Marshfield Chaparrals drop final regular-season game to Eau Claire
Chaps open WBA playoffs Friday
By Paul Lecker
Sports Reporter
MARSHFIELD — The Marshfield Chaparrals amateur baseball team may have come up on the short end of a 10-7 loss to Eau Claire on Wednesday night, but the larger than usual crowd for the last home game of the season seemed to enjoy the fight the Chaps had in them at Jack Hackman Field.
“In the last two games, we’ve had 24 hits and just one error,” said Chaparrals player/manager Justin Rayburn. “Although the outcome of those games may not be what we wanted, we’re continuing to play well going into the playoffs.”
The Chaps, who finish their regular-season schedule with an 11-9 record, will play at the Haugen Knights at 8 p.m. Friday to open the Wisconsin Baseball Association playoffs.
Luke Wirtz got the first of his four hits to lead off the second against Eau Claire. He scored on Bobby Pilz’s liner down the right field line. The Chaps got two more in the inning and led 3-0. Wirtz hit five bullets Wednesday night, the last straight to the third baseman’s glove as he was 4-for-5.
Nate MacDonald led off the sixth with a triple to right center driving in Alex Steines, who had reached on an error. Rayburn drove MacDonald in with a single, and it was 6-2 Marshfield after the sixth.
The Cavaliers came back to tie the score in the seventh but the Chaparrals answered that in the eighth when Curt Englebrecht bashed a triple to left, followed by a Sam Schwanebeck double that rattled off the left field fence to score Englebrecht.
Ahead 7-6 going into the ninth, the Chaps were unable to keep their lead as Eau Claire scored four times in the final frame.
Marshfield wrapped up a successful home season, going 7-4 at Jack Hackman Field.
(This article was originally published at MarshfieldAreaSports.com.)
Cavaliers 10, Chaparrals 7
Eau Claire 001 100 404 – 10 15 2
Marshfield 030 003 010 – 7 13 0
WP: Lukas Lanners. LP: Sam Schwanebeck.
SO: Adrian Bethel (6 inn.) 1, Lanners (3 inn.) 1; Cale Cuddie (4 inn.) 4, Ryan Metz (3 inn.) 1, Schwanebeck (2 inn.) 2. BB: Bethel 2, Lanners 0; Cuddie 4, Metz 1, Schwanebeck 1.
Top hitters: EC, Tom Mewhorter 3×5, RBI; Cole Tyman 2×5, 2B, RBI; Matt Miller 2×5, 2 RBIs. M, Luke Wirtz 4×5’ Schwanebeck 2×4, 2B, RBI; Justin Rayburn 2×4, RBI; Nate MacDonald 2×5, 3B, RBI.
Records: Marshfield 11-9; Eau Claire not provided.
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