Shawano Leader Sports Headlines

By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

Equal-opportunity sadist that it is, golf took another whack at one of its brighter lights last week, reminding us that no one who’s ever swung a 7-iron is exempt from the emotional gauntlet that everyone with a set of clubs is eventually made to run.

In his first tournament appearance since his spectacular collapse at the Masters Tournament, Jordan Spieth missed the cut at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, denying the 22-year-old wunderkind a payday and fueling speculation as to how deep the psychological wound he suffered at Augusta may have run.

After winning the 2015 Masters with a record-tying 72-hole score of 270, Spieth also won last year’s U.S. Open, becoming the youngest to win that tournament since Bobby Jones in 1923. Things were setting up nicely for Spieth to take the baton as golf’s next big thing, as he led this year’s Masters field by five shots with nine holes to play.

Then the wheels fell off. He followed bogeys at 10 and 11 with a quadruple-bogey 7 on the par 3 No. 12, opening the door to a three-shot win for Danny Willett.

While it may be hard to muster up a ton of sympathy for that second-place finish – where he limped off with a check for only $880,000 – his undoing wasn’t a pretty sight.

Asked to explain how he came so completely apart at the fateful No. 12, Spieth said, “I just didn’t take that extra deep breath.”

To be fair, he did not play horribly at last week’s TPC. Spieth’s two-day score of 72-71-143 was actually one under par. But on those two days, on that course, it wasn’t good enough.

Various experts have taken a stab at what may have happened to his follow-through, how he hasn’t been getting around his body on the swing and all the related technical mumbo-jumbo, as if his troubles were a simple, correctable flaw totally independent from what was going on upstairs.

Spieth’s remarks after the TPC suggested otherwise.

“I’m beating myself up on the golf course. … It’s tough when you’re getting shellacked in your own group. When someone’s birdieing every hole, every other hole, you start to wonder why in the world you aren’t making any of them,” he said.

Deceptively simple and endlessly complicated, golf is said to have got its name because all the other four-letter words were taken. In no other game can one’s accumulated success unravel so unexpectedly, so completely, or so quickly.

The aforementioned Jones, one of the game’s all-time legends, described competitive golf as a game played on the 5 1/2-inch course – the space between your ears.

Unlike other “ball sports,” like football, baseball and basketball, there is no reaction in golf – no decking the free safety to avoid a tackle, no diving for a grounder in the hole, no flying to the glass to block a layup. All of the action is started and finished by you, alone with a club in your hand and thoughts in your head, standing over the little ball lying innocently on top of the big ball.

Golf can be a great teaching sport. Fair play and sportsmanship are by-products of a typical round. So are humility and suffering.

As the weather warms and the action gets busier at the Shawano Lake, Pine Hills and Golden Sands courses, the weekend hacks and 2-handicaps alike may deal with the sort of internal battles that has vexed one of the world’s best players over the past month.

Such is the way in the knocking of a dimpled sphere around the terrain. Golf just does what it does. As a Tour pro once put it, one minute you’re bleeding, the next minute you’re hemorrhaging, the next minute you’re painting the Mona Lisa.

Veteran sportswriter Gary Seymour’s column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send an email to [email protected] this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Sorenson sets CWC-8 meet record in long jumpBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Contributed Photo The Bonduel High School boys track team celebrates its third consecutive Central Wisconsin Conference-8 championship.
Contributed Photo Bonduel High School senior Trebor Reuckert floats in the air during his triple jump Saturday at the Central Wisconsin Conference-8 meet. Reuckert won the event with a distance of 42 feet, 5 3/4 inches.

The Bonduel boys repeated as Central Wisconsin Conference-8 champions Saturday, giving the Bears three-straight conference track titles.

Preston Robaidek and Trebor Reuckert led Bonduel with top-three finishes in the 100-meter dash, 200, 400, high jump, long jump and triple jump. Spencer Perry added a victory in the shot put, along with a second-place finish in the discus.

“After we saw the lineup, we knew we were strong in all areas,” Bonduel head coach James Westrich said. “We were going to score points in all areas. We were stronger in field events than I expected.”

Bonduel racked up 480 points, topping second-place Pacelli by 186 points.

Reuckert set a personal record in the triple jump with a distance of 42 feet, 5 3/4 inches, beating his previous best by over a foot.

After suffering a knee injury not too long ago, Reuckert was able to use his down time to hone in his mechanics.

“During that time, I practiced and focused on triple jump, so that helped me improve,” Reuckert said.

The Bonduel girls also had a strong showing, finishing third behind champion Weyauwega-Fremont and Wittenberg-Birnamwood. Junior Emily Sorenson won the long jump, and Christine Sell (108-6) won the discus by 17 feet over Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s Samantha Kasprak.

Sorenson went 18-4 in the long jump to set the CWC-8 meet record. She missed her personal best by less than an inch.

Sorenson took third in the long jump at the state meet last season and hopes to do better this year.

“I’ve been doing a lot of like the same things in practice … just jumping and making sure I have my steps down,” Sorenson said.

Senior Hayley Pues took second in the high jump and 100 hurdles, to go with a fourth-place finish in the 300 hurdles.

Wittenberg-Birnamwood was led by Maddy Pietz, who won the 100, 200 and 400.

Westrich said multiple Bonduel athletes have a chance to make it to La Crosse for the WIAA Division 2 state meet,

“I don’t think, even if we put our best team out there, we would finish in the top three in our regional as a team, so it’s all about individuals now and giving them the opportunity to have some fun and finish the season strong doing what they want to do,” Westrich said.

Central Wisconsin Conference-8

Championship Meet

Boys team scores: Bonduel, 480; Pacelli, 294; Shiocton, 237; Iola-Scandinavia, 234; Manawa, 219; Amherst, 210; Weyauwega-Fremont, 183; Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 111.

Top-3 finishers:

100: 3, Preston Robaidek, Bonduel, 12.01.

200: 2, Trebor Rueckert, Bonduel, 23.10; 3, Robaidek, Bonduel, 23.72.

400: 1, Rueckert, Bonduel, 52.69; 2, Robaidek, Bonduel, 52.77.

3,200: 3, Jared Wondra, Bonduel, 10:55.90.

300 hurdles: 2, Derek Hoffman, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 43.93.

4x400 relay: 3, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Teagan Lehman, Josh Van Alstine, Damon Wolff, Derek Hoffman), 3:52.69.

4x800 relay: 2, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Lehman, Hunter Schroepfer, Hoffman, Wolff), 9:18.04.

Shot put: 1, Spencer Perry, Bonduel, 43-3 1/2; 3, Peyton Czarapata, 38-2 1/2.

Discus: 2, Perry, Bonduel, 123-11.

High jump: 2, Preston Robaidek, 5-8.

Long jump: 3, Reuckert, 20-1 1/2.

Triple jump: 1, Reuckert, 42-5 3/4.

Girls team scores: Weyauwega-Fremont, 492; Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 489; Bonduel, 367.5; Pacelli, 205.5; Iola-Scandinavia, 189; Manawa, 105; Amherst, 96; Shiocton, 27.

Top-3 finishers:

100: 1, Maddy Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 13.16; 2, Emily Sorenson, Bonduel, 13.87; 3, Peyton Hrabik, Bonduel, 13.92.

200: 1, Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 26.48; 2, Paige Norrbom, Wittenberg-Birnamwood; 27.51.

400: 1, Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 1:00.45; 2, Emily Norrbom, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 1:02.82.

3,200: 2, Alexis Balliett, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 12:45.18.

100 hurdles: 2, Hayley Pues, Bonduel, 18.24; 3, Samantha Kasprak, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 18.92.

300 hurdles: 2, Paige Norrbom, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 47.84.

4x100 relay: 3, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Kasprak, Molly Gretzlock, Chloe King, Maykayla Verkuilen), 55.80.

4x200 relay: 3, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Kasprak, Gretzlock, King, Verkuilen), 1:58.64.

4x400 relay: 1, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Kylie Linke, King, Emily Norrbom, Paige Norrbom), 4:16.11.

4x800 relay: 1, Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Alyssa Meverden, Balliett, Erica Wendler, Emily Norrbom), 10:24.25.

Discus: 1, Christine Sell, Bonduel, 108-6; 2, Kasprak, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 91-6.

High jump: 2, Paige Norrbom, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 4-10; 3, Pues, Bonduel, 4-10.

Long jump: 1, Sorenson, Bonduel, 18-4 (Meet record); 2, Pietz, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 17-11 1/2.

Triple jump: 2, Emily Norrbom, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 31-11 1/2; 3, Linke, Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 31-4 1/4.

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Gresham 2-hit by Almond-BancroftBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Gresham Community School junior Neal Cerveny fires a ball to first base in the second inning of the Wildcats’ 11-1 home loss Tuesday to Almond-Bancroft.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Gresham Community School junior Derek Bowman swings at a pitch in the dirt Tuesday in the Wildcats’ 11-1 home loss Tuesday to Almond-Bancroft.

One day after losing on a walk-off single on the road to Almond-Bancroft, Gresham came out flat Tuesday for the conclusion of a game postponed April 21 due to lightning.

The Wildcats loaded the bases in the first inning but were held to one run before Almond-Bancroft erupted for 10 unanswered runs in an 11-1, five-inning victory.

“The kids didn’t want it. The kids have got to come to play,” Gresham head coach Scott Cerveny said. “If the kids don’t come to play, it’s hard for a coach to get them to play.”

Gresham started the game with Neal Cerveny on third base and Drew Haffner on second with no outs. Ray Creapeau walked to load the bases, and junior Derek Bowman hit a sacrifice to the shortstop to score Cerveny to tie the game at 1-1. A strikeout and groundout, however, ended the Wildcats’ only threat of the game.

The Eagles, who scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh Monday to edge Gresham, 9-8, scored in every inning Tuesday.

“After last night’s game, I think they took the momentum from that seventh inning and brought it right here,” Eagles head coach Rod Turzinski said.

Three hits and a walk helped push two runs across the plate in the second inning for Almond-Bancroft. Garett Yonke, the Eagles’ clean-up batter, launched a home run to right field to lead off the third inning. In the fourth, after an RBI single early in the inning, the Eagles used a two-out, two-base error to score one run, followed by a two-RBI double to left-center by Wyatt Richtmyre for an 8-1 lead.

Almond-Bancroft added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to go up by 10 runs.

Drew Haffner and Derek Bowman each had a hit for Gresham, while Haffner allowed seven runs in three innings. He struck out two batters.

Alec Wiczek pitched three innings for Almond-Bancroft, allowing the lone run. Derek Baumgartner finished the final two innings without allowing a hit.

Richtmyre led the visitors with three RBIs on two hits, while Baumgartner posted two RBIs to go with two runs scored.

Almond-Bancroft (15-3, 11-3 Central Wisconsin Conference-10), Rosholt (11-6, 11-4 CWC-10) and Gresham (11-5, 11-5 CWC-10) entered the week battling for the conference crown.

The back-to-back losses all but ended Gresham’s chance at the title.

“If you don’t come to play when you have a possible conference championship staring you straight in the face, that’s tough as a coach to deal with,” Scott Cerveny said.

Across the field, Turzinski was happy the back-to-back games with Gresham boosted his team’s chances to win the CWC-10.

“When this was scheduled three or four weeks ago, I mean, I wasn’t looking forward to it,” Turzinski said. “These guys are a good team. So, this is huge. This is absolutely huge.”

The Wildcats have lost three consecutive games.

“They’ve got to get refocused and want a passion to play ball,” Scott Cerveny said. “The passion is not there right now.”

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E

Almond-Bancroft 1 2 1 4 3 11 12 0

Gresham 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 2

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Doubles teams lead ShawanoBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School senior Kyle Easter finishes a point at the net during the No. 1 doubles third-place match Saturday at the Bay Conference tournament at West De Pere High School. Easter and Joe Willkomm lost in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 4-6, 10-4, to Fox Valley Lutheran.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School senior Kyle Easter returns a shot during the No. 1 doubles third-place match Saturday at the Bay Conference tournament at West De Pere High School. Easter and teammate Joe Willkomm lost in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 4-6, 10-4, to Fox Valley Lutheran.

Multiple top-four finishers helped Shawano to a fourth-place finish Saturday in the Bay Conference tennis tournament at West De Pere High School. The Hawks also remained in fourth in the conference standings heading into their final regular season match this week.

Shawano’s No. 2 and 3 doubles teams each took third place Saturday, while No. 1 singles player, Shawn Klemens, and the No. 1 doubles team, Kyle Easter and Joe Willkomm, took fourth.

The second SCHS doubles team of Carter Peplinski and Ceasar Ramirez tallied a 6-2, 6-2 victory in the opening round, before falling 6-0, 6-0 to Ethan Curtin and Brady Van Straten from Xavier. The Shawano duo defeated Fox Valley Lutheran’s Matthew Bovee and John Davidsaver, 6-2, 7-6 (4), in the third-place match.

At No. 3 doubles, Shawano’s Levi Black and Donald Chen earned a bye into the semifinals before dropping a 6-2, 6-2 match to West De Pere. The Hawks rebounded for a 6-2, 6-2 victory to seal a third-place finish.

In the top flight of doubles, Easter and Willkomm, like the other Hawks doubles teams, faced Fox Valley Lutheran for third place. Easter and Willkomm fell to Anes Oldenburg and Jacob Madolinski in a super-tiebreaker, 7-5, 4-6, 10-5.

In singles play, Klemens dropped his third-place match at No. 1 singles to Evan Tungate of Menasha, 7-5, 6-3. Klemens defeated Green Bay West’s Joe Lee in the opening round before falling to West De Pere’s Harry Dykema in the semifinals.

The Hawks picked up 12 points at the conference tournament, giving them 38 points heading into the regular season finale Thursday at home against Green Bay East.

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BASEBALL

Oconto 6

Shawano 5

Senior shortstop Kasey Kristof led Shawano at the plate with two hits, including a double, in the Hawks’ road loss Friday.

Tasa Grignon took the loss, pitching 2 2/3 innings and allowing four earned runs on four walks and four hits.

Oconto (13-3, 11-1 Packerland Conference) handed Shawano (3-13, 3-7 Bay Conference) its third straight one-run loss.

Bonduel 2

Weyauwega-Fremont 0

Sophomore Wyatt Erb pitched a 14-strikeout one-hitter in Bonduel’s home victory Monday.

The Bears (11-3, 8-3 Central Wisconsin Conference) tallied just one hit, from Erb, and Josh Richter posted an RBI sacrifice fly.

Logan Bosquez took the loss for the Indians (7-10, 5-6 CWC-8).

Rosholt 13

Menominee Indian 3

Dayton Latender allowed five hits and seven runs to Rosholt in the Eagles’ road loss Monday.

Grant Gomeyoshed pitch the final two innings for Menominee Indian (6-8, 6-8 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

No batters had more than one hit for Menominee Indian in the loss to Rosholt (11-6, 11-4 CWC-10).

Shawano 12

Oconto 2

Senior Nate Laude was 3 for 4 at the plate with two RBIs to lead Shawano at home Tuesday.

Casey Baumann pitched a complete game, striking out six batters. He allowed two hits and two earned runs for the Hawks (4-13, 3-7 Bay Conference).

The Hawks scored 12 runs on 13 hits to defeat the Blue Devils (13-4, 11-1 Packerland Conference).

SOFTBALL

New London 4

Shawano 2

Four different players recorded hits for Shawano in Monday’s road loss to Bay Conference-leading New London.

Sophomore pitcher Erin Cerveny pitched a complete game, allowing 10 hits to go and striking out two for the Hawks (14-9, 9-3 Bay).

New London moved to 11-4 overall and remained perfect in Bay Conference play at 11-0.

Weyauwega-Fremont 4

Bonduel 2

Junior pitcher Cameri Gehm took the loss in Bonduel’s home contest Monday.

Kailee Pedersen was 3 for 4 at the plate, and senior Miranda Schmidt added an RBI for the Bears (10-9, 6-7 Central Wisconsin Conference-8).

Cadyn Ehrenberg earned the victory for the Indians (18-3, 13-1 CWC-8).

Shawano 10

Seymour 0

Sophomore Erin Cerveny pitched a complete game as Shawano clinched second place in the Bay Conference with a six-inning home victory Tuesday.

Brandi Gueths and Alli Raddant each had three hits to lead the Hawks (15-9, 10-3 Bay).

Cerveny added two hits to help defeat Seymour (10-6, 6-6 Bay).

Menominee Indian 12

Bowler 1

Senior pitcher Kelsey Corn struck out 14 batters in Menominee Indian’s seven-inning road victory Tuesday.

Corn allowed two hits and six walks for the Eagles (12-6, 12-5 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

Menominee Indian scored five runs in the fifth inning on three extrabase hits and a single off Bowler starter Brooke Breitrick.

Bowler fell to 8-10 overall, 8-9 in the CWC-10.

GIRLS SOCCER

New London 4

Shawano 3

Morgan Klitzke scored in the 88th minute, but time ran out for Shawano on the road Tuesday.

Megan Klitzke scored a goal in the 12th minute, while Sarah Dickmann scored in the 59th minute for Shawano (4-8-2, 3-4-2 Bay Conference). Megan Klitzke added an assist.

Goalkeeper Carlie Hinnefeld allowed two goals within the first 12 minutes to New London (8-7-5, 3-2-3 Bay).

BOYS GOLF

Bears 6th at home invite

Bonduel sophomore Austin Acker shot a team-best round of 93 at the Bonduel Invitational on Monday at Golden Sands Golf Course in Cecil.

Weyauwega-Fremont, led by medalist Alex Hulbert’s 75, took the title with a team score of 356, while the Bears shot a 410.

Other Bonduel scores: Kody Jashinsky, 98; Hunter Hammond, 107; and Aaron Schaal, 112.

Hawks 4th in Bay Conference

Shawano junior Josh Mueller scored an 83 to lead the Hawks to a fourth-place finish at the Bay Conference meet Tuesday at Brown County Golf Course in Oneida.

Tyler Buerman posted an 86, Kobe Schreiber added an 88 and Braxten Surber tallied an 89 for the Hawks, giving the team a total of 346.

Xavier won the meet with a team score of 323. Menasha’s Carter Grieshaber was the medalist with a 76.

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EAST-WEST DIVISION

MENOMINEE 13, SHAWANO 9

WP — Dallas Gast; LP — Dan Buettner

Menominee: Melvin Chevalier was 3 for 4. Cody Vigue was 2 for 5. Mike Mahl was 2 for 5 with a double.

Shawano: Travis Vander Hyden and Kregg Boldig each were 2 for 4. Boldig added a double.

LITTLE FALLS 22, TILLEDA 3

WP — Jeremy Bauer; LP — Curt Brei

Little Falls: Mark Radies was 2 for 3. Joe Biadesz was 4 for 5 with two doubles. Hunter Gruenwald was 2 for 6 with a double. Pete Radies had a double. Dustin McAloon was 2 for 5.

Tilleda: Steve Reinke was 2 for 5.

GRESHAM 7, MARION 3

WP — Mitchell Pleshek; LP — Jared Sonnenberg

Gresham: Nate Ejnik was 3 for 5. Chase Quinney was 3 for 4.

Marion: Dave Jueds, Jake Westphal, Ryan Mortensen and Zach Reimer each had two hits.

CAROLINE 13, LEOPOLIS 0

WP — Nick Derochers; LP — Aron Hoffman

TIGERTON 14, BOWLER 2

WP — Paul Sellner; LP — Zach Olson

Tigerton: Jon Berg and Dylan Berg were each 3 for 5. Eric Kroening was 3 for 6.

Bowler: Jake Zarda hit a solo home run.

NEOPIT 9, CLINTONVILLE 0 (forfeit)

NORTHERN DIVISION

ELDERON 4, WITTENBERG 3

WP — Logan Hickman; LP — Dominik Anderson

Elderon: Brandon Groshek was 6 for 7.

Wittenberg: Simon Welch was 3 for 6.

HATLEY 4, BIRNAMWOOD 3

WP — Josh Hahn; LP — Nathan Olds

Hatley: Wyatt Brown had three hits. Kyle Zblewski had two hits, including the game-winning hit in the bottom of the ninth.

Birnamwood: Brian Rew hit a home run.

SOUTH-CENTRAL DIVISION

WEYMONT 6 VS OMRO 1

PLOVER 7, NEW LONDON 0

WP — Eric Fritz

WAUPACA 2 SCANDINAVIA 0

SCHEDULE

MAY 20

Neopit at Marion

MAY 22

Clintonville at Menominee

Leopolis at Tigerton

Tilleda at Caroline

Gresham at Shawano

Little Falls at Bowler

Elderon at Polar

Eland at Birnamwood

Hatley at Aniwa

WeyMont at Plover

Scandinavia at Omro

New London at Lanark

Wittenberg Bye

Waupaca Bye

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Kurtz holds SCHS record in pole vaultBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School senior Kristy Kurtz holds the school record in the pole vault at 11 feet. She has a goal of reaching 12 feet before the end of this season.

Spending the offseason between cross-country and track in the weight room has definitely helped Shawano Community High School senior pole vaulter Kristy Kurtz reach new levels this season.

Kurtz, who started pole vaulting three seasons ago, holds the school record at 11 feet, breaking her own record of 10-0 from last year.

“I weightlifted a lot over the winter to get ready for it,” Kurtz said, “and that definitely helped.”

As Kurtz grew up watching pole vaulters in the Olympics, she hoped to get a chance to try the event. That chance came as a sophomore at SCHS.

She’s still working on refining her technique, but so far this season, she’s managed to do just fine.

Kurtz has vaulted in seven of the team’s nine meets. She has taken first or tied the height of the winner in each of her meets.

“She’s just mentally strong and physically strong, so if she’s in the air, she can muscle her way over the bar,” SCHS vaulting coach Tom Egan said. “A lot of people need to have everything put together in order to get that good jump. … She can jump while even doing things wrong.”

After tying for Bay Conference honors with West De Pere’s Olivia Bowe at 10-0 Friday, Kurtz will get a chance to reach her goal of 12 feet at the WIAA Division 2 regional May 23 at Green Bay Preble.

Egan believes Kurtz is close to hitting the 12-foot mark.

“She just has to put everything together and hit some big jumps,” Egan said. “She’s too inconsistent right now where there is always something wrong with her jump, so then you’re trying to fix one thing with her jump, and when you fix that thing, she’s doing something else wrong.”

Kurtz is leaving her mark on the team’s younger vaulters. Sophomore Onalee Siegfried has been injured for the majority of the season but hopes to return for the regional. First-year vaulter Hannah Wendorff cleared 9-0 at the Hawks’ home meet on May 10.

“Other vaulters watch her, and then they pick up cues from her,” Egan said. “Then, they try to do what she does, so it really helps the program.”

Kurtz hopes to continue her vaulting career at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

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TRACK

Boys and girls Hawks fifth in Bay

Shawano senior Zeke Gueths won the discus with a distance of 159 feet and 6 inches, more than a 4-foot buffer over second place, Friday at the Bay Conference Meet in Seymour.

West De Pere won both the boys and girls titles. Shawano finished fifth in both meets.

Kristy Kurtz (10-0) tied for first in the pole vault and Hannah Wendorff (9-0) took third for the Shawano girls. Atty Wagner took third (5-10) in the high jump, and the girls 4x400 relay team of Tori DePerry, Kylie Guenther, Cheyenne Knueppel and Carrie Young took third om 4 minutes, 41.40 seconds.

In the boys meet, Shawano sophomore Payden Buck cleared 12-0 in the pole vault to share first with three other vaulters.

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Mustangs dominate final 3 innings against BowlerBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bowler High School senior Jordan Boswell reaches for the ball as Marion’s Autumn Krueger reaches first base on a bunt single. Marion defeated the Panthers, 11-5, Friday afternoon.

Marion tallied seven runs in the final three innings to break open its game with Bowler on Friday.

Fifth-inning doubles by Bridget Bazile and Skylla Szczerback erased a one-run deficit and gave the Mustangs the lead for good in an 11-5 victory in Bowler.

“That was huge for us,” Marion head coach Jenny Korth said. “We need to get that break open to kind of relax. Even at the plate, when it was close like that, they were a little uptight about swinging, and once they got that, it gave them a little more leniency.”

The Mustangs posted 12 hits off Bowler starter Brooke Breitrick, who struck out seven batters in the first four innings before Marion started to hit the ball consistently.

Bowler head coach Tim Ploeger thought Breitrick pitched a strong game. She finished with nine strikeouts. The defense gave up three errors behind her.

“They hit the ball. They hit spots,” Ploeger said. “Got to give them credit. They put the ball in play and good things can happen for you. They got base hits that fell in for them.”

The Mustangs (7-9, 7-9 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) have gotten more comfortable at the plate, a big change since last season when they went winless.

“They are seeing what happens when they are a bit more aggressive, so we aren’t down in the count and have to go chasing,” Korth said. “So I think they are learning to be more aggressive, and that’s definitely helped us.”

In addition, Marion has been able to rely on Szczerbak, who pitched her third complete game of the week. She struck out four batters and allowed 11 hits.

Bazile had three RBIs to lead Marion. She had two doubles, a single and a walk in the victory.

Sophomore Reanne Kietlinski led Bowler (7-9, 7-8 CWC-10) at the plate with two singles, including an RBI, to go with a walk. Breitrick and Regan Koenamann each added RBIs in the opening two innings, and Nicole Waters scored on an error. Miranda Brei posted the final RBI for the hosts on a single to left in the fifth inning.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E

Marion 2 2 0 0 3 3 1 11 12 2

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By: 

Scott Owen, Leader Columnist

I’ve said it over and over, but in my job announcing at the Shawano Speedway on Saturday nights, one of the biggest thrills is getting to announce a first feature win.

Through the years, I have had the privilege of announcing first-ever career features for the likes of Cody Hudson, Greg Gutt, Kasey Kolpack, Brad Wedde, Hollie Welch, Cody Grosskreutz, Mitch Stankowski, Jason Hopinka and many more.

Last Saturday, Lucas Hacker became the latest racer for whom I’ve announced their maiden voyage to victory lane. Hacker, now in his third year of racing in the Mighty Four division, came close to scoring that first feature win more than once a season ago.

I recall seeing Hacker at the track on many Saturday nights before he started his racing career. Once he got himself a car back in 2014, I was eager to see what sort of racer he would become.

Like most novice racers, Hacker had his struggles in Year One. Last year, though, Hacker began to emerge as a consistent front-runner in the Mighty Fours.

I predicted he would get that first win last year. As is often the case, win No. 1 was a bit elusive.

On Saturday, though, Hacker sealed the deal. He led every lap on his way to victory lane. The win was a popular one as the affable hometown racer, who goes by the moniker of “The Gambler,” has quickly become a fan favorite in his short racing career.

Once again, the Mighty Four class looks to be up for grabs this summer. This “starter division” has shown in recent years to be ultra-competitive. Through four nights of racing this year there have been four different winners.

Aside from Hacker, defending track champion Brad Wedde, first-time winner Jason Hopinka and Grant Kastning have each scored feature wins.

Additionally, Kastning and Wedde are tied atop the point standings. Hollie Welch, along with former champions Kasey Gross and Josh Slewinski, Dalton Nelson and Hacker, are all within 19 points of the lead.

Rookies Dylan Pingel and Tony Hokenstad are also off to good starts. Aaron Milavitz will be a contender when he is there also. Though the season is still very young, things are looking awfully exciting in the Mighty Four class.

I know they might not have the same rumble of the V-8 divisions, I suggest sticking around to watch them race. They typically do not disappoint. See you at the speedway.

Scott Owen is the track announcer at the Shawano Speedway.Rate this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Menominee Indian misses chance to even recordBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Menominee Indian High School second baseman RJ Waukau is called out trying to slide under the tag of Drew Seefeldt for the game-winning run Thursday in the seventh inning of the Eagles’ 13-10 loss to Wild Rose.

After a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh, the Menominee Indian baseball team allowed three runs in the top of the eighth to fall, 13-10, to Wild Rose at home Thursday.

Senior Drew Seefeldt drove in the game-winning run, but a sacrifice and an error produced two more runs to seal the game for Wild Rose (8-10, 7-6 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

“From one error, it spread to body language, which led to bad defense over and over,” Menominee Indian head coach Mike Waupoose said. “It came back to bite us.”

Leading off the bottom of the eighth inning, Eagles senior Ty Latender reached base on an errant throw but was picked off by Schuyler Waller. The next two batters were retired in order to end the game.

Menominee Indian (6-7, 6-7 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) forced the extra inning with runs by Adam Isham, Mequan Corn and Warren Kakwitch in the seventh.

R.J. Waukau drove in Isham and Corn on a single down the third base line. Nick Corn added an RBI single to left-center to tie the game at 10-10 with one out. Dayton Latender was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Grant Gomeyosh flew out to left field, and Waukau, who tagged up to try to win the game, was thrown out at home plate by Rob Jansen to end the inning.

“That is something that can spark you. A defensive play like that can spark you,” Wild Rose head coach Brett Brooks said.

The first seven batters in the Eagles lineup scored in the first inning, as they chased Wild Rose starter Thomas Dopp with just one out, but Menominee Indian could not find any more offense until its back was against the wall in the bottom of the seventh and trailing by three.

Waupoose saw a difference in his guys at the plate in the two innings the Eagles tallied runs.

“I saw them being patient at the plate, following through with their mental approaches, and then making solid contact with the ball, sprinting hard,” Waupoose said. “That’s what caused it in the first inning and the seventh inning. Coming up with the mental approach and being in it 100 percent.”

Nick Corn, who started the game for the Eagles, allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out two batters and walked three. Ty Latender pitched in relief of Corn and allowed four runs in 2 2/3 innings.

Corn and Waukau each had two hits to lead Menominee Indian.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E

Wild Rose 1 0 0 1 3 5 0 3 13 11 2

Menominee Indian 7 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 10 7 6

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Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Menominee Indian High School third baseman Jalen Corn picks up a bunted ball in the Eagles’ 17-12 loss to Wild Rose at home Thursday.

BASEBALL

Seymour 4

Shawano 3

Shawano senior Nate Laude allowed four earned runs in six innings while striking out two batters in the Hawks’ road loss Wednesday.

Kasey Kristof and Jacob Lacy each posted two hits for the Hawks (3-11, 3-6 Bay Conference).

Seymour (10-6, 5-3 Bay) scored two runs in the sixth inning to take the 4-3 lead.

Seymour 3

Shawano 2

Shawano pitcher Dylan Sumnicht allowed three runs on three hits in a complete-game loss at home Thursday.

Senior Kasey Kristof led the Hawks (3-12, 3-7 Bay Conference) at the plate with both of the team’s RBIs.

Clayton Vanlanen scored the eventual game-winning run for the Thunder (11-6, 6-3 Bay) on a suicide squeeze in the top of the sixth inning.

Bonduel 9

Iola-Scandinavia 3

Bonduel scored five runs on five hits in the first inning of its home victory Thursday.

Josh Richter had a two-run triple in the first, and sophomore Wyatt Erb added a two-run double in the fifth for the Bears (10-3, 7-3 Central Wisconsin Conference-8).

Senior Trevor Pedersen gave up three runs on six hits while striking out four against Iola-Scandinavia (7-8, 4-5 CWC-8).

SOFTBALL

Shawano 11

West De Pere 8

Junior Saige Henning hit a three-run walk-off home run in the first game of Shawano’s road doubleheader Thursday.

The home run was her second of the game. Hannah Hein added three singles for the Hawks (13-8, 8-2 Bay Conference).

Sophomore Erin Cerveny pitched three innings of relief for Hein, earning the victory over the Phantoms (4-8, 3-6 Bay).

Shawano 9

West De Pere 7

Shawano junior Saige Henning hit a home run, one of her three hits, in the second game of the Hawks’ road doubleheader Thursday.

Freshman Bayleigh Laabs added four hits in the victory for the Hawks (14-8, 9-2 Bay Conference).

Erin Cerveny pitched a complete game to sweep West De Pere (4-9. 3-7 Bay).

Bonduel 2

Iola-Scandinavia 1

Bonduel junior pitcher Cameri Gehm had the game-winning RBI in the fifth inning, scoring Brittany Wudtke on a double, Thursday at home.

Junior Kailee Pedersen was 4 for 4 at the plate for the Bears (10-8, 6-6 Central Wisconsin Conference-8).

The victory gave Bonduel its first sweep of the Thunderbirds (13-7, 6-6 CWC-8) since Chris Reinke took over as head coach in 2012.

Wild Rose 17

Menominee Indian 12

Jalen Corn tallied four RBIs on three hits, including two doubles, for Menominee Indian in its home loss Thursday.

Wild Rose (5-12, 5-9 Central Wisconsin Conference-10) scored five runs in the first, two more in the second and six more in the third to build its commanding lead.

The Eagles (11-4, 11-3 CWC-10) rallied, scoring four runs in the fourth, two on a home run by senior Kelsey Corn, but could not get within four runs for the remainder of the game.

Gresham 7

Bowler 4

Sophomore Kamille Davids pitched a complete game, allowing two hits, in Gresham’s home victory Thursday.

Davids struck out 11 batters and walked three. Haley Hoffman had an RBI double, and Kiersten Fischer was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for Gresham (8-7, 8-7 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

Bowler fell to 7-7 in the CWC-10 and 7-8 overall.

GIRLS SOCCER

West De Pere 5

Shawano 0

Junior goalkeeper Carlie Hinnefeld posted 18 saves in Shawano’s home loss Thursday.

West De Pere scored in the 4th minute and then put up three goals in a four-minute span in the first half. The Phantoms (8-5-3, 6-0-2 Bay) tallied their final goal in the 44th minute.

The Hawks fell to 3-3-2 in the Bay and 4-5-2 overall.

BOYS TENNIS

Shawano 4

Green Bay West 3

All three doubles flights won their matches in straight sets in Shawano’s road victory Thursday.

The winning teams were Joe Willkomm and Kyle Easter at No. 1 doubles, Chris Balck and Levi Johnson at No. 2, and Ceasar Ramirez and Carter Peplinski in the third slot.

Shawn Klemens took the closest match of the day at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 7-5, over Joe Lee.

BOYS GOLF

Acker ties for 5th at CWC meet

Bonduel sophomore Austin Acker shot an 88, including 41 on the front nine, at Glacier Wood Golf Course in Iola to tie for fifth place at the Central Wisconsin Conference meet Tuesday.

Also scoring for Bonduel were Hunter Hammond with a 112, Aaron Schaal with a 121 and Kody Jashinsky with a 135 as the Bears placed eight at the 10-team meet.

Gresham/Menominee Indian was led by Morgun Fish’s 106 and finished 10th.

Amherst won the meet with four golfers in the top 13.

Bears take 12th at Ivy Acres

Austin Acker led Bonduel with a 97, the team’s only score below the century mark, Friday at the Shiocton Invitational at The Creeks of Ivy Acres in Hortonville.

Kody Jashinsky added a 109 for Bonduel, while Aaron Schaal posted a 135 and Hunter Hammond ended with a 136.

The Bears’ 477 put the team in 12th place. St. Mary’s Catholic won the meet.

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Johnson gets 1st interim victoryBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School junior Saige Henning watches a pop-up while on the basepaths during Shawano’s 14-4 victory over Menasha on Wednesday.

The Shawano softball team did not give Menasha pitcher Darian Danitz any time to get comfortable on Wednesday.

The Hawks got four singles and three runs in the opening frame to set the tone for the game. Shawano would not let up, taking the Bay Conference game 14-4 in five innings at Memorial Park.

“I think the kids had a real good mindset. I thought they attacked the ball,” Shawano interim head coach Brian Johnson said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to teach all year — is attack the ball.”

Johnson is taking over the Hawks for the final seven games of the regular season after head coach Kevin Isaacson resigned Tuesday.

The Hawks (12-8, 7-2 Bay Conference) pounded out five more runs in the second inning, thanks in large part to sophomore pitcher Erin Cerveny’s two-run triple down the right field line. Saige Henning, Alli Raddant and Sarah Petry all had RBIs in the second inning as well, all off Danitz.

Menasha sophomore Katie Sell, who replaced Danitz in the second, gave up four runs in the third before giving the mound back to Danitz with two outs.

The Hawks, who defeated Menasha 4-2 earlier this season, were familiar with Danitz.

“They’ve seen her before, so I was hoping to do a pitching change, get somebody else in,” Menasha assistant coach Nate Bongers said. “It got a little away from us before I could make a change.”

Cerveny held the Bluejays (10-5, 8-4 Bay) scoreless through the first three innings, as Shawano built a 12-0 lead.

Lauren Roloff bunted in the third inning, scoring freshman shortstop Bayleigh Laabs. Roloff was safe on an errant throw from third base. Henning’s sacrifice fly scored Roloff, before Brandi Gueths hit a bases-loaded single to left field, scoring the 11th and 12th runs of the game.

“They are a good hitting team, and they were hitting it where we couldn’t make a play on it,” Bongers said.

The Hawks allowed three runs in the fourth inning, aided by two defensive errors and the Bluejays’ only extra-base hits in the game, a double by Hannah Jensen to right field and a triple by Jayci Mansfield to left-center.

Shawano responded with two runs, on singles by Raddant and Petry.

Raddant finished 4 for 4 at the plate with an RBI. Henning, Petry, Brandi Gueths and Julia Beck each had two RBIs for the Hawks.

Cerveny pitched a complete game, allowing six hits and four runs. She recorded two strikeouts and no walks.

Shawano, which sits in second place in the Bay Conference, trailing New London by 1.5 games, has a doubleheader in West De Pere on Thursday before playing four games next week, including one against the Bulldogs, prior to the playoffs.

“We are doing a lot of things right,” Johnson said. “We’ve still got to clean up a few defensive things, but we are getting there.”

Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E

Menasha 0 0 0 3 1 4 6 2

Shawano 3 5 4 2 X 14 15 2

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Team enters tourney play this monthBy: 

Leader Staff

With two weeks remaining until the start of WIAA Division 2 tournament play, Shawano Community High School softball coach Kevin Isaacson has resigned.

SCHS Activities Director Charmaine Schreiber and Isaacson each declined comment on the resignation, which he submitted Tuesday.

Although no official reasons were provided for the resignation, people speculated at the Hawks’ game Wednesday that some parents had complained about Isaacson’s criticism of the team during a two-day tournament in Wisconsin Dells.

Isaacson went 48-44 in his four seasons as the head coach. The Hawks were 11-8 overall and 6-2 in the Bay Conference with him at the helm this year. They are in second place, 1.5 games behind New London in the Bay.

Former longtime coach Brian Johnson will serve as interim coach for the remainder of this season, Schreiber said.

Johnson led Shawano to a Division 2 state title in 2002. He resigned after the 2011 season, after 18 years of coaching in the program.

He was a junior varsity coach this season until the team was disbanded midseason due to low numbers.

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By: 

Gary Seymour, [email protected]

When a chubby middle-aged pitcher hits a home run, it can be a big deal, though usually it’s celebrated with his softball buddies and the first round is on him.

It was a bigger deal last week because the homer came in a major league baseball game from a guy who’d never hit one.

Forty-two-year-old Bartolo Colon of the New York Mets got ahold of a fastball from San Diego’s James Shields and put it in the left field corner seats for the first round-tripper of his 19-year major league career, giving Colon and the Mets a thrill and handing Shields a spot in history he’d sooner have avoided.

It was one of a few statistical anomalies that unfolded across the league, another one being Washington’s Bryce Harper reaching base seven times in a game without an official at-bat.

Closer to home, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Aaron Hill hit home runs in three consecutive trips to the plate, the last one being a 10th-inning grand slam that led the Brewers to a 13-7 win over Cincinnati.

Hill’s three homers and seven RBIs in one game tied the team record held by Ryan Braun and gave his season totals a nice beefing up; he came into that game with just one home run and eight RBIs. It was a milestone day for Hill, but his three straight jacks were still one short of the major league record.

Six players in major league history have homered in four consecutive at-bats in one game: Mike Cameron, Rocky Colavito, Carlos Delgado, Lou Gehrig, Bobby Lowe and Mike Schmidt.

It’s not a shock to see the names of boomers like Gehrig or Schmidt on that list. Likewise, Delgado, Colavito and Cameron all had long-ball power. It was Lowe’s big day that really stands out, because over his career he averaged fewer than four homers per season.

What were the chances of that? What are the chances of Hill’s having gone deep three straight times? For that matter, what are the chances of anyone hitting a home run on any trip to the plate?

For the intensely dedicated numbers freak, the answers may be distilled with the help of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR).

But while there is no formula to determine the chances of your eyes glazing over after wading through terms like Defense Independent Component ERA, or Player Empirical Comparison and Optimization Test Algorithm, the odds are they’re fairly high.

Suffice to say there are enough baseball games played by enough teams through the years to make the statistical oddities perhaps not so odd – rather on the order of the infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of laptops, wherein one of them will eventually become a best-selling author, represented by another who typed up his contract.

But still, there are crazy events worth noting, like the one that happened in an April 2009 game. Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox homered off Detroit’s Zach Miner for the 300th home run of his career, and then six pitches later, the next batter, Paul Konerko, also took Miner over the wall – for his 300th career home run.

Statistical aberrations involving the home run may generate the greatest interest because in the pitcher vs. hitter duel, the four-bagger is the ultimate hitter win. But the most rare occurrence for a hitter is going for the cycle.

The Brewers’ Hill also comes into the picture here. As a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks four years ago, Hill singled, doubled, tripled and homered against Seattle on June 18 of that season – and then did it again 11 days later against the Brewers.

It was a remarkable individual achievement. Hill is the only guy this century to do it twice in the same season.

Now, if the Brewers can somehow long-shot their way to leapfrog four division rivals, we’re really talking.

Gary Seymour is a veteran sportswriter whose column appears weekly in the Leader. To contact him, send an email to [email protected] this article:  Select ratingGive it 1/5Give it 2/5Give it 3/5Give it 4/5Give it 5/5 No votes yet

Teams preparing for conference meetsBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Bonduel High School high jumper Lucas Nolan clears the bar Tuesday afternoon at Shawano Community Middle School. He tied for eighth place.
Leader Photo by Chris Caporale Shawano Community High School sophomore Logan Stefl competes in the long jump Tuesday at Shawano Community Middle School. He jumped 18 feet, 1 inch, good enough for fourth place.

As the end of the season draws near, local track coaches have one thing on their minds.

At the nine-team Shawano Invitational on Tuesday, the results were secondary to the preparation required for conference meets later this week.

Lakeland won the boys and girls titles Tuesday. The Shawano boys and girls both placed fourth. Bonduel was fifth in both meets.

Shawano is getting consistent performances from its senior class, led by Zeke Gueths, Erika Dunnam and Kristy Kurtz.

The challenge, though, is for them to help the younger athletes get up to speed.

“It’s hard for them to be leaders when you have all these younger kids,” Shawano assistant coach Tom Egan said.

Shawano got top finishes Tuesday from Gueths in the discus and Dunnam in the shot put, along with its girls 4x100 relay team. The Hawks also took the top two spots in the pole vault, with senior Kurtz clearing 9 feet, 6 inches and Hannah Wendorff finishing second at 9-0.

“They are as ready as they are going to be,” Egan said. “Now, we are just backing off on everything so that their times should improve.”

Bonduel is still moving some athletes around to find the right fits prior to Saturday’s Central Wisconsin Conference-8 meet.

“You had some other kids run some different races to try to figure out what for conference,” Bonduel head coach James Westrich said. “And they competed hard. I’m really happy with all the kids.”

Emily Sorenson was Bonduel’s only individual first-place finisher, jumping 18-4¾. The Bears’ boys 4x200 relay team raced to a title in 1:35.84.

Westrich is seeing more consistency from his throwers, Perry Spencer and Christie Sell, and Trebor Rueckert has shown great strides after missing part of the season.

“I think they are just figuring out how to run the races better,” Westrich said. “Some of the kids are starting to figure it out. Everything is coming together.”

Shawano Invitational

May 10

Shawano Community Middle School

Boys team scores: Lakeland, 212; Seymour, 155; Antigo, 69; Shawano, 67; Bonduel, 65; Coleman, 53; Clintonville, 46; Menominee Indian, 34; Gresham/Bowler, 15.

Local event winners:

4x200 relay: Bonduel, 1:35.84.

200: Armando Rodriguez, Menominee Indian, 25.13.

Discus: Zeke Gueths, Shawano, 146-11.

Girls team scores: Lakeland, 183.5; Seymour, 126; Clintonville, 96; Shawano, 92; Bonduel, 89.5; Antigo, 50; Coleman, 35; Gresham/Bowler, 29; Menominee Indian, 4.

Local event winners:

100 hurdles: Allysin Booth, Clintonville, 16.70.

200: Jessie Barker, Clintonville, 27.43.

1,600: Kara Pyatskowit, Clintonville, 5:25.77.

3,200: Pyatskowit, Clintonville, 11:36.42.

4x100 relay: Shawano, 59.87.

Pole vault: Kristy Kurtz, Shawano, 9-6.

Long jump: Emily Sorenson, Bonduel, 18-4 3/4.

Shot put: Erika Dunnam, Shawano, 34-2 1/2.

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Escanaba sweeps, no-hits ShawanoBy: 

Chris Caporale, [email protected]

Without using his top three starting pitchers, Shawano baseball coach Rob Wolff was hoping to see competitive games out of his team in a doubleheader Saturday with Escanaba.

The Hawks were not able to score enough runs, though, to keep up with the Escanaba Eskymo offense in 12-2 and 11-1 six-inning losses at Memorial Park. Shawano did not get a hit in the second game.

“We struggled pitching, we struggled hitting, defense, mental game, just a frustrating day overall,” Wolff said. “Not the baseball team I’m used to coaching.”

Escanaba tallied 10 runs in the first three innings of the opening game on 10 hits and two errors. From there, junior pitcher Justin Popelka coasted to the complete-game victory, striking out nine batters and walking three. He gave up five hits and one earned run.

Kien Moorman scored for the Hawks in the first inning after earning a walk. Dylan Sumnicht scored for the Hawks (3-11, 3-5 Bay Conference) in the fifth inning on a Moorman single. And that was it.

The Eskymos (10-5) have not given up more than two runs in their last four games and have won eight consecutive games.

“I certainly didn’t expect to win like this,” Escanaba head coach Kirk Schwalbach said. “Obviously, we are pleased, and we are on a roll right now.”

After not pitching for two weeks, Escanaba’s top hurler, Brandon Punzel, pitched four no-hit innings in the second game while walking three batters and striking out six. CJ Barron pitched the final two frames, striking out two batters without giving up a hit.

Shawano senior Tasa Grignon reached base in all three plate appearances with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. He also scored the team’s lone run. He advanced to second on a passed ball, moved to third on Connor Klish’s sacrifice and scored on a wild pitch.

Wolff said the Hawks are pressing too much at the plate instead of going out and looking for good pitches.

“You’ve got to be nice and relaxed and be out there having fun, concentrating and hitting good pitches,” Wolff said. “(We’re) just trying to get the kids back to the basics so we can get back on track.”

Shawano has lost seven consecutive games, dating back to its April 22 doubleheader with Menasha.

“We easily could turn around and have three wins this next week,” Wolff said. “That would sure be nice to get her back on track. I’m hoping that’s our outlook.”

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BASEBALL

Gresham 6

Tri-County 1

Sophomore pitcher Drew Haffner struck out 14 batters and had four RBIs on two hits in Gresham’s road victory Friday.

Neal Cerveny scored in the first and fourth innings for the Wildcats (9-2, 9-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

Gresham used a three-run second inning to jump ahead of the Penguins (1-12, 1-12 CWC-10).

Bonduel 7

Witt-Birn 4

Sophomore Wyatt Erb struck out nine batters and pitched a complete game in Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s road victory Monday.

Senior Trevor Pedersen hit a three-run home run among his three hits for the Bears (9-3, 6-3 Central Wisconsin Conference-8).

Zach Urquhart took the loss for the Chargers (2-10, 2-7 CWC-8).

Gresham 4

Port Edwards 0

Gresham plated three runs early in the first game of a home doubleheader Monday, with Beau Hoffman and Todd Otradovec providing two singles.

Junior Neal Cerveny reached base four times, including a double in the sixth inning for Gresham (10-2, 10-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

Ray Creapeau struck out seven batters in 4 1/3 innings, before Drew Haffner recorded the final eight outs to defeat the Blackhawks (8-4, 8-3 CWC-10).

Gresham 7

Port Edwards 3

Leading by one run after four innings, it took a three-run fifth inning for Gresham to pull away in the second game of a doubleheader with Port Edwards on Monday.

Junior Derek Bowman struck out 11 batters and allowed two earned runs on seven hits and two walks for Gresham (11-2, 11-2 Central Wisconsin Conference-10).

Jared Joslink had a two-run single in the third for the Blackhawks (8-5, 8-4 CWC-10) before Bowman struck out Ethan Saylor to end the rally.

SOFTBALL

Shawano 6

Beaver Dam 3

Erin Cerveny, Brandi Gueths and Kate Hoffman each tallied three hits in Shawano’s victory Saturday at the Poynette Jamboree.

Cerveny pitched five innings of relief for Hannah Hein, allowing one run and six hits for the Hawks (10-8, 6-2 Bay Conference).

Sarah Petry added two hits against the Beavers (5-13, 3-8 Wisconsin Litte Ten).

Shawano 14

Oconomowoc 1

Junior Saige Henning hit for the cycle and Erin Cerveny hit a home run in Shawano’s six-inning thrashing of the Raccoons in the final game of the Poynette Jamboree on Saturday.

Senior Alli Raddant and freshman Bayleigh Laabs posted three hits apiece for Shawano (11-8, 6-2 Bay Conference).

The Hawks recorded 20 hits off the Oconomowoc (8-8, 5-5 Wisconsin Little Ten) pitchers.

GIRLS SOCCER

Shawano 10

Green Bay West 0

Shawano senior Megan Klitzke tallied five goals in the first half in the Hawks’ home victory Tuesday.

Senior midfielder Sarah Dickmann added two goals and two assists, while Teagan Monfils, Morgan Klitzke and Colleen McFarlane each had a goal and an assist for Shawano (4-4-2, 3-2-2 Bay Conference).

Carlie Hinnefeld and Maddie Rabideau each had a save against West (0-14-0, 0-4-0 Bay).

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Former track champions return to topBy: 

Scott Owen, Special to the Leader

Contributed Photo Nick Anvelink won the Late Models feature Saturday at Shawano Speedway.
Contributed Photo Lucas Hacker won the Mighty Fours feature Saturday at Shawano Speedway.

Twigs Beverage night at the Shawano Speedway saw Lucas “The Gambler” Hacker score his first career feature victory Saturday.

Meanwhile, former track champions Jerry Wilinski, Dan Michonski and Lucas Lamberies each scored their first wins of the season in the IMCA Modified, IMCA Stock Car and the IMCA Sports Mod features, respectively.

Also, Nick Anvelink secured his second win of the young season in the Late Model feature.

Mighty Fours

Hacker led wire-to-wire to win a caution-free Mighty Four feature. It was his first career feature after coming close many times. Josh Slewinski, Grant Kastning, Brad Wedde and Hollie Welch finished the race in second through fifth.

Late Models

Pole-sitter Jeff Curtin grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the Late Model feature and instantly began to separate himself from the rest of the field.

Over the first three laps, it was Derek Jahnke in the second spot, but on lap four, Mark Rose passed Jahnke to take second. With Curtin continuing to pull away, Dave Fieber passed Rose for second on lap eight. By lap 11, Anvelink, who started in 10th, was up to third.

Anvelink only stayed there for two lap, though, as he raced his way to second on lap 13. With Curtin holding a good-sized lead, Anvelink went to work trying to erase that advantage.

Over each of the next seven laps, Anvelink chipped away at the lead like a skilled sculptor. On lap 20, Anvelink raced to the inside of Curtin and grabbed the lead as the pair exited turn four.

Anvelink led the rest of the caution-free race to secure his second win of the year. He also has two second-place finishes. Curtin finished second. Fieber and Rose crossed the finish line in third and fourth, respectively, though both drivers were disqualified following post-race inspections. Troy Springborn crossed the finish line in fifth.

IMCA Modifieds

Second-row starter Chucky Forstner led the first two laps of the IMCA Modified feature before Jeremie Hedrick asserted himself as the leader of the race with an outside pass. Hedrick led through lap 12, when the caution flag flew.

On the ensuing lap, Wilinski took the lead from Hedrick with an inside pass in turn three. Lance Arneson and Marcus Yarie joined Wilinski and Hedrick in the top four on lap 15.

On lap 16, Yarie went three wide with Arneson and Hedrick to grab second. Yarie pressured Wilinski the rest of the way, but Wilinski would not be denied the victory. Yarie finished second, Arneson third, Forstner fourth and Hedrick fifth.

IMCA Stock Cars

The driver known as Zeb, Gary Kasperek grabbed the lead on the opening lap of the IMCA Stock Car feature from Luke Uttecht. By lap four, Michonski raced his way to second and set a course for the leader.

With Kasperek continuing to lead, Michonski inched ever closer lap after lap. The driver from Leopolis went to the outside of Kasperek on lap eight to take the lead away. Also on lap eight, Travis VanStraten raced his way to third after a three-wide battle with Vern Stedjee and Luke Uttecht.

Over the last half of the race, Michonski solidified his lead and would go on to win his first feature of the year. Behind Michonski, Kasperek brought home his season best so far with a second-place finish.

VanStraten took third in the race. Uttecht and Jerry Winkler rounded out the top five after racing three wide for many laps with the likes of Stedjee, Trent Nolan, Harley Simon, Mike Schmidt, Rod Snellenberger and Scott VanProoyen.

IMCA Sport Mods

The IMCA Sport Mod feature saw Tyler Thiex lead the first three laps before spinning in turns three and four, handing the lead to Brock Saunders.

On the restart, Saunders was immediately pressured by Jordan Bartz. On lap eight, Lamberies passed Bartz to take second with Saunders still leading. Lamberies moved to the inside of Saunders on lap 11, and took the lead away heading out of turn two.

As Lamberies led, Saunders began to feel the heat from Wyatt Block for second. Block made the move into second on lap 16. A lap 17 caution bunched the field up and set up a three-lap dash to the finish.

Lamberies was able to hold off Block and Saunders over the remainder of the race to score his first feature win of the year. Kevin Bethke and Jordan Barkholtz completed the top five.

Spectator Eliminators

Jasper Drengler and Dave Stoffer scored wins in Spectator Eliminator action.

Shawano Speedway

May 7

Race Summary:

Late Model Feature: 1) Nick Anvelink, 2) Jeff Curtin, 3) Troy Springborn, 4) Brett Swedberg, 5) Ron Berna, 6) Jared Siefert, 7) Tom Naeyaert, 8) Doug Blashe, 9) Derek Jahnke, 10) Jeremy Kazynski.

Heat 1: 1) Berna, 2) Springborn, 3) Anvelink.

Heat 2: 1) Mark Rose, 2) Dave Fieber, 3) Siefert.

IMCA Modified Feature: 1) Jerry Wilinski, 2) Marcus Yarie, 3) Lance Arneson, 4) Clint Forstner, 5) Jeremie Hedrick, 6) Chris Engels, 7) Mark Weisnicht, 8) Brian Joski, 9) Matt Oreskovich, 10) Tyler Wilson.

Heat 1: 1) Yarie, 2) Arneson, 3) Engels.

Heat 2: 1) Wilinski, 2) Forstner, 3) Kevin Feck.

IMCA Stock Car Feature: 1) Dan Michonski, 2) Gary Kasperek, 3) Travis VanStraten, 4) Luke Uttecht, 5) Jerry Winkler, 6) Trent Nolan, 7) Harley Simon, 8) Vern Stedjee, 9) Mike Schmidt, 10) Scott VanProoyen.

Heat 1: 1) Rod Snellenberger, 2) Uttecht, 3) VanStraten.

Heat 2: 1) Stedjee, 2) Kasperek, 3) Schmidt.

Heat 3: 1) Michonski, 2) Simon, 3) Winkler.

IMCA Sport Modified Feature: 1) Lucas Lamberies, 2) Wyatt Block, 3) Brock Saunders, 4) Kevin Bethke, 5) Jordan Barkholtz, 6) Jordan Bartz, 7) Jason Jach, 8) Kyle Raddant, 9) Tyler Thiex, 10) Brekken Kleinschmidt.

Heat 1: 1) Brandon Nygaard, 2) Barkholtz, 3) Saunders.

Heat 2: 1) Hunter Parsons, 2) Raddant, 3) Bethke.

Heat 3: 1) Jach, 2) Block, 3) Thiex

Mighty Four Feature: 1) Lucas Hacker, 2) Josh Slewinski, 3) Grant Kastning, 4) Brad Wedde, 5) Hollie Welch, 6) Dalton Nelson, 7) Dylan Pingel, 8) Kasey Gross, 9) Aaron Milavitz, 10) Brandon Wetsphal.

Heat 1: Hacker, 2) Westphal, 3) Pingel.

Heat 2: 1) Slewinski, 2) Kastning, 3) Welch.

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EAST-WEST DIVISION

GRESHAM 15, NEOPIT 7

WP — Josh Foreman

GRESHAM: Chase Quinney was 4 for 5 with a home run. Nate Ejnik was 3 for 3, while Joe Ejnik was 2 for 4 with two doubles.

TILLEDA 3, BOWLER 2

WP — Curt Brei; LP: Thomas Kazik

TILLEDA: Steve Reinke was 2 for 4 at the plate.

BOWLER: Jake Zarda was 2 for 3, while Austin Trinko was 2 for 4.

MARION 9, MENOMINEE 5

WP — Cory Reimer; LP: — Dallas Gast-Oser

MARION: Joe Weyenberg had three hits, including a double.

MENOMINEE: Melvin Chevalier III had four hits, including two doubles.

SHAWANO 11, CLINTONVILLE 9

NORTHERN DIVISION

WITTENBERG 3, HATLEY 1

WP — Adam Janikowski; LP — Dominik Anderson

HATLEY: Kyle Zblewski and Josh Hahn each were for 2 for 4.

BIRNAMWOOD 10, ANIWA 7

WP — Austin Reed; LP — Denton Mortenson

BIRNAMWOOD: Nathan Olds was 3 for 5 with a double. Tim Rew added two hits, including a double, and Brandon Resch posted two hits.

ANIWA: Josh Kreuger was 3 for 5 with two doubles. Blake Below was 3 for 4.

ELAND 4, POLAR 2

WP — Jarod Richter; LP — Cole Kuenzli

ELAND: Ryan Richter was 2 for 3 with a home run.

POLAR: Rian Hyland was 2 for 5.

SOUTH-CENTRAL DIVISION

SCANDINAVIA 10, PLOVER 4

WP — Eric Freitz; LP — RJ Rosenthal

WAUPACA 3, NEW LONDON 0

SCHEDULE

MAY 13

Clintonville at Neopit

MAY 15

Shawano at Menominee

Little Falls at Tilleda

Marion at Gresham

Caroline at Leopolis

Tigerton at Bowler

Wittenberg at Elderon

Aniwa at Polar

Birnamwood at Hatley

WeyMont at Omro

New London at Plover

Waupaca at Scandinavia

Eland Bye

Lanark Bye

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