LA CROSSE — The Logan High School baseball team picked up its regional winning streak on Thursday by advancing to the WIAA Division 2 semifinal round.
The sixth-seeded Rangers, who won a regional championship on the way to a berth in the state tournament last spring, scored three runs in the second inning to pull away from 11th-seeded Baldwin-Woodville on the way to a 7-3 quarterfinal victory.
Logan (14-10) plays at third-seeded Altoona for the championship on Tuesday with a spot in the Merrill Sectional one week later on the line. The Rangers also scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth after B-W pulled to within 4-3.
A double steal and an RBI single off the bat of James Gruen highlighted the fifth inning. Preston Lycke executed the steal of home, while Sam Diehl successfully swiped second to give the Rangers a 6-3 lead before Gruen lifted a single to left to bring home Diehl.
Bradley Check’s two-run single highlighted the three-run second.
Gruen was 3 for 3 and Check 2 for 3 with a double and the two RBIs. Lycke was also 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Keegan Anderson pitched the final two-plus innings and struck out one while allowing one hit for Logan.
West Salem 8, G-E-T 7
GALESVILLE — The 10th-seeded Panthers (10-12) scored a run in the top of the seventh inning and escaped trouble after allowing two runners in the bottom of the seventh against the seventh-seeded Red Hawks.
West Salem broke away from a 4-4 tie with a three-run top of the fifth before facing a 7-7 tie heading to the seventh. The Panthers loaded the bases on a Mekebo Anderson single, Parker Demorest sacrifice bunt, a Luke Baginski walk and Terryn Boland single.
After the second out was recorded, Drew McConkey drew a walk that scored Baginski with the became the winning run. Demorest was 3 for 4 with three RBIs, and Baginski added two singles to his walk as the Panthers advanced to a semifinal at Prescott.
McConkey’s winning RBI was his second of the game, and Anderson and Max Diegmann both had two hits. Diegmann scored twice, and Anderson drove in two runs.
Anderson drew a walk with the bases loaded, and Demorest followed it with a two-run single during West Salem’s three-run fifth.
Somerset 12, Arcadia 2 (5)
SOMERSET — The 12th-seeded Raiders (10-16) scored once in the third inning and once in the fourth.
Second baseman Deklyn Grzadzielewski singled in his only official at-bat, walked twice and stole a base in a game that included three Arcadia hits.
Pitcher/first baseman Login Scow and shortstop Carter Wegman also had a hit each for the Raiders.
DIVISION 3
Melrose-Mindoro 3, Westfield 0
MELROSE — The sixth-seeded Mustangs (17-5) were the recipients of a one-hit pitching performance by Colton Koss and Jacob Thesing and advanced to a semifinal game at third-seeded Mondovi on Tuesday.
Koss struck out eight, walked four and allowed one single over 6 1/3 innings, and Thesing struck out one of the two batters he retired.
Melrose-Mindoro scored once in the first inning and twice in the second.
Jayce Stetzer scored on a wild pitch for the 1-0 lead after drawing a walk. Brewer Schlifer brought home the second run by drawing a walk with the bases loaded, and Brady Blaken followed that with a sacrifice fly.
Isaiah Kleinsmith tripled, and Thesing singled for the Mustangs’ only hits of the game.
Viroqua 3, Onalaska Luther 2
VIROQUA — The 13th-seeded Knights (4-15) tied the game at 2 with a run in the fifth inning, but the Blackhawks scored in the bottom of the seventh to advance.
Luther had just two hits but stayed in the game to the end with the pitching of Jackson Kendall, who scattered even hits, struck out four and walked four before Viroqua scored the winning run with one out in the seventh.
Third baseman Logan Pierce doubled, and shortstop Calvin Rick singled for the Knights. Gabe Shepard had an RBI and a stolen base.
