Bille one out from history
Waupun's Brenden Bille throws a pitch against Mosinee in the Division 2 semifinals (Wisconsin Baseball Central).
GRAND CHUTE – Brenden Bille and the Waupun Warriors were one out away from history in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Instead, they’ll have to settle for a berth in the Division 2 state championship game. Not a bad consolation prize.
Bille took a no-hitter through 6.2 innings in the state semifinals against Mosinee, but the Indians got a hit with one out to go. It didn’t make a difference in the game, which Waupun won 6-0, but it did make a difference in the record book.
Had the Warriors gotten that final out without surrendering the Mosinee hit, it would have been the first no-hitter in Division 2 state tournament history. Instead, Bille finished with a complete game one-hitter with ten strikeouts.
Waupun had no problem producing offense of its own. The Warriors had eight hits and scored multiple runs in two innings.
They opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning. Jak Lenz hit an RBI double and Drew Behling hit an RBI single to put the Warriors up 2-0. Reece Homan later grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring home another run.
Waupun scored twice more in the fifth on a two RBI single by Bryce Burmania. The Warriors’ final run came in the sixth when Homan hit an RBI single.
Waupun would have been fine with just one run based on the way Bille was dealing. Mosinee got a runner in scoring position just twice in the entire game.
Behling and Burmania both finished with a pair of hits for Waupun. Austin Freiboth had the lone Mosinee hit.
Jace Bauman took the loss on the mound in three innings of work in which he gave up three runs.
Waupun (26-5) will play West Salem for the state championship at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Mosinee ended the season with a 15-10 record.
