A’s Sweep Orioles, Win Season Series
Posted: July 17, 2023
Sheboygan, WI – It has been…well, let’s just say it has been quite a long time since the A’s won a season series against the perennial Wisconsin State League champions.
After splitting their Saturday doubleheader, the A’s won Sunday by scores of 8-5 and 10-9 over the Orioles to win the weekend series 3-1, and claim the season series 4-1.
The wins move the A’s two games over the .500 mark in league play at 14-12.
The losses for Lombard now drop them two games back of first place West Allis. Both of those clubs have six games remaining. The Orioles have held at least a share of the WSL championship every year since 2004.
In game one Sunday, Jared Reklaitis pitched a complete game victory, going seven innings, and striking out 10.
Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom half of the third, the A’s answered with three runs, led by a two-run home run by Jimmy Juergensen (Concordia University-Wisconsin) that flew over the right field scoreboard to make the score 4-3.
One inning later, the A’s would add a few more runs to their lead when Harry Steldt put a ball in play to score Bennet Becker (Carroll College), then Brady Zackrison (Marian University) singled in Joey Pettit (UW-Whitewater) to pad the lead.
Lombard would pull within one in the sixth, but in the A’s half, patience at the plate led to three straight walks to load the bases before Jacob Neese (Parkland Community College) lined one to right field scoring two and giving the A’s the 8-5 lead that would turn into the victory.
The story of game two was the long ball, as the A’s hit four home runs, two from Bennet Becker, then walked it off in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs to get the victory.
Bennet Becker’s second home run of the game was the third of three straight home runs by the A’s to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning. Riley Palmquist (Marian University) drove the sixth pitch of his at-bat over the left field wall to cut Lombard’s lead at the time to 6-5. Not to be outdone, Justin Schnell (UW-Stout) then homered to right field on the third pitch of his at-bat to tie the game. Up came Becker, who already had a home run in the third inning, who hit his second long ball of the game to left field, giving the A’s a 7-6 lead.
Heading into the final inning holding a 9-8 lead, the Orioles tied things up when they grounded into a fielder’s choice but the A’s threw the ball away trying to turn the double play. Ben Vorpahl (Concordia University-Wisconsin) would strikeout the final batter to end the inning.
Davis Wilson (Marian University) would lead off the inning pinch hitting for a banged up Plamquist and draw a four-pitch walk to start things off. Schnell then reached base on a bunt that was bobbled by the Orioles second baseman to put two runners one. The next two A’s batters would get out before Pettit walked to load the bases with Steldt up to to bat. Steldt, who leads the team in walks, took three straight balls to start the at-bat. After a strike to make the count 3-1, the Orioles pitcher threw the next pitch high and wide, walking in the game winning run.
The A’s will hit the road Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday this week with games at Menasha, Kewaskum, and Green Bay. They will be back at Wildwood Friday night for Fan Appreciation Night against the Appleton Legends at 7:30 PM. Things will get started at 6 PM with a pre-game show by former A’s house band II Cool, who will play inside the park until a little after 7 PM.
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.
