By Hub City Times staff

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Marshfield American Senior Legion Blue Devils split their first two games at the AAA Region 2 tournament July 21-24 at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids.

After getting rained out on July 20, the Blue Devils opened play on July 21 against Wausau. The Post 10 Bulldogs got the win 5-2. Wausau jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning, thanks to a two-run home run by Chandler Fochs, after first baseman Mason Coffren dropped a popup foul ball that would’ve retired Fochs a few pitches earlier.

Wausau got two more runs in the third inning, on a two-run single by Grant Hill. Post 10 got one more run in the fifth inning, on an RBI single by Sam Sippel. The Blue Devils scored both of their runs in the sixth inning. Devin Toburen walked to lead off the inning, went to second on a base hit by Coffren, advanced to third on a wild pitch by Fochs, then scored on another wild pitch. Coffren scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Gust. Marshfield was held to just two hits in the game by Fochs, who got the win. Jake Brueggen suffered the loss, in what was his final pitching performance in a Blue Devils uniform.

“He means a lot to this team”, said Marshfield Head Coach Josh Metz before the game. “He’s a leader off the field. He’s our ace on the field. He takes the ball in the big games all the time. He’s been great, and he’s everything you could ask for in a player.”

The Blue Devils rebounded nicely on July 22, with an 8-2 win over D.C. Everest in an elimination game. Eli Drexler got the scoring started early, with a solo home run to lead off the game in the top of the first inning. But Marshfield lost the lead in the bottom of the inning, when starting pitcher Connor Jasurda gave up a lead-off single to Ty Tretter, who then stole second and went to third on a passed ball. After a walk to Sam Nielsen, Tretter scored on another passed ball by Jasurda. Nielsen scored two hitters later on a single by Brady Sendelbach, but to say that Jasurda settled down after that would be an understatement. Connor retired 18 of the next 20 batters he faced, including 12 in a row, before leaving the game after reaching his 105-limit pitch count in the seventh inning. Connor threw a total of 106 pitches, struck out ten, and walked three.

Meanwhile, the Marshfield scoring picked up again in the third inning. After Logan Matson reached on an error, he scored on an RBI base hit by Ryan Krueger. He would score four batters later, on a single by Ben Gust, who ended up at third base on an error by Everest right fielder Nick Latendresse. Jake Brueggen then scored on an RBI base hit by Tragen Bogdonovich.

The Blue Devils put the game away with a four-run sixth inning. Riley Boushack led off the inning with a base hit. He then scored on a double by Drexler. Eli then went home on a base hit by Matson. Logan then scored on a double by Krueger, who would eventually score on a wild pitch. Drexler led Marshfield with a home run, a double, and two runs batted in. Krueger had a single, a double, and two runs batted in. Ben Gust and Bogdonovich both went 2-for-3, and each drove in a run.