LA CROSSE — Waylon Hargrove took off for third base on the front end of a double steal and slid into third base as the throw from the catcher sailed down the right-field line.
The Aquinas High School junior quickly got to his feet, sprinted home and put an end to Bloomer’s season with a 10-0 victory in a WIAA regional semifinal baseball game at Lee Gilbert Field on Wednesday.
Hargrove’s run came in the bottom of the sixth inning and also made official his no-hitter, which gave the top-seeded Blugolds (20-3) a regional final at home against third-seeded Somerset (16-7) on Thursday.
“I really wanted to keep pitching,” said Hargrove, who doubled home two runs in the sixth. “I had 19 pitches left, and I felt confident that I could go out there (in the seventh) and finish the game, but I’m fine with the way we won.”
Aquinas, which is ranked third in the final state ranking by coaches, won its sixth game in a row and scored four runs in the fifth and four more in the sixth to record the victory.
Hargrove walked five and struck out five while going 1 for 1 with the double, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs. He also scored twice.
“My slider and my curveball felt really good,” Hargrove said. “After the first couple innings, I felt better about my fastball.
“I felt like I was in my own head with it early, but once I loosened up, I was able to use it to become more aggressive with the strike zone.”
Catcher Jacob Thornton was 2 for 2 with two walks and scored three runs, while first baseman Landon Teachout and third baseman Jackson Knothe had a pair of RBIs each. Knothe doubled home two runs in the fifth.
DIVISION 1
Holmen 5, Sparta 0
HOLMEN — The fourth-seeded Vikings (15-9-1) earned a regional semifinal at home against fifth-seeded Sun Prairie West on Thursday by shutting out the Spartans.
Senior Paul Goryl limited Sparta to two hits and didn’t walk a batter while striking out three as Holmen snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Vikings scored four runs in the fourth inning and another in the sixth and made the most of six hits and one Sparta error. Shortstop Brennon Metzler led the way with a pair of doubles and three RBIs as all of Holmen’s his came from the fifth through eighth spots in the batting order.
Metzler followed an RBI single off the bat of catcher Braeden Linse with a two-run double to left field in the fourth. The Vikings pushed their lead to 4-0 when left fielder Alex Goryl singled home Metzler.
Metzler added an RBI double in the sixth.
Sun Prairie West 4, Central 0
SUN PRAIRIE — The 12th-seeded RiverHawks (4-19) were held to three hits — all singles — against the fifth-seeded Wolves.
Center fielder Derrick Pangier, first baseman Erik Ramseier and pitcher Dawson Lapic had those hits. West scored all of its runs in the bottom of the fifth inning with four of its seven hits, two hit batters and one walk.
Lapic walked three and struck out two for Central.
MSHSL SECTION 1AA
Pine Island 6, Caledonia 0
ROCHESTER — The Warriors (18-8) couldn’t force a second game at Rochester Hudson Field and couldn’t score on six hits.
Senior shortstop/pitcher Reid Klug was 2 for 3, and first baseman Garrett Konz had a single and a stolen base for Caledonia, which gave up at least one run in all but one inning and struck out 12 times.
Landon O’Heron and Klug combined to strike out three and walk four, and all six of the runs they surrendered were earned.
SOFTBALL
WIAA Division 2
Second-seeded West Salem (20-4) learned its opponent for Thursday’s 5 p.m. sectional final on its home field.
The second-seeded Panthers will host top-seeded and second-ranked Jefferson (23-5) after it handed seventh-ranked Brodhead a 7-1 defeat in Wednesday’s sectional semifinal.
West Salem is looking for its first sectional title and 14th straight win. The Eagles have won three straight since a 3-0 loss to Poynette, which is also the last team to beat West Salem — 6-0 on April 26.
WIAA Division 4
Top-seeded Melrose-Mindoro (21-3) will play top-seeded Stevens Point Pacelli in a 5 p.m. sectional final at Necedah on Thursday.
The Mustangs advanced with a 7-4 win over Augusta on Monday, and the Cardinals (26-1) — ranked first in the state by coaches — qualified with a 3-0 victory over fourth-ranked Wisconsin Rapids Assumption on Wednesday.
