Saints bow out of playoffs

The No. 8-seeded Saukville Saints got bounced from the Rock River League playoffs on Saturday in Hartford with two losses.

First, the Saints lost, 11-1, in five innings to the No. 1-seeded Hartford Hawks.

The Saints scored in the top of the second inning. Mike Pruefer singled, a wild pitch advanced him on the base paths and he came home on an Aaron Brockman single.

The Hawks scored four runs in the second inning on two hits, two walks,and two hit batters. They added one run in the third.

Down, 5-1, the Saints loaded the bases with one out in the third on a double by Dave Gent and walks to Brockman and Steve Dickmann but failed to score.

The Hawks added five runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to end the game.

Blake Lazaris led the Hawks with two hits and four RBI.

Pruefer had two hits.

Cale Fransen allowed 10 runs (seven earned) and eight hits with four walks, three strikeouts and to hit batters in 3-1/3 innings. Mike Sherrick relieved and allowed one run and two hits in one inning.

Hawk Brandon Peace allowed one earned run on six hits, walking two, whiffing nine and hitting two in five innings.

Later in the afternoon, the Cedarburg Mercs beat the Saints, 9-4.

The Mercs scored three runs in the bottom of the first on a hit batter, three singles  and sacrifice flies.

The Mercs added four runs in the second on three singles and two doubles.

The Saints got on the board in the fourth inning on a Mike Mueller single, Pruefer walk and singles by Gabe Nelson and Jimmy D’Angelo.

The Mercs added two in the fourth on a double.

In the fifth, the Saints scored once on a Cale Fransen single, Dickmann walk and singles by Sherrick and Dustin Kesner.

In the seventh, the Saints added two more on walks to Brockman, Fransen and Dickmann and singles by Desner and Brock Henke.

Kesner and Fransen each had two hits.

Merc Grant Steinke had three hits and allowed two earned runs and seven hits in five innings, walking three and whiffing one.

Phil Schmit allowed two earned runs and three hits in two innings, walking two and striking out two.

Kesner allowed seven runs (five earned) and eight hits in two innings, whiffing two and hitting one.

Sherrick allowed two unearned runs and three hits in four innings, walking two.