Wakefield needed one more win to advance to an Area Final and Post 81 accomplished that goal on Monday during their first elimination game.
From the David Nitzschke Memorial Field in Pender, #4 Wakefield Post 81 competed against #5 Wisner-Pilger/Dodge-Howells Post 85 for a second time in three days during the Class C Area 2 Senior American Legion baseball tournament.
Thanks to a four-run eighth inning, Wakefield secured the 10-6 victory in extra innings to improve to 14-14. Wakefield also won 8-4 over Wisner on Saturday.
The Wakefield Post 81 Seniors first scored a run in the top of the first inning. Following a scoreless second, Wisner-Pilger/Dodge-Howells answered with a run in the third. Wakefield would take a 2-1 lead after the fourth inning but it was Wisner-Pilger/Dodge-Howells tying the game at 2-2 in the fifth. Wakefield would start to pull away thanks to a run in the top of the sixth and three more runs in the top of the seventh to lead 6-2.
Wisner-Pilger/Dodge-Howells wouldn’t go away and plated four runs in the home half of the seventh to force extra innings at 6-6. Wakefield Post 81 would go onto score four runs in the top of the eighth and hold onto the 10-6 victory while also winning the hit department, 13-10.
Cade Johnson singled twice, drove in two runs and scored three times; Mason Lamprecht singled twice, drove in a run and scored; Jesse Lundahl singled twice and drove in a run; Jacob Birkley singled twice and scored as Adrian Flores tripled and scored twice.
Ryan Anderson singled, drove in a run and scored twice; Johnny Birkley and Tanner Thompson both singled and drove in run as Cael Johnson singled and scored.
Lamprecht (47 pitches) picked up the win in four innings of relief allowing four earned runs off four hits while striking out, walking and hitting one batter each. Timothy Kaufman (78) started the opening four innings allowing two earned runs off six hits while striking out four batters, walking two and hitting two. Johnny Birkley (15) walked three batters he faced in the seventh inning (Lamprecht re-entered the game and pitched the eighth).
Pender will represent Area 2 in the Class C Senior American Legion baseball state tournament with Wakefield automatically qualifying as the host Aug. 3 – 7.
