EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
Jared Baumgartner, P/DP, Wiota Home Talent League baseball team
Jared Baumgartner played the role of hero in Wiota's final Home Talent League game of the 2020 summer season and is this week's Mast Water Technology SWNews4U.com Athlete of the Week. Baumgartner lined a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the host Indians to a 5–4 walk off win over the Shullsburg–Benton Fever at Wiota Park on Sunday, Aug. 16.
Fever relief pitcher Jim Pavlik got the first Wiota batter of the ninth to ground out, however he hit Andy Cochran with a pitch and walked Barry Schliem to put the go-ahead run into scoring position. A wild pitch moved the runners up a base and took off any double-play opportunity, then Baumgartner calmly lined a single to left-center allowing Cochran to trot in for the winning run.
Baumgartner finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and the game-winning RBI, and Cernek drove in two runs for the Indians.