A’s get dramatic win on Strike Out Cancer night
Posted: June 16, 2012
You could not have had a better ending for the Sheboygan A’s-Burlington Barons Langsdorf League game at Wildwood Park Friday night if the two teams were following a Hollywood script.
The A’s couldn’t do anything against Baron starter Cody Peterson and found themselves behind 6-1 to the good-hitting Burlington club before a disappointed Cancer Awareness Night crowd.
But then in the bottom of the eighth inning the A’s got back into it when five hits, a walk and a critical Baron error got them four runs and a 6-5 score going into the final inning.
Brandon Winfield came on and pitched a scoreless top of the ninth – although it was a nervous top of the ninth as the first two Burlington hitters singled before Winfield got the next three on infield outs.
Then came the bottom of the ninth. Drew Person singled. Harry Steldt singled. Taylor Schwarz sacrificed, but Burlington elected to try for the force out at third base, failed, and the A’s had the bases loaded.
Justin Hunt stepped in and drew a walk fo forcein the tying run and keep the bases loaded.
Then Chad Langley, the A’s first baseman who survived a bout with Hodgkins Lymphoma entered the batter’s box. Poised and disciplined, Langley drew a walk to force in Steldt with the winning run. Cancer Awareness Night and the A’s cancer survivor gets the game-winning RBI.
When the dust settled after the celebration, the scoreboard confirmed the 7-6 win and the A’s gathered for their post-game meeting that launched preparation for their next game, the annual Sponsors and Friends Night contest Monday night against the Kenosha Bobcats.
While everybody on the club contributed to at least one of the runs in this 1-run affair, Hunt had two hits and drove in two runs, Pearson had two hits and figured in two run-scoring innings, Steldt had two hits and scored the winning run, and Tim Patzman walked three times and singled in a run.
The club has now won four straight games and is 10-6 overall and 4-3 in the Langsdorf.
The Sheboygan A's are members of the Wisconsin State League and Northeastern Wisconsin Baseball League. The A's have helped develop more than 43 players that have reached professional baseball, including 2002 World Series Champion Jarrod Washburn (Anaheim Angels). All Sheboygan A's home games are played at Wildwood Baseball Park in Sheboygan. Connect with the A's on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
