Sun Prairie edges Beloit Memorial
Sun Prairie's Walker Jenkins throws across the diamond against Beloit Memorial on Tuesday at Fox Cities Stadium (Alex Cheban/Wisconsin Baseball Central).
GRAND CHUTE – Sun Prairie returned to the state semifinals for the fourth time in the last six seasons with a 2-1 win over Beloit Memorial in the Division 1 state quarterfinals on Tuesday morning.
In a pitchers’ duel between Sun Prairie’s Taylor Middaugh and Beloit Memorial’s Miguel Betancourt, it was the Cardinals who got the timely hits to move on to the next round.
Both Middaugh and Betancourt were extremely efficient over the course of the game. Middaugh scattered six hits over 5.2 innings of work, while Betancourt gave up five hits in five innings. There was only one walk issued in the entire game.
The Purple Knights struck first in the top of the fourth inning. Back-to-back singles by Drew Freitag and Steven Makinen put runners on first and third with one out. In the next at bat, Avery Lewis floated an RBI single to center field to give Memorial a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals responded instantly in the bottom of the frame. Ben Hauser ripped an RBI double off the left field wall to tie the game, and Sun Prairie took the lead on a squeeze bunt by Jack Zander in what ended up being the game-winning play.
Memorial got a runner in scoring position in four separate innings, but was not able to break through against Middaugh and Walker Jenkins, who came on in relief. They had the tying run on second with two outs in the sixth inning, but Jenkins came up with a big strikeout to end the threat.
Hauser led the Cardinals with a 2-for-3 game at the plate. Carson Holin went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Lewis went 2-for-3 with a double for Memorial, and Matt Elliott also had a pair of hits.
Sun Prairie (24-6) advances to face Arrowhead in the state semifinals Tuesday night at 6. Arrowhead defeated the Cardinals 9-3 in their only meeting this season.
Beloit Memorial finished the season with an 18-11 record.
