, Texas, last season, took care of that in the second game. In his first appearance with the Cavaliers, Hudson High School graduate Tyler Graskewicz showed good movement and was strong heading into the seventh inning of a 2-2 game. Graskewicz, who worked primarily out of the bullpen in his freshman season with Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., was responsible for three runs in the seventh inning before being removed after 63 innings of work - five earned runs on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout. "He was doing a nice job," McHorney said. "He changed speeds. He kept them off-balance. He was hitting corners, hitting spots. So we just thought, 'Let's see if we can give him that last inning.' He probably lost a little velocity, and they hit the ball well at that point." One weekend in, the Cavaliers find themselves two games back of the Orioles, who played the weekend without three of their infielders, in the WSBL standings. Because the teams, who finished 1-2 last season and shared the title with Kenosha in 2006, won't meet again, the Orioles cleared a major hurdle during the weekend by winning the series, 3-1. "You always want to get off to a good start," Vukovich said. "Eau Claire's been with us the last two years, and they're a very good ballclub. "Eau Claire plays very well defensively, and I'm not surprised by how they played." Now all the Cavaliers can do is hope the other WSBL teams peck away at the Orioles' record as the season wears on. Still, for that to even come into play down the line, the Cavaliers have some work of their own to do in the rest of their WSBL weekends. "If you want to make a run at the Wisconsin State League now in our situation, we've got to come out and definitely win three out of four - if not four out of four," McHorney said. "Because just looking at the talent Lombard has assembled now and what (Vukovich) is going to add - from what he was telling me - boy, I'm hard-pressed to see who's going to be beating them in the league. "For us, we're going to have to take three out of four every league series."
The Kenosha Kings opened their 2008 season by sweeping a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. In Sunday's Wisconsin State League opener vs. the Addison Braves at Simmons Field, former St. Joseph and Carthage standout Jon Olson pitched a seven-inning no-hitter in a 4-0 victory. The right-hander walked one, struck out three and hit two batters in his 95-pitch gem. "Only 11 months off and he's ready," Kings manager Tim Pulizzano said. "He went to a 3-2 count on four of the first six batters, but from there he cruised." The Kings scored two runs in the second inning on a suicide squeeze by Dan Spino and an RBI double by Evan McHalffey. They padded their lead with two runs in the sixth. Spino drove in another run with an RBI single. John Lequia went 2-for-3 for the team's lone multiple-hit game. Kenosha cruised to an 8-2 victory in the second game as Randy Johnson pitched six strong innings for the win. He walked one and struck out four. Jack Olson pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Trailing 1-0 after two innings, the Kings scored four runs in the third, three in the fourth and one in the fifth. Lequia went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI, while Jason Acavedo, Billy Johnson and Kevin Zalnis all had two hits and an RBI. In Saturday's Langsdorf League opener against the West Allis White Sox at McCarty Park, McHalffey went 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead a 10-hit attack in a 6-2 victory. Jason Bunton allowed two runs on three hits in six innings for the win. He walked two and struck out seven. Frank Cook struck out the side in the seventh. Kenosha scored four runs in the first and never looked back. Acevedo went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored and Lequia went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. The Kings completed the sweep with a 10-8 victory in eight innings in the nightcap. Jason Dennis and Mike Fuchs both drove in runs in the top of the eighth. Kenosha jumped to a 7-0 lead, but the Sox rallied against Steve Fox and Bronson Gahagan. Lequia, who pitched one inning all of last season picked up the win after striking out six in two innings. He loaded the bases in the seventh with none out, but struck out the side to get out of the jam. Acavedo went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Fuchs went 3-for-5 with two RBI. "So far, so good," Pulizzano said. "We have a real nice team this year." The Kings play the Burlingon Barons in a Langsdorf League game 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Beaumont Park.
MANITOWOC — A key hit by Brock Wetenkamp and a nine-run second inning boosted the Manitowoc Bandits to a sweep of the Janesville Aces in a Wisconsin State League doubleheader at Municipal Field on Saturday afternoon. Wetenkamp's three-run home run in the opener keyed a 4-3 win for the Bandits, while Manitowoc pounded Janesville 13-0 in five innings to complete the sweep. The Bandits trailed nearly the entire first game as Janesville scored two runs in the top of the first off starter Adam Kohls. Sam Spurney's RBI-groundout got a run back in the third inning, but the Aces answered back in the fourth to regain the two-run cushion. But with Mike Hall and Nat Richter on base in the bottom of the sixth inning, Wetenkamp delivered his second home run of the season to boost the Bandits to the win. Kohls struck out eight and scattered seven hits and three walks to get the win on the mound for Manitowoc. Brad Liermann was 2-for-3 to lead the Bandits' offense. Manitowoc (8-0 overall) came up with plenty of offense in the second game, breaking a scoreless tie with the nine-run outburst in the second inning. Bischel started the scoring in the inning by ripping a three-run double and then scoring on Spurney's double. Hall followed with an RBI-single before Richter smacked a two-run home run. Josh Krowiorz also belted a two-run home run in the inning, and Manitowoc would add two runs in both the third and fourth innings to end the game early. Richter finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs, while Spurney also chipped in a pair of hits in the game. Stephen Hilliard was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst, pitching four innings for the win, striking out three and walking one. C.J. Marx pitched the final inning in the win. The Bandits will be back in action at Municipal Field on Tuesday when they host the Menasha Macs in a Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League contest at 7:30 p.m.
The top two teams in the Wisconsin State League a year ago squared off for the early-season lead Saturday night at Carson Park. It was the defending champion Lombard (Ill.) Orioles who drew first blood. Getting strong pitching performances in both games, the Orioles scored a 5-0 and 7-3 doubleheader win before 325 fans. The games were the first in league play for the two teams, who meet in another twinbill at 11 a.m. today. "You can tell that they're the defending champions," Cavaliers manager Mark McHorney said. "They got the pitching and the hitting." Matt Aranson allowed just two hits and struck out 11 in hurling the opening win over Cavalier Cody Bunkelman, who struck out eight but gave up eight hits. The Orioles picked up where they left off in the second game, scoring two runs in each the first and second innings. The Cavs (5-2) kept it close as Cole Kraft's single scored Nolan Fadness in the first and Ty Fadness singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the second. The final Eau Claire run came in the fifth when Bronson Stelzer's ground ball scored Jared Anderson, who had singled. "We had a lot of opportunities in the second game but we just couldn't get the key hit," McHorney said. "But the kids kept going at it." Yoshi Machida started for the Cavs but gave way to Joe Nikolay in the fifth. They combined to allow 12 hits. Garrett Nix and Tyler Graskewicz are the probable starters for the Cavaliers today.
The Wisconsin State Baseball League honored 10 of its finest as the first class to be inducted into the League’s Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony took place recently in Sheboygan in conjunction with the League’s annual Awards Banquet. Members of the league’s first Hall of Fame class were: Jim Coulter - Janesville Aces (1983-2007), stellar defensive infielder hit .289 over a 22-year career. Dennis Ruh - Green Bay Blue Ribbons (1970-1995), another of league’s founders. Ran up a 448-183 record as Green Bay’s skipper. Lee Wetenkamp - Sheboygan A’s (1981-1991), a feared hitter, the 4-time league MVP, hit over .400 five times and finished with a .367 average over 11 seasons. Randy Wilke - Sheboygan A’s (1987-1993, 1996-2005), hit .322 over 17 seasons and is second only to Mand in a number of career offensive categories. Winning the league’s 2007 individual awards were Mark Cibrario of the Kenosha Kings, MVP and leading hitter at .417; Randy Johnson of Kenosha, Most Valuable Pitcher, 5-1, 0.60 ERA; Ryan Demmin, Oshkosh Giants, Rookie of the Year after going 5-1 with a 1.58 earned run average and a .423 batting average in 14 games; and Jeff Vukovich of the champion Lombard Orioles, Manager of the Year.
 2007 WISCONSIN State Baseball League award winners were from left, Mark Cibrario, Kenosha Kings; Randy Johnson, Kenosha Kings; Jeff Vukovich, Lombard Orioles; Ryan Demmin, Oshkosh Giants.
The Wisconsin State Baseball League which begins its 39th year of operation in 2008 will induct 10 of its finest when it inaugurates its Hall of Fame in January 26 in Sheboygan. Members of the League`s first Hall of Fame Class are: The general public is welcome to attend the banquet which will be held at CityStreets Restaurant. Tickets, priced at $25 each, can be reserved by sending in the reservation form that appears on the Wisconsin State League website: http://www.wisconsinstateleague.com/. The League began play in the 1970 season, when officials from Horicon, Green Bay, Madison, Menasha, Racine and Sheboygan decided that it was worth the travel time and expense to play competitive semi-pro baseball. Under that premise, the league has flourished ever since. It has been touted as the best semi-pro baseball league in Wisconsin because it combines current collegiate players with former college and professional players. Teams in the league for the 2008 season are the Addison (IL) Braves, Eau Claire Cavaliers, Janesville Aces, Kenosha Kings, Lombard (IL) Orioles, Manitowoc Bandits, Oshkosh Giants and Sheboygan A`s. There is no question that longevity and durability was on the minds of franchise voters when they elected the first hall of fame class. Jim Coulter, infielder, 1983-2006 Janesville Aces. All-League Team 1989-90, 1992, 1995-97, 2002, 2004, 2006. Led league in: plate appearances 1989 (133), 1991 (129), 1992 (139), 1995 (141), 1996 (144), 2003, 124); hits, 1992 (39) doubles 1989. Holds career records in sacrifice bunts, 45; and assists, 1,123; ranks in top five in 14 career categories including second in games played (583), plate appearances (2,374), at bats 2,016), runs (400), hits (583) and base on balls (287). Career record: .289 batting average over 21 seasons. Played on Janesville`s championship teams of 1989, 1990 and 1993. Dan Davis, pitcher, 1981 Beloit Blues, 1982, Green Bay Blue Ribbons, 1983-84 Rockford Blackhawks, 1988-1997 Janesville Aces. League`s Most Valuable Pitcher 1984, 1990, 1991. All-League Team 1989-91, 1993, 1995. Led league in: innings pitched 1991 (86.2); wins 1991 (9); winning percentage 1984 (5-0), 1990 (6-0), 1991 (9-0); earned run average 1984 (1.69), 1990 (0.75). Holds one-season winning percentage record, 1000, 9-0, 1991. Ranks in the top five in seven career categories including third in all time victories, (59); second in shutouts, (12); third in innings pitched, (589.1); third in complete games, (54), and third in games started, (85). Career record: 59-20, 2.58 earned run average over 14 seasons. Played on Janesville`s championship teams of 1989 and 1990. Greg Howell, catcher, 1971-1979 Green Bay Blue Ribbons. League`s Most Valuable Player, 1973, 1974. Led league in: hitting 1973 (.469); hits 1973 (45), 1976 (37); runs batted in 1974 (26), 1976 (26); doubles 1971 (4); total bases 1972 (47); slugging percentage, 1972 (.618). Hit over .400 twice (.469 in 1973 and .411 in 1974), in nine seasons, never hit less than .344 for a career .387 average and .582 slugging percentage. Played on Green Bay`s championship teams of 1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1979. Greg Iavarone, catcher, 1992-2000, Lombard Orioles. All-League team 1992, 1994, 1996-98. Led league in hitting 1996 (.489), 1997 (.446); runs batted in 1999 (36), doubles 1996 (13). Ranks eight in career runs batted in (211) and seventh in career batting average (.414). Hit over .400 for five straight years 1995-1999 (.436, .489, .446, .420, .458), but didn`t have enough at bats to qualify for the championship in 1995 and 1999. Career record: hit .414 over nine seasons. Played on Lombard`s championship teams of 1992-93, 1996, and 1998-99. Tom Klawitter, pitcher 1977 Janesville Aces, 1978 Appleton Merchants, 1979-2007 Janesville Aces. League`s Most Valuable Pitcher 1988-89, 1997, 2002-05. All-League team in 1989-91, 1993-94, 1996-98, 2000-2006 Led league in: innings pitched 1988 (87.1), 1989 (91), 1993 (66.2), 1995 (63), 1996 (73.2), 1997 (79.1), 1998 (87.1), 2002 (95.1), 2003 (71), 2004 (76), 2005 (102.3), 2006 (69); strikeouts 1988 (93) 1989 (74), 1991 (83), 1993 (49), 1994 (63), 1995 (66), 1996 (75), 1997 (74) 1998 (78), 2002 (114), 2004 (79), 2005 (112), 2007 (52); wins 1988 (9), 1989 (7), 1993 (7), 1997 (11), 1998 (9), 2002 (9), 2004 (9), 2005 (10); earned run average 1997 (1.81), 2000 (1.61) 2002 (0.76), 2004 (0.47); winning percentage 2002 (9-0), 2004 (9-0). Holds one-season records for appearances 19 (2005), starts 16 (2005), strikeouts 114 (2002), wins 11 (1997), winning percentage 1000, 9-0 (2002, 2004). Holds career records in pitching for years (24), appearances (2,548), starts (225), complete games (122), innings pitched (1,539), strikeouts (1,539), wins (147) and shutouts (23). Career record: 147-57, 2.29 earned run average over 24 seasons. Played on Janesville`s championship teams of 1977, 1989, 1990 and 1993. Gene Mand, outfield, infield 1971-1995 Sheboygan A`s. All-League team 989-1992. Led league in: plate appearances 1975 (120); hits 1974 (36); doubles 1980 (7), triples 1971 (3), 1981 (3); home runs 1974 (4), 1985 (9); put outs 1980 (129), 1981 (160), 1982 (140), 1983 (183), 1984 (237), 1985 (194), 1989 (245); Total chances 1981 (176), 1982 (152) 1983 (200), 1984 (253), 1985 (201), 1986 (138), 1989 (262). One-game records: triples (3), home runs (3), triple play (1). One season records: triple plays (1). Career records: years played (25), games played (613), plate appearances (2,400), at bats (2,131), runs scored (402), hits (637), runs batted in (425), base on balls (316), strikeouts (361), doubles (101), home runs (71), total bases (986), double plays 178, triple plays (1). Hit .400 in 1974, 431 in 1984 and finished with .299 career batting average over 25 seasons. Played on Sheboygan`s 1991 championship team. Denny Moyer, one of the founders of the league and League Executive Secretary, 1970-2007. General manager of the Sheboygan A`s since 1967. The Sheboygan club is the only charter member of the league still competing in the league. Appeared in a few games between 1970 and 1979 as a fill-in player for Sheboygan A`s (pitcher, infielder, outfielder), Career record: hit .292, went 2-0 with 8.23 earned run average over eight seasons. Dennis Ruh, one of the founders of the league and Manager/General Manager of the Green Bay Blue Ribbons from 1970-1995. The Ribbons were 448-183 under Ruh`s leadership and won 13 league or divisional championship in his tenure. He was named Manager of the Year seven times, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1992, 1994, 1995. Returned to the league this past year to serve on the Board of Directors. Lee Wetenkamp, infield, Sheboygan A`s, 1981-1991. League`s Rookie of the Year 1981. League`s Most Valuable Player 1981, 1985, 1988, 1989. All League Team 1989-91. League batting champion 1989. Led league in runs scored 1989 (30), hits 1989 (46), runs batted in 1981 (28), 1983 (28), 1989 (39); doubles 1985 (22), 1988 (14), 1990 (10); home runs 1981 (7), 1983 (7) , 1990 (7); total bases 1989 (80), 1990 (71); slugging percentage 1983 (.774). In the top five in seven career categories: fourth in runs scored (255); fifth in hits (372); third in runs batted in (301); third in sacrifice flies (23); third in doubles (81); third in home runs (61), fourth in total bases (658). Hit over .400 five times: .414 in 1986, .422 in 1987, .415 in 1988, .404 in 1989 and .408 in 1990. Career record hit .367 over 11 seasons. Played in Sheboygan A`s 1991 championship team. Randy Wilke, infield, Sheboygan A`s, 1987-93, 1996-2005. League`s Most Valuable Player 1997, 2001. All League Team 1990, 1993,1996-2002, 2004-05. Led league in: runs batted in 1990 (28), 1997 (51), 2000 (39), 2001 (38); home runs 1997 (12), 2000 (9), 2001 (10); total bases 2000 (73), 2001 (78); slugging percentage 2000 (.658); put outs 1990 (216), 1001 (258), 1992 (259), 1997 (221), 1998 (238), 2001 (243), 2003 (185); total chances 1990 (233), 1991 (283), 1992 (285), 1997 (237), 1998 258), 2001 (258), 2002 (282), 2003 (199). One season records: runs batted in (51), put outs (259), total chances (285), double plays (24). Career records: sacrifice flies (29), doubles (101), put outs (2,435), total chances (2,658), double plays (178). Ranks in top five in most career totals including: games played third (454), plate appearances third (1,705), at bats third (1,566), runs scored fifth (252), hits third (505), runs batted in second (369), hit by pitch third (25), home runs second (67), total bases (823). Career record: hit .322 over 17 seasons. Played on Sheboygan A`s 1991, 1997 and 2000 championship teams.
The Wisconsin State Baseball League has selected Kenosha Kings veteran third baseman Mark Cibrario as its Most Valuable Player after a season that saw him reign as the league`s only .400 hitter. Cibrario hit .417 for the third place Kings. He nipped Lombard`s Joe Pauley by one point in MVP voting. It was the second straight year that Pauley was runner-up in MVP voting. Kenosha also had the Most Valuable Pitcher in right hander Randy Johnson, who went 5-1 with three shutout victories and a 0.60 earned run average. Lombard`s Cole Livermore, also 5-1 and with a 0.68 ERA was one point behind as the 2007 voting was the closest in recent memory. Johnson`s 0.60 ERA and Livermore`s 0.68 ranked sixth and ninth on the single season best Earned Run Average list. The best ever is the 0.00 posted by Jim Fennema of Waukesha in 1975. Rookie of the Year honors went to Oshkosh`s Ryan Demmin, who was also 5-1 with a 1.58 ERA. In addition, he hit .423 in 14 games. Eau Claire catcher Josh Groves was the runner-up to Demmin for Rookie of the Year honors. Manager of the Year honors went to Jeff Vukovich of the champion Lombard Orioles. Lombard ran away with the league title, winning by four full games over Eau Claire. Vukovich will be honored as the Chicagoland Amateur Coach of the Year later this month. Sheboygan shortstop Grant Berkovitz was the only unanimous all-league player this year. Manitowoc catcher Kyle Schroeder missed unanimous by only one point. Others named to the all league team were Eau Claire first baseman Josh Groves, Lombard second baseman Jim Pauley, Cibrario, and outfielders Andy Heller of Kenosha, Nick Stockwell of Lombard , Mike Pierce of Addison and Ty Fadness of Eau Claire, designated hitter Jason Dennis of Kenosha, left handed pitcher Ryan Demmin and right handed pitcher Randy Johnson. The selections were made by league managers. The winners will be recognized at the league`s awards dinner on Saturday, Jan. 26 at City Streets Restaurant in Sheboygan. The vote totals for the post season honors and the all-league teams follow. The public is invited to attend the league`s awards dinner and can call 920-458-6377 or email sac@excel.net for information.
***Note - The following article is from the Eau Claire Cavaliers web site. The Eau Claire Cavaliers are very excited to announce that their new manager is Mark McHorney for the 2007-2008 seasons. Mark was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Jersey City. He went to college at Marquette University from 1970-1974. He began his coaching career by revitalizing the baseball program at Jersey City Boystown. Mark returned to the Midwest in 1976 and became involved in coaching and officiating youth baseball in West Allis, WI. In 1986 Mark moved to the Chippewa Valley and continued his coaching avocation at various levels in the area. Mark became involved as an assistant baseball coach at Regis High School in 1996 where he remained for 13 years. He guided the Ramblers to their first CWCC Conference Title in over 20 years in 1999 and their first Western Cloverbelt Baseball Title in 2005. His team made appearances in both the WISAA and WIAA State Baseball Tournaments. The 2002 team won the first State Title for Regis High School in any sport as a member of the WIAA, Capturing the Division 3 Championship and the 2006 team finished as State Runner up last year. Mark is married to his wife Ruth and has three children: Sons Mark and Mike and a daughter Maureen. He is employed as a claims supervisor by United Health Group located in Eau Claire, WI. Long time colleges John Nicoli and Steve Page will join Mark and they both look forward to helping to continue the fine tradition of amateur baseball that has been established for the past 37 years by the Cavaliers.
Pitching and Defense. The Lombard, IL, Orioles added more credence to those three words being the recipe for championships in the Wisconsin State Baseball League this year. Skipper Jeff Vukovich`s pitching staff and defensive performance were far and away the best in the league and the Orioles raced to a 24-7 record, their fourth straight championship or co-championship and sixth in the last seven years. Eau Claire finished second, four games back, and Kenosha and Oshkosh were third and fourth, eight and 8.5 back. The championship Orioles had a 2.96 team earned run average, far better than Janesville`s second place 3.67 mark. And defensively the Orioles had a .978 team fielding average, compared to .968 for runner-up Kenosha. Addison, IL, led teams in hitting with a .290 average. Eau Claire was second .287, Lombard third .285 and Kenosha fourth .284. The Kenosha Kings boasted all three of the individual champions. Leading hitter was veteran Mark Cibrario, who finished with a .417 batting average. Addison`s Mike Pierce was runner-up at .393 and his teammate Pete Miller was third at .376. Randy Johnson went 5-1 with three shutouts and a blistering 0.60 earned run average to cop the individual pitching title. Runner-up with equally impressive numbers was Lombard`s Cole Livermore, who was 5-1 with two shutouts and a 0.68 ERA. Oshkosh`s Brian Demmin was third, also 5-1, and with a 1.58 ERA. Kenosha`s Andy Heller and Manitowoc`s Kyle Schroeder shared the league home run championship with five. Sheboygan`s Grant Berkovitz led in runs batted in, 26. Schroeder, who was runner-up to Berkovitz with 25 RBI, also led the league in hits, 40, total bases, 61, and plate appearances, 129. Kenosha`s Billy Johnson led in runs scored, 26; Addison`s Pete Miller in doubles with 12; and Manitowoc`s Matt Pangallo and Lombard`s Nick Stockwell shared the stolen base title with 12. The league pitching chart shows Casey Mumper of Oshkosh led in victories with six. Once again Janesville`s Tom Klawitter was the strikeout king with 52. It is the 13th time that Klawitter has led the league in strikeouts. His 52 strikeouts this year bumped his career total to 1,503. Manitowoc`s Keith Thompson led the league in innings pitched with 66. Kenosha`s Evan McHalffey led the league defensively, handling 106 chances without an error. No team or individual records were set this year, but Lombard`s .978 team fielding average was only .001 off the .979 record it set last year.
The Kenosha Kings and the Manitowc Bandits each won League Championships on other leagues in which they participate. The Kenosha Kings won the Frank Langsdorf League Championship while the Manitowoc Bandits won the Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League Championship. Following are summaries for each team: The Kings defeated the West Allis Nationals in the first 2 games of a best of 3 series to win the Frank Langsdorf League Championship. The Kings won 3-0 and 8-1. In Game one, Jon Olson (6-1) stifled the West Allis bats pitching a complete game, rendering only 5 hits and striking out 1. Offensively the game was decided in the thrid inning when the Kings tallied 3 runs. After a 2 out RBI by Andy Heller, AJ Marquardt followed with a 2 RBI single. In Game 2, the Kings came out swinging again scoring 7 runs in the first 3 innings. The big blow was a 2nd inning 3 run HR by Jason Dennis. John LeQuia added a double and 2 RBI. Dan Anstedt added a single and 2 RBI and Kevin Zalnis pitched in going 2-3 with with an RBI. On the mound, Chad Ori (4-0) got the win pitching 7 strong walking 3 and striking out 3 in the 1 run performance. The Kings ended the year 29-23 overall, 16-15 in the WSL, and finished the Langsdorf League 13-8 en route to their 2nd Championship in as many years. The Manitowoc Bandits defeated the Menasha Macs by a score of 9-8 in yet another come from behind, dramatic fashion to win the best-of-three Championship Series and complete their 2007 season on the highest of notes. After Menasha scored three runs in the top of the first inning and two more in the top of the second inning, the Bandits were facing an uphill climb to get back into the ballgame. Nat Richter and Brock Wetenkamp each scored in the bottom of the third inning on a Donovan Strouf single to cut the lead to 6-3. Menasha plated two more runs in the top of the sixth inning and the Bandits responded with two of their own to hold the deficit at 8-5. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Sam Spurney and Kyle Dreger led off with walks and Kyle Neuser hit an infield single before Mike Hall drilled a base hit into right field to score two runs. Nat Richter than laid down a beautiful bunt that score Neuser from third before Brock Wetenkamp was robbed by an outstanding play by Menasha thirdbaseman Mac Shuman to end the inning. With the game tied at 8-8, Josh Krowiorz led off the bottom of the eighth inning with his fourth walk of the game. Donovan Strouf then hit an 0-2 double to right centerfield to put runners at second and third with no outs. Sam Spurney then hit the game-winning single to score Krowiorz and put the score at 9-8. In the top of the ninth inning, Jordan Bischel walked the lead off batter Mike Hutterer before retiring the final three batters in order. In fitting fashion, the final out was a grounder to Bischel who threw to Dreger at firstbase to secure the victory and the Bandits first ever Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League Championship. Bischel threw a complete game, striking out five to pick up the win. His complete game performance followed that of Matt Phipps from the night previous.
With a brand new site, the Wisconsin State League also now has not one, but two new league logos! The new logos feature a different color scheme and a completely different feel for the league. The primary logo features the State of Wisconsin colored in with a version of red with forest green trim. Sitting in the center of the State of Wisconsin is the text “Wisconsin State Baseball League” surrounded by two “speeding” baseball’s representing the speed of the game. Behind the State of Wisconsin sits two crossing bats, which historically represent a symbol of toughness. An oval is the last layer of the logo, making the entire logo as a whole standout. The secondary logo, to be used primarily in advertising purposes, is a scaled down version of the primary logo. An oval is the centerpiece of the logo containing the text, “WSL” representing the initials of the Wisconsin State League. Below the initials are the text, “est. 1970”, giving tribute to when the new WSL was formed. Behind the centerpiece lie the same crossing bats as seen in the primary logo. The Wisconsin State League is proud to release these new logos as the league continues to grow for the future. |
ADD - Addison Braves
EC - Eau Claire Cavaliers JAN - Janesville Aces KEN - Kenosha Kings LOM - Lombard Orioles MAN - Manitowoc Bandits OSH - Oshkosh Giants SHE - Sheboygan A's
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| © 2008 Wisconsin State League. Wisconsin State League -- P.O. Box 32, Sheboygan, WI 53082-0032 -- Phone: 920.458.6377 -- Fax: 920.452.1177 |
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Cavs Reach Their Goal
