Hoppers back over .500 after second place finish at Black River Falls tourney

By Derick Kelly

The weather played havoc with the Hoppers schedule last week as their home double header against Fennimore that was originally scheduled as a doubleheader last Monday, June 24 was moved to the following night when it became a single, nine inning game.

The visitors got on the scoreboard first with three runs in the top of the fourth inning before the Hoppers responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 3-2. Fennimore extended their lead with three runs in the sixth inning. PdC got one run back in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 6-3. The visitors would push one final run across the scoreboard in the top of the ninth inning. The Hoppers would rally for three runs in their half of the inning but would fall just short as Fennimore would hold on for the 7-6 win in 9 innings.

The Hoppers traveled up to Black River Falls this past Saturday and Sunday for four games in two days and the Hoppers went 3-1 to finish in second place at the tournament. Prairie du Chien opened up their schedule on Saturday morning against Elk Mound Post 37 and the Hoppers claimed a 10-0 win in six innings. Awaiting PdC in their second game of the day was a rematch with G-E-T and in another back-and-forth battle between the two teams, the Hoppers broke a 4-4 tie with four runs in the top of the eighth inning to earn a 8-4 victory.

PdC entered Sunday with two final games. Game one of the day saw the Hoppers take on Appleton Post 38, a Class AAA program that draws from Appleton North High School. Post 38 began the game by scoring a run in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. The lead would stand until the bottom of the fourth inning when a sacrifice fly by Weston Marx scored Cael Koenig.
The game remained tied 1-1 going into the top of the seventh inning when Appleton managed to score three times as they held on for a 4-1 win to claim the tournament championship at 4-0.

Prairie du Chien had one game remaining however as they took on host Black River Falls to conclude the weekend. The hosts took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first before the Hoppers scratched one run across in the bottom of the first to cut into BRF’s lead. The Hoppers kept the hosts scoreless in the top of the second before getting five big runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 6-3 lead. The tournament hosts quickly answered the Hoppers with three more runs of their own in the top of the third inning to even the game up at 6-6.

That would be all the scoring Black River Falls would produce as the Hoppers kept them off the scoreboard the final three innings of the game while PdC got a run in the fourth and fifth innings to go up 8-6, which would be the final score with the game concluding after the top of the sixth inning.
Prairie du Chien improved to 5-4 with the win as they get ready for quite possibly their busiest week of the season. Following this past Monday night’s home game with Stoddard, the Hawks host doubleheaders at home on Wednesday against Sparta and Thursday against Fennimore before traveling to Viroqua on Saturday and Sunday for the Viroqua Tournament. The Hoppers will take on Onalaska and Viroqua on Saturday and West Salem and Westby on Sunday.

Fennimore Post 184 7, Prairie du Chien Post 68 6 (9 innings).

Fennimore   000  303   001   –   7   7   1
Prairie du Chien   000   201   003    –   6   9   1

WP: Tyson Starkey. LP: Bryce Lenzendorf.
SO: Lenzendorf (4 inn.) 4, Amundson (2 inn.) 4, Jack Simmons (2 inn.) 1, Noah Pedretti (1 inn) 1. BB: Pedretti 3, Amundson  2.

Top hitters: Pedretti 3x5, 3 runs, one RBI; Deacon Chesebro 2x3, 1 RBI, Blake Reynolds 2B, Jack Simmons 2B.

Prairie du Chien Post 68 10, Elk Mound Post 37 0 (6 innings).

Elk Mound   000  000   x   –   0   2   6

Prairie du Chien   015   031   x   –   10   14   0

WP: Bryce Lenzendorf. LP: Conor Mock.
SO: Lenzendorf (6 inn.) 13. BB: Lenzendorf 0.

Top hitters: Abe Amundson 4x4, one run, 2 RBIs; Noah Pedretti 2x4, one run, 2 RBIs; Deacon Chesebro 2x3, one run, one RBI; Bryce Lenzendorf 2x4, one run, one RBI; Westin Marx 1x4, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBIs.

Prairie du Chien Post 68 8, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau Post 354 4 (8 innings).

Prairie du Chien   001   201 04   –   8  11   4

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 000   400   00   –   4   5   3

WP: Cael Koenig. LP: Oliver Marley.
SO: Koenig (7 inn.) 4, Bryce Lenzendorf (1 inn.) 1. BB: Koenig 3, Lenzendorf 2.

Top hitters: Reynolds 3x4, one run; Koenig 2x3, 2 BB, 3 RBIs; Bryce Lenzendorf 2x4, 2 runs. 

Appleton Post 38 4, Prairie du Chien Post 68 1

Appleton   100   000   3   –   4   6   1

Prairie du Chien   000   100   0   –   1   1   2

WP: Owen Wick. LP: Carter Tonne.
SO: Abe Amundson (5 inn.) 5, Tonne (2 inn.) 1. BB: Amundson 3, Tonne 2.

Top hitters: Deacon Chesebro 1x1

Prairie du Chien Post 68 8, Black River Falls Post 200 6 (6 innings).

Black River Falls   303   000   x   –   6   7   1

Prairie du Chien   150   11x   x   –   8   10   1

WP: Blake Reynolds. LP: Noah Kubaskie.
SO: Reynolds (6 inn.) 2. BB: Reynolds 3.

Top hitters: Tonne 2x4, 2B, 2 RBIs, one run, Noah Pedretti 3 runs, 3 BB, Cael Koenig 2x4, one run; Bryce Lenzendorf 2x4, 2B, 3 RBIs, one run, Reynolds 2x2, one run, one BB; Abe Amundson 1x1, one RBI.

Records: Prairie du Chien 5-4; Black River Falls 6-8.