Posted: July 28, 2009

Oak Creek baseball

What was supposed to be a dream season for the Oak Creek Knights ended unexpectedly shy of the state tournament Friday.

The Knights, with 14 seniors on their roster, including nine that will be playing college baseball, lost to the Franklin Sabers, 5-4, in a sectional final at South Milwaukee. Oak Creek, the Greater Metro Conference South Division co-champions, finished 26-10.

"Any time it comes to an end, it's hard because you have to look at the seniors and thank them for everything they did," Oak Creek coach Scott Holler said. "It was disappointing, but these guys have done an incredible job the last few years and that's what I will remember."

This year's seniors were the first group of classmates Holler, in his fifth season, coached for four years. They won three of four GMC titles during their time at Oak Creek.

"This group was special for me," Holler said.

With Oak Creek ahead, 4-3, the Sabers' Lance Baretz led off the top of the seventh with a single off Ross Fassbinder to center field. Jay Dirienzo then got on thanks to Zach Groth's catcher's interference.

"That stands out because I don't think Zach's ever had that called against him in three years," Holler said.

After a sacrifice bunt, Adam Kaniewski dumped a curveball into right field to score the tying run. Dirienzo then scored the go-ahead run when Ian Schiltz hit a ground ball and beat the relay throw of an attempted double play.

Brandon Wiedenfeld, who pitched 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief of Ian Malmstadt, retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh.

In a 6-2 semifinal win over the Greendale Panthers earlier that day, Oak Creek's Eric Semmelhack struck out 10 and allowed five hits and seven walks over seven innings to earn the victory.

The Knights began the postseason with a 15-3 drubbing of the visiting St. Francis Mariners in a regional final July 21.

Oak Creek scored 12 runs in the second inning and pounded out 15 hits overall, including three by Bobby Widenski and a home run by Robert Weis, who drove in four runs.

In other news, Oak Creek's Joel Paar was named the Greater Metro Conference and Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association District 8 assistant coach of the year.

Whitnall baseball

Whitnall coach Brian Johnsen might not see another game quite like his team's sectional final at Waukesha West on Friday.

In a game with enough intense moments and highlights to fill an entire season, the third-seeded Falcons (20-15) came up short in a 15-13, 10-inning affair with the top-seeded Muskego Warriors (23-10).

"I think this is the most unbelievable game I've ever seen or been a part of, on any level," Johnsen said. "It was the best high school game I've ever seen. It hurts to be on the other end of it, but I couldn't be more proud of my team."

The back-and-forth affair did not end until nearly 11:30 p.m. Between then and when the game started nearly four hours earlier, the Falcons came from behind three times, including overcoming a 10-3 deficit, and had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 10th after the Warriors scored three times on a home run by Sam Hammer in the top of the frame.

The Falcons allowed six runs in the top of the sixth to give the Warriors that seven-run advantage. In the bottom of the sixth, however, the Falcons bounced back with five runs, setting up Alex Jaskulski's heroics in the seventh.

With one out and a runner on, Jaskulski ripped his fifth home run of the season and forced extra innings.

"That was the most exciting point," Johnsen said. "That was as big as it gets. The pitcher just made a mistake, an inside fastball, and Alex has been clutch all year. He's been so consistent. There's not bigger hit than that."

The teams traded runs in the eighth - Whitnall's scored on a throwing error with two outs - and Muskego took a 12-11 lead in the top of the ninth on Nick McCormick's two-run home run to right-center field.

In the bottom of the inning, Muskego made an error on a potential game-ending double-play ground ball that allowed Jaskulski to reach second base. Ryan Dembinski followed with a towering fly ball to right that drifted away from the right fielder and hit off his glove, allowing Jaskulski to score the tying run.

With runners on first and second, Justin Quinn flied out to left to end any further threat.

In the 10th, Muskego led off with a single and another player reached on an error in front of Hammer's three-run blast.

In the bottom of the inning, Whitnall's Aaron Hushek's RBI single scored Brock McGinn and, later, with two on and two out, Jaskulski grounded out to end the game.

Earlier in the day, Whitnall beat the Mukwonago Indians, 6-4, in a sectional semifinal. Quinn, on two days rest for the first time this season, struck out five in five innings for the win and made a key defensive play at third base in the seventh to secure the victory.

In a 14-6 regional final home win over the Kettle Moraine Lasers on July 21, Whitnall's Dustin Devine, Jaskulski and Dembinski homered. It was the first career home run for Devine, ninth hitter and gave Whitnall a 4-0 lead.

Greendale baseball

The Greendale Panthers finished one win shy of a 20-victory campaign when they fell to the Oak Creek Knights, 6-2, in a sectional semifinal at South Milwaukee on Friday.

The Knights scored five runs in the top of the fourth inning to snap a scoreless tie. All five runs scored with two outs and after a throwing error that could have resulted in the final out of the frame.

Later in the inning, a pop fly fell between Greendale's second baseman and right fielder.

"I thought it was high enough to be caught," Greendale coach Ted Brzenk said. "I'm not sure what happened there. That happens with high school kids. I'm not saying we would have won, but we had a lot of chances to get out of that inning."

Oak Creek tacked on another in the fifth before Greendale answered with a pair in the bottom of the fifth.

Greendale's Chris Ridgway walked five and struck out five in five innings and took the loss for the Panthers, who finished 19-17 and had won five of six games prior to the sectional.

"We never got on a good win streak, but we never got on bad losing streak either," Brzenk said. "Consistency is what you strive for. You like to know what you're getting each game; we never knew. But 19 wins is a good season."

The Knights defeated Greendale in the sectional semifinal in 2008 as well.

 

-Compiled by David Cotey