By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
DE PERE – De Pere baseball players Will Semb and Henry Donaldson not only pitched a shutout in the team’s 2019 opener, but they also knocked in all four runs in a 4-0 victory over Bay Port April 4 at De Pere High School.
The Fox River Classic Conference game was originally scheduled to be played at Bay Port, but field conditions there prompted the change.
“I was really nervous coming into the game with our young team,” said De Pere head coach Bob VanRens. “During the last two years, we’ve lost 12 and 13 seniors from our squad. This year, we are very young, starting three sophomores. The guys responded well, and I’m really proud of them. Bay Port is a really good team.”
The Redbirds scored single runs in the first and fifth innings and then added two insurance tallies in the sixth after two were out.
“We stress to do our best to score with two outs,” added VanRens. “Scoring with two outs is detrimental to the opponent, and it gives our pitchers confidence.”
Semb, who pops the mitt in the low ‘90s, threw four innings of two-hit ball before Donaldson closed the game with three innings of one-hit relief.
“I don’t like the cold, but it felt good for my first time out,” said Semb, who also went 2-for-4 at the plate and had two RBI. “My defense played well tonight, so that was good. My first two at-bats, their pitchers threw me a lot of off-speed pitches, so I was ready for it the last two times I batted.”
Semb said he was probably throwing in the upper ‘80s or a tick higher on the 40-degree night.
The junior, who struck out six and walked four, has verbally committed to pitch for the University of Iowa following his high school career.
Donaldson was equally as effective on the mound and at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Bay Port managed just three hits in its first game after returning from its spring break Florida trip, where they went 1-2.
“We couldn’t get the clutch hit in a close game,” said Bay Port head coach Mike Simeons. “De Pere threw well. When you have pitchers throwing like they were, it’s hard to win without hitting the ball. Their two-out rally in the sixth took the steam out of us. We will be okay.”
After Semb walked two batters in the top of the first, the Pirates had runners on second and third with one out but failed to score.
They also left two runners stranded in both the third and fourth innings.
Call Verlanic, Brock Noe and Cole Weber had the only hits for Bay Port.
Pirates Pitcher Jett Thielke started and went 5.1 innings.
He struck out five, walked one, surrendered five hits and gave up one earned run.
Verlanic pitched the final 1.2 innings in relief.
Ben Basten and Tyler Blum each scored two runs apiece for the Redbirds.
JP Gauthier, Derek Weber, Brett Bradison and Basten had the other hits for De Pere.
Box score
Bay Port: 000 000 0 – 0 3 1
De Pere: 100 012 x – 4 9 0