Missed early chances cost St. Croix Central at state baseball tournament

Missed early chances doomed the St. Croix Central baseball team in its first trip to the WIAA State Baseball Championships.

The Panthers faced Marathon in the Division 3 state semifinals at Fox Valley Stadium in Appleton on Wednesday. Marathon defeated Central 7-2 to advance to Thursday’s WIAA Division 3 state championship game.

Central had several excellent scoring chances in the early stages of the game. Each time, Marathon pitcher David Schreier was able to wiggle out of trouble. Central left five runners on base in the first three innings, coming out of those innings scoreless.

Marathon scored the first run of the game in the third inning on a throwing error by Central third baseman Mike Winkler.

The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning. Marathon scored three times in the fifth inning, then added three more in the sixth inning.

Central scored its only runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Luke Brown and Andrew Erickson led off the sixth with walks. Central’s first run scored on a groundout by Michael Tilton. Noah Bollom drove home the second run with a sharp single to leftfield.

The Panthers end their 2008 season with an 18-6 record.

Tags: croix, central, wiaa, state, baseball