It was a day to remember for both the Cedar Grove-Belgium and Reedsville baseball teams on June 9.
The Rockets clinched their first trip to the WIAA state tournament since the summer of 1984 before the merger of Cedar Grove and Belgium.
For the Panthers, it marked the first-ever time punching their ticket to state with a pair of victories.
Cedar Grove-Belgium began the day by defeating Living Word Lutheran 8-0 in the Division 3 sectional semifinal behind a dazzling pitching performance by Ira Hilbelink.
The junior limited the opposition to three hits over seven innings while striking out 14.
Offensively, Austin Knapp drove in three runs while scoring two himself as he was 2-for-3 at the plate.
The Rockets jumped out to a 2-0 advantage after the first inning then led 6-0 after two complete and never looked back.
A few hours later against Lake Country Lutheran, Cedar Grove-Belgium prevailed 6-2 to win the sectional championship.
The Lightning scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning to post a late threat but weren’t able to complete the late comeback.
Carter Schmitz earned the complete-game win on the mound for the Rockets, scattering nine hits and two walks over seven innings.
Connor Waters was the hero at the plate for Cedar Grove-Belgium, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a run scored and four RBIs.
Reedsville rallied from a three-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning in the Division 4 sectional semifinal en route to a 10-6 win over Green Lake/Princeton.
The Panthers scored eight runs over the fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by a two-RBI single on an 0-2 count by Caleb Schwahn in the fifth.
Nate Christensen went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs as well for Reedsville offensively.
It was a 6-5 win the sectional final against previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked Barneveld which did the job for the Panthers.
Lucas Lodel drove home Zach Prochnow in the bottom of the sixth inning to give Reedsville the lead late after Barneveld tied the game in the top of the frame.
Lodel finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.
Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: WIAA baseball: Reedsville, Cedar Grove-Belgium clinch state appearances
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