Indees squeeze by Webster
Independence/Gilmanton's John Halama shouts in celebration after scoring on the squeeze bunt in the ninth inning on Wednesday (Wisconsin Baseball Central).
GRAND CHUTE – It took nine innings, but Independence/Gilmanton booked its spot in the Division 4 state championship game by virtue of a 5-3 win over Webster.
The Indees scored two runs in the top of the ninth, one on a squeeze bunt, to break a deadlock that had been going on for most of the game.
After the Indees scored three runs in the top of the first, Webster plated two in the bottom of the inning. Sam Killian did all of the damage for Independence/Gilmanton, hitting a two RBI triple and later scoring on a wild pitch. Hunter Gustafson hit a sacrifice fly and Brad Sigfrids hit an RBI single for Webster.
The score stayed at 3-2 until the sixth inning, thanks to the pitching of Independence/Gilmanton’s Jesse Pientok and Webster’s Jack Washburn. Pientok tossed seven innings and allowed just four hits, striking out six. Washburn threw six innings of three-hit baseball and struck out ten.
The Tigers were finally able to plate another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Gustafson after a single and an error brought a runner to third base.
Webster got the winning run in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but could not bring him around to score.
The Indees took the lead for good in the ninth after a leadoff hit by pitch, walk and sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third with one out. Jonny Warner executed a perfect squeeze bunt to score the go-ahead run. Dayne Keenan followed with an RBI single not much later to add an insurance run.
The Tigers got the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth when Sigfrids singled and Austin Spafford walked, but Indees reliever Killian ended the threat there with a strikeout to end the game.
Keenan led the Indees with two hits at the plate, while Sigfrids finished with two hits for the Tigers.
Independence/Gilmanton (23-5) will face the winner of the semifinal between Athens and Oakfield in the state championship game on Thursday morning.
Webster finished the year with a 21-7 record and as the champion of the Lakeland West Conference.
