A’s clinch NEW playoff berth with 8-2 win
Posted: July 24, 2012
Brandon Winfield’s courageous pitching performance in stifling, exhausting heat led the Sheboygan A’s to a critical 8-2 Northeastern Wisconsin League victory at Wildwood Park Monday night.
The win put the A’s at 11-7 in the league and clinched a playoff berth for skipper Kyle Trewyn’s club. While the A’s were winning, the Oshkosh Giants stuck Menasha with its sixth loss. Now only one game separates the top four in the loss column. This is how it looks:
1. Oshkosh (10-6, .625, 0GB)
2. Sheboygan (11-7, .611, 0GB)
3. Menasha (8-6, .571, 1GB)
4. Green Bay (9-7, .563, 1GB)
The A’s play West Allis in the annual Elks Night game tonight at 7:30 p.m. Jake Schaefer is scheduled to pitch. On Thursday the A’s tangle with the Oshkosh Giants in an obviously vital Northeastern Wisconsin League and Wisconsin State League game. Groups from Zion Covenant Church, the Sheboygan Bowling Association and the Sheboygan Optimists Clubs will be on hand providing encouragement.
Last night, Rotarians, members of the Better Life Wellness family and the 6th grade Diamonds provided the encouragement as Winfield was touched for two first inning runs, but hung up goose eggs the rest of the way to post his second win of the season. The lefthander from Marian University has been Trewyn’s go-to guy to close games (he has nine saves this season) but the heavy schedule pushed him into a spot start against Green Bay.
A game-starting error was followed by a base hit and then Jon Rupno’s double brought both home. After that Doug Coe was hit by a pitch, so Green Bay’s Storm had two in, two on and nobody out in the first inning. Despite that and various other opportunities, they would not score again.
Two walks, an error and three hits put a 4-spot on the board for the A’s in the third and they never trailed after that.
Grant Evans had three doubles to tie a club record, Jon Capasso three singles and Justin Hunt a pair of run-scoring singles to lead the 13-hit offensive attack. Winfield scattered eight hits and struck out six.
The club opens Langsdorf League playoff competition Saturday night. They will meet the winner of the stepladder series between the fifth, fourth and third pace finishers. If they win Saturday, they will meet the Kenosha Kings in a best of three series beginning July 31.
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.
