Bay Port’s Brett Stanzel leads off first in the Pirates’ 2-1 loss to Pulaski May 7 (Rich Palzewic photo).
BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT
SUAMICO – The Bay Port baseball team will look back at its loss to Pulaski May 7 as a game of missed opportunities.
The Pirates stranded 10 runners on base in a 2-1 Fox River Classic Conference setback to the Red Raiders at Bay Port High School.
The defeat was the first for the Pirates (6-2 overall) in conference play after starting the season 3-0 in the FRCC.
“That was the key,” said Bay Port head coach Mike Simoens about the stranded runners. “We had enough baserunners, but we didn’t get that timely hit like we’ve been getting – but that’s how it goes. We had our hits with nobody on base. I was proud of the effort.”
The Pirates left two runners on base in the first, second and seventh innings. They also stranded the bases loaded in the fifth.
Pulaski’s (5-3, 1-2) Drew McDermid was the winning pitcher in going 6.1 innings and allowing only four hits.
“I thought the key to the game was Drew McDermid pitching a solid game,” said Pulaski head coach Dennis Bogacz. “He settled in and established himself. We were opportunistic with our few hits and I was proud of the kids’ effort.”
McDermid started a little shaky by hitting the first two batters he faced, but didn’t allow an earned run.
After McDermid plunked the first two Pirates he saw, he struck out two of the next three batters to get out of the first unscathed.
Bay Port got its only run of the game in the second after Logan Donart reached on an error and was knocked in three batters later on a Jake Berg RBI single.
The Pirates had two walks and a single by Bobby Tilot – who had two hits in the game – in the fifth, but McDermid forced a groundout to end the inning with the sacs full.
The Red Raiders didn’t record a hit off Bay Port starter Call Verlanic until the fifth inning. McDermid and Connor Warden led off the inning with consecutive singles before Max Ford had an RBI single to tie the game at one.
After Verlanic got the first two Pulaski batters out in the sixth, Jake Neitzel got a two-out single. Neitzel scored on a slicing double to right by Colton Agamaite that Brett Stanzel made a diving attempt at, but couldn’t come up with the play.
Agamaite came on with one out in the seventh to close the door by getting a fly out and a strikeout.
Verlanic gave up just four hits in pitching the complete game. The sophomore struck out eight – including the side in the first inning – and walked two.
Stanzel and Brad Bernklau had the other hits for the Pirates.
Jake Neitzel had the other hit for Pulaski.
Box Score
Pulaski: 000 011 0 – 2 4 2
Bay Port: 010 000 0 – 1 5 1
PUL: Leading hitters – Neitzel 1×2, Agamaite 1×2; RBI: Agamaite (1); 2B: Agamaite; Pitching – McDermid (WP): 6.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R (O ER), 2 BB, 4 SO; Agamaite – 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO.
BP: Leading hitters – Tilot 2×4; RBI: Berg (1); Pitching – Verlanic (LP): 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 8 SO.
