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With three outs to go, the Ozaukee High School baseball team appeared well on the way to an upset win over Grafton last Saturday.
But Choo Weisflog had other ideas.
Not only did the sophomore ruin the host Warriors’ party by stroking a game-tying hit in the top of the seventh, he pitched three innings of scoreless relief as Grafton rallied for a 10-8 nonconference victory.
“It was all about Choo Weisflog,” said Grafton coach Brian Durst. “He took charge out there and had a great game.”
Ozaukee took an 8-5 lead into the final inning, thanks to a pair of big rallies. After a five-run first inning highlighted by Devon Linzenmeyer’s three-run homer, the Warriors tacked on three runs in the fourth.
Grafton failed to score in the fifth or sixth before breaking through in the seventh against reliever Zach Beck.
After a pair of Ozaukee errors gave the Black Hawks a run and left a runner on second base with no outs, Will Birch drew a walk. Robbie Doring hit into a fielder’s choice but stole second to put two runners in scoring position.
After Weisflog delivered a two-run single to tie the game at 8-8, Kevin Scholz drove an 0-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a two-run homer that put the Hawks ahead for good.
Weisflog sealed the win by blanking the Warriors in the bottom of the seventh.
“That was a really important inning for us,” Durst said. “We had a big win over Slinger on Friday (see related story) and wanted to keep our momentum going.”
Weisflog’s mound effort included five strikeouts and two walks. At the plate, he was 3-for-4 with two RBI, scored twice and stole four bases.
The Hawks, who improved to 4-5 overall, prevailed despite a shaky defensive effort. Grafton and Ozaukee each committed six errors.
“It was a kind of a sloppy game by both teams,” said Warriors coach Bob Kiefer, whose team fell to 2-4. “We hit the ball pretty decent but made too many mistakes.”
Kiefer singled out Linzenmeyer for his homer and freshman Jeremy Wichmann, who pitched five innings of relief. Wichmann gave up two runs on five hits, struck out four and walked five.
Wichmann replaced starter Patrick Kroening, who was pulled after one inning due to a sore arm.
“Jeremy came in and was outstanding,” Kiefer said. “He’s young, but he showed he could be a starter for us.”
Ozaukee opened last week with a 7-0 win over Random Lake in a Central Lakeshore Conference game June 4 before losing two more CLC contests.
Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 3, Ozaukee 2
A walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh sent the Warriors to defeat in a pitchers’ duel last Friday.
With the game tied at 2-2, A.J. Klemme singled home Kyle Rentmeester from second base.
The hit spoiled an otherwise-solid performance by Ozaukee freshman Owen Miller, who pitched a complete game. He allowed just three hits, struck out three and walked three.
The Warriors scored single runs in the second and fifth innings. Wichmann drove in the first run with a double, and Jim D’Angelo’s sacrifice fly in the fifth tied the game.
But Ozaukee wasted several other scoring chances by stranding 12 runners and striking out 11 times. The loss left the Warriors 2-3 in the conference.
Howards Grove 7, Ozaukee 3
The Warriors couldn’t keep pace in the late innings of a home loss June 6.
The game was tied, 2-2, after three innings, but Howards Grove pulled away by scoring single runs in the fourth and fifth and three runs in the seventh.
Kroening took the loss in a complete-game performance. He gave up seven hits and six earned runs, struck out seven and walked five.
Ozaukee had seven hits, led by D’Angelo’s 2-for-3 effort.
The game was the opener of a doubleheader that couldn’t be completed due to darkness.
The second game was suspended after 6-1/2 innings with Howards Grove leading, 7-5. It will be completed June 20 when the teams play a 7:30 p.m. game at Howards Grove.
This week, the Warriors faced Sheboygan Lutheran/Kohler on Monday (see related story) and were scheduled to play a 7:30 p.m. CLC game at Oostburg on Wednesday and host Slinger in a nonconference contest at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Ozaukee will then host Random Lake at 5:30 p.m. June 18 and play at Howards Grove at 7:30 p.m. June 20.
Image Information: GRAFTON’S
CHOO WEISFLOG slid into second base with one of his four steals during a 10-8 nonconference win over Ozaukee last Saturday. The sophomore collected three hits, including a two-run single that tied the game in the seventh inning, and was the winning pitcher with three innings of relief work. Photo by Sam Arendt
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