CG-Belgium splits against Big East leader

The Cedar Grove-Belgium High School baseball team had a chance to move into first place in the Big East Conference on Monday and nearly pulled it off.

But Random Lake edged the Rockets, 3-2, in the first game of a doubleheader to guarantee its hold on the top spot for now.

Brad Katte totaled 100 pitches over six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, whiffing seven and walking five. The Rams scored two runs right off the bat on two walks, two passd balls a steal and wild pitch.

“The first inning was the game,” coach Tom Race said.

The Rockets scored once in the fourth inning on a Jason von Heimburg RBI bae hit to left field and once in the fifth on a Tyler Kraus RBI double.

The game was delayed for 45 minutes due to rain on a night when many other games were postponed. Race said the Rams’ red-clay field handles water well with drain tile underneath it.

The Rockets took the nightcap, 6-1, behind von Heimburg. The senior pitched 93 times in the complete game win, allowing four hits, whiffing four and walking one.

“He was just on. He was in the zone,” Race said.

In addition, von Heimburg made what Race called the “play of the year” on defense. In the third inning a grounder came to the hole between the pitcher’s mound, first and second base. Von Heimburg dove and flipped the ball from his glove to first baseman Cameron Kirst, who was smart enough to run back to the bag after realizing he wasn’t going to field the ball.

“It was a phenomenal play,” Race said.

The Rockets scored three runs in the fourth inning on a Kraus walk, Paul Simmelink sacrifice bunt, von Heimburg double, Kirst walk, a wild pitch and an error on a sacrifice bunt.

They added three in the sixth. On an 0-2 count, Kirst hit a curve ball to right for a single and Jeffrey Emperly executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Kirst to second. Mason Noll and Chris Mueller walked, and Ben Michaels got hit by a pitch for an RBI. An error and another hit batsman helped score twice more.

Race praised the play of shortstop Jacob Bohlmann, who made plays on all seven balls hit to him.

The Rockets on Saturday lost at Whitefish Bay, 10-1. Von Heimburg allowed one unearned run through three innings before Race used varsity reserve players.

Last Thursday, the Rockets won at New Holstein, 6-1. Katte went all seven innings with 73 pitches. He allowed one run on two hits, whiffed four and walked two.

“He just did an outstanding job,” Race said.

Von Heimburg was 3-for-4 and Michaels 2-for-3. Kraus had a double and Mueller a hit and RBI. Bryce Morgan had a hit and sacrifice bunt.

The Rockets (9-9) were scheduled to host Kiel on Wednesday, play at Ozaukee at 5:30 p.m. Friday and at Kohler/Sheboygan Christian at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Warriors’ win two before one to forget

Ozaukee on June 13 swept a home doubleheader against Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah, 20-11 and 14-4.

In the first game, Jacob Ives had three hits and a triple, and Logan Bell had three hits and four RBI. Brent Hoffmann had two hits and scored five runs.

Jotham Higginbotham pitched 2-1/3 innings in his season debut and put zero runs, hits, walks and strikeouts.

The Resorters had 13 errors and Ozaukee 11.

In the second game, Simon Bares pitched all five innings, allowing five hits and four walks while whiffing two.

Given the tight schedule of games, Bares going the distance helped preserve the Warriors’ arms.

“The game by Simon Bares was huge. He’s not normally in our rotation,” coach Steve Kowalkowski said.

Hoffmann had two hits, including a three-run home run to left field in the second inning. He had four RBI.

Bares added three hits, including a double. Bell and Danny Johnson each had a double.

Last Thursday, the Warriors lost to Shebogyan Lutheran, 18-13.

Bell had three hits and a double. Bares and Danny Johnson each had two hits. Hoffmann, Jacob Ives and Mitch Weyker each had a double.

Improvement keeps coming for the 3-9 Warriors in rebuilding the program.

“They’re starting to clean up some of the mental errors. The little things are what we really need to focus on,” Kowalkowski said.

Ozaukee was to host Kohler/Sheboygan Christian on Wednesday and Cedar Grove-Belgium on Friday. They play at Kiel on Monday and at Sheboygan Falls on Wednesday.