RIDGEWAY – Two days before the MLB held its own Home Run Derby, Wiota shortstop Merrill Brunson put on a power-hitting display of his own in the Home Talent League by smashing three home runs and driving in seven to power the visiting Indians over Ridgeway, 13-10, in Western Section South Division Sunday League baseball game held on Saturday, July 7.
    Brunson connected on long balls in each of his first three at-bats to send the Indians (8-4 SL) out to an early 13-3 lead on the Cardinals (7-6). He clobbered a solo home run in Wiota’s three-run first, and then bashed a three-run shot in the Indians’ six-run second stanza before adding another three-run blast in the four-run third to put the guests ahead by 10.
    Brunson finished 4-for-5 at the plate on the day to lead the Indians’ 15-hit attack.
    Ridgeway sliced the deficit in half with a five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the hosts made things interesting by plating two more runs in the ninth to trim the gap to 13-10.
    Reliever Tommy Meier secured the final out before the Cards could get any closer to preserve the victory for starter Jesse Sturtz (3-0), who gave up eight runs on 15 hits and four walks while striking out seven batters over six and two-thirds innings on the mound.
    Sturtz also went 3-for-5 with a double to aid his own cause. Rooney Janecke was 4-for-6 with three RBI, while Mitch Marty went 2-for-4 for the Indians.
    Casey Schroeder hit a home run for Wiota, and Tyler Torstenson-Harris drilled a double in the win.
    At Wiota, on Tuesday, July 4, the host Indians couldn’t come up with the key blast they needed on the 4th of July as the Dodgeville Knights topped the South Division leaders by a score of 6-3.
    Wiota stranded 12 runners on base in the game and managed just single runs in the third, eighth and ninth innings off a pair of Dodgeville pitchers.
    The Knights (5-7) took the lead with a three-run rally in the fifth inning, and then added three more runs in the top of the ninth on an error and two passed balls. Jordan Larson singled in two runs in the fifth inning and scored in both the fifth and ninth to lead the guests.
    Merrill Brunson ripped a RBI-double in the third for Wiota, while Tyler Torstenson-Harris added a RBI-double in the eighth to cut the deficit to 3-2 at the time.
    In the bottom of the ninth, the Indians loaded the bases with no outs to bring the tying run to the plate, but they could only push one run across the plate before the Knights secured the final out.
    Rooney Janecke went 3-for-3 on the day to lead Wiota’s 11-hit effort. Torstenson-Harris and Jayson Haldiman each added two hits for the Indians.
    Ben Conway (2-1) struck out six batters over eight and two-thirds innings in the loss.
    Wiota (10-7 overall) has a pair of dates at Argyle’s Veterans Park over the next week, facing the Beavers in a Night League game on Thursday, July 13, at 7:30 p.m. and then again in Sunday League affair on Saturday, July 15, at 4 p.m.

HTL SUNDAY LEAGUE
Wiota……… 364  000  000 – 13  15  2
Ridgeway… 120  005  002 – 10  19  2
Leading Hitters: W– Mitch Marty 2x4, Rooney Janecke 4x6, Merrill Brunson 4x5, Jesse Sturtz 3x5. HR– Brunson (3), Casey Schroeder. 2B– Sturtz, Tyler Torstenson-Harris.
WP- Sturtz. LP- Heinemeyer.
At Ridgeway, on Saturday, July 7

Dodgeville… 000  030  003 – 6  13  1
Wiota………. 001  000  011 – 3  11  3
Leading Hitters: D– Jones 2x5, A. Larson 2x5, J. Larson 2x5, Sullivan 2x5, Olson 2x4, Simmons 2x5. 2B– A. Larson. W– Rooney Janecke 3x3, Jayson Haldiman 2x5, Tyler Torstenson-Harris 2x4. 2B– Merrill Brunson, Torstenson-Harris.
WP- A. Larson. LP- Ben Conway.
At Wiota, on Tuesday, July 4