Rockets (20-4) move on to regional final at Marathon (22-2) on Friday

By Paul Lecker

Sports Reporter

SPENCER — Spencer junior Bobby Pliz tossed a three-hitter and had a two-run single to lift the Rockets past Athens 5-1 in a WIAA Division 3 baseball regional semifinal on Wednesday at Spencer High School.

The Rockets (20-4) will play at No. 1 seed Marathon (22-2) in a D-3 regional final at 5 p.m. Friday for a berth in the Marathon Sectional on June 9.

Pilz’s big hit highlighted a three-run second inning — that also included an RBI single by Mitch Susa — that put the Rockets up 3-0.

Spencer added another run in the fourth, and Athens could only muster one run against Pilz, that coming in the sixth. Pilz struck out two and walked two.

Susa, Jonny Tomke, and Jake Meyers each had two hits for Spencer.

(Hub City Times Sports Reporter Paul Lecker is also the publisher of MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)

Rockets 5, Bluejays 1

Athens 000 001 0 – 1 3 5

Spencer 031 100 x – 5 9 1

WP: Bobby Pilz. LP: Lane Tessmer.

SO: Tessmer 1, Marshall Westfall 3; Pilz 2. BB: Tessmer 1, Westfall 1; Pilz 2.

Top hitters: A, Shane Coker 2B. S, Jake Meyers 1B, 2B; Mitch Susa 2 hits; Jonny Tomke 2 hits; Pilz 2 RBIs.

Records: Athens 16-5; Spencer 20-4.