D1 Semifinals: Waunakee outlast Preble in 11 innings

GRAND CHUTE, WI - In the first D1 semifinal of the night, Waunakee took Green Bay Preble deep into extra innings for a 3-1 win and a birth into the state title game.

Both teams sent their sophomore arms to the mound in RHP Taiten Manriquez (Waunakee) and RHP Max Wagner (Green Bay Preble). Both sophs had their good stuff on this day matching zero for zero until the sixth when both teams traded runs.

Waunakee struck first in the top half of the inning. Junior Nate Stevens led the inning off with a double to deep center. Ben Nordloh followed Stevens with an RBI single that scored the game’s first run, and chased Wagner from the mound, who pitched 2.2 innings in the morning’s quarterfinal game and reached his pitch count.

Preble’s answer in the bottom half came gift wrapped with two outs. Jordan Gaulke’s single started the frame and a pair of productive outs moved him to third for Preble’s two-hole hitter Max Wagner. Wagner rapped one sharply on the ground to short, but Jarrett Fueger’s throw to take the easy force at second was offline and led to Gaulke scoring and a 1-1 tie.

That’s where the game would stay for a while. Both teams had their chances with threatening rallies in extras. Taiten Manriquez continued to roll through eight innings of four-hit baseball, striking out seven. Preble’s Quinn Williquette relieved Wagner and worked 5.2 innings out of the pen, but the Warriors finally got to him in the 11th.

Manriquez may have been finished on the mound, but his bat stayed in the lineup and singled to start the 11th frame. Derek Lee sacrificed him to second, setting the table for Will Connors who came up with a big double to right center, scoring Manriquez. Brody Royston later singled home Connors to add an insurance run and head to the bottom half to try to close out Preble.

After giving up a leadoff double and a single, Derek Lee struck out the next three to send Waunakee to the state title game.   

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