A’s Pick Up Pair of Road Victories in De Pere

When Harry Steldt is hot, your pitchers are on the hill and throwing strikes, and your line-up produces 2-out, run-scoring hits, victory is attainable.

With those factors in place Thursday night, the A’s swept a doubleheader from the De Pere Dodgers by scores of 7-5 and 6-1 on a rainy night in De Pere.

Steldt was on-base eight times last night going 5-for-5 with two walks, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice bunt attempt that turned into a field’s choice. Taylor Grimm, TD Walker, Tyler Agard and Wyatt Olson all delivered clutch 2-out base hits.

But the key figures in the win were pictures Taylor Schwartz and Eric Schmitz.

A couple first-inning errors put Schwartz behind the eight ball and De Pere scored three runs. He finished with a 6-hitter striking out four along the way. The A’s came back and turned the 3-run three deficit into a 5-4 lead when Hayden Fenner delivered a 2-run base hit. De Pere tied it at five in the seventh when Olson and Grimm ignited the 2-run rally that iced the game. Connor Keating saved it with a 1-2-3 seventh inning.

But the night showstopper was Schmitz who carried a no-hitter to the bottom of the sixth, but it was broken up by Michael Larson’s 1-out single. He finished with a two- hitter allowing only one unearned run.

The A’s launch Wisconsin Amateur Baseball Classic tournament play this weekend. The A’s are hosting one of the pools. The Wildwood Park schedule follows:

Friday night, 6:45, Plymouth VS. Sheboygan;  8:45, Two Rivers VS. Appleton

Saturday, 12 noon, Plymouth VS. Clyman;  2:30 Plymouth VS. Milwaukee Beavers; 5, Clyman VS.  Sheboygan; 7:30, Milwaukee Beavers VS. Sheboygan.

Pool winners play in West Bend Sunday for the championship.