LAYING OUT … Edgerton right fielder Caden Leppelmeier tries to make a diving catch in the Bulldogs’ GMC contest versus Wayne Trace. (PHOTO BY RICH HARDING, STAFF)
By: Daniel Cooley
EDGERTON – Strong pitching and timely hitting were the ingredients Wayne Trace used on Tuesday, to clinch an outright Green Meadows Conference title.
The Raiders laid claim to the title with an 8-2 road win over Edgerton. The Bulldogs, with a win, would have been tied for first place with Wayne Trace.
The strong pitching performance came from a complete game win from Cooper Wenzlick. Wenzlick struck out 12, did not allow a walk and surrendered just three hits.
He had a one hitter going through the first six innings. He gave up two hits in the final inning, with the second run scoring on a wild pitch.
“I settled in and trusted my coach,” Wenzlick said. “My slider was working really well today. I got a lot of strikeouts with it. I got a little tired in the last inning. It was cold and I got tight, but I hung in there.”
Wenzlick hung in enough to get a strikeout for the second out of the seventh and then induced a ground out to the first baseman, unassisted, for the final out of the game.
“The outright title had a lot different feeling for us, after sharing title last year,” Wenzlick said. “We really wanted to win it outright this year.”
Hitting wise, Wayne Trace pounded out 11 hits and broke a scoreless tie with four runs in the fourth inning, on three straight hits.
The inning started with two consecutive walks. Kyle Forrer then knocked in two runs with a triple, followed by an RBI double by Evan Crosby and an RBI single from Tyler Davis.
“We had hit the ball right from the start but weren’t able to string together back-to-back hits, until the fourth inning,” said Wayne Trace coach Ryne Jerome.
“I thought that inning was the key to the game for us. We worked hard for this title, and it’s been a privilege to be able to do this. I couldn’t be happier (for this team).”
Edgerton cut the lead to 4-1 on an RBI ground out from Cory Herman. But Wayne Trace came right back, scoring two runs in the top of the fifth inning, to take a 6-1 lead.
After Tucker Antoine was hit by a pitch, Anderson hit a single and then stole second base, putting runners at second and third. Both runners then scored on a Cale Winans single.
In the seventh inning, Davis led off with a triple and then scored on a throwing error. Tyler Head, who reached first on an error, later scored on a throwing error.
Leading hitters for Wayne Trace were Breven Anderson with three singles, Forrer with a triple, double and single and Davis with a triple and single.
Corey Everetts, Herman, and Noah Weaver each hit a single for Edgerton.
W. TRACE 000 422 0 – 8 11 1
EDGERTON 000 100 1 – 2 3 2
Records: Wayne Trace 12-1 (6-0 GMC), Edgerton 10-7 (4-2 GMC)
WINNING PITCHER: Wenzlick (7 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 13 strikeouts, 0 walks)
LOSING PITCHERr: Everetts (5.1 innings, 8 hits, 8 runs, 6 earned, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks); Others: Bass
LEADING HITTERS: (Wayne Trace) Anderson – 3 singles; Winans – 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Forrer – triple, double, single, 2 RBIs; Crosby – double; Davis – triple, single; (Edgerton) – 3 singles
Dan can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
