LA CROSSE — Location, location, location.
That was Aquinas High School senior Aedan David’s focus while pitching in a WIAA Division 2 regional championship game against visiting Mosinee on Wednesday.
If David hit his spots, the second-seeded Blugolds had a good chance to qualify for their sixth consecutive sectional.
He did, and they did with an 8-0 victory over Mosinee at Lee Gilbert Field.
David shut out the Indians (15-10) on one hit to move Aquinas to a sectional semifinal against top-seeded Wisconsin Dells (20-5) on Tuesday.
Both semifinal games and ther championship game will be played at Altoona. Third-seeded Somerset and fifth-seeded Baldwin-Woodville play the first game at 10 a.m. before the Blugolds and Chiefs play at 1 p.m. The title game is scheduled for 4 p.m.
“I’m confident in my stuff,” David said. “It was about pounding the (strike) zone.
“When I pound the zone, if they get a hit they get a hit. Pound the lower zone and get the rollovers.”
The Indians got the best of David just once, and it was their only real chance at breaking up the shutout.
Aquinas made two early errors, but the first was wiped out with a double play and the second with a couple of ground ballas that produced outs.
David retired the side in order for the first time in the third before his only shaky inning.
He retired the first two batters of the fourth before Sebastian Andersen sent an 0-1 pitch to left field for a double. David walked the next two batters to load the bases,
But a grounder to Marcus Klar at third base led to an out at first and ended the scoreless inning with the Blugolds on top 4-0.
That was the first of 10 straight outs initiated by David, who struck out one batter in the fifth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
First baseman Landon Teachout, left fielder Ryan Johnson and designated hitter Cullen Swanson all had two hits for the Blugolds, who had eight hits and drew nine walks.
Shortstop Jonny Deets, center fielder Waylon Hargrove, Teachout and catcher Ethan Kamrowski drove in one run apiece, and Hargrove had two stolen bases.
Wisconsin Dells 2, Logan 1
WISCONSIN DELLS — The Rangers (16-11) had their season ended by the top-seeded Chiefs (20-5), who scored once in the first inning and once in the fourth.
Logan, which received four-hit pitching from Owen Check, broke up the shutout with a run in the top of the sixth.
The Rangers scored with the help of consecutive singles from third baseman Jackson Bosch, first baseman Jesse Lycke and right fielder Preston Elston.
Elston’s single to left scored Bosch and put runners on first and second with no outs.
But a batter’s interference and two strikeouts ended the inning and left Logan a run behind. The Rangers were retired in order in the seventh.
Elston was 2 for 2.
Check pitched a complete game and allowed one earned run on three walks and the four hits. He struck out seven.
