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Wiota wins two of three during busy week
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    WIOTA – One run separated the winners from the losers in three Home Talent League games this week for the Wiota baseball club.
    Wiota (5-4 overall) put its first notch in the victory column in Night League play with a 4-3 decision over Evansville at home on Thursday evening; then the Indians split a pair of one-run Sunday League games on the road over the weekend, falling to Blanchardville, 12-11 in a wild 12-inning affair on Saturday evening and bouncing back to edge Ridgeway, 3-2, less than 16 hours later to cap a busy week on the diamond.
    At Ridgeway, on Sunday, June 17, starter Taylor Wiegel allowed just two runs on two hits in eight strong innings of work, and Matt Keister’s RBI-single in the fifth held up as the game-winner as the third-place Indians took down the second-place Cardinals, 3-2, on Father’s Day.
    Wiota (4-2 in SL) jumped ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning on Jeff Solberg’s RBI-double, but the Cardinals (6-2) came right back with a run of their own in the second to tie the score.
    Wiota’s Nick Flannery drove in the go-ahead run in the fourth frame and Keister added his RBI-single in the fifth to give the guests a 3-1 advantage.
    Wiegel, who allowed just one earned run on two hits and nine walks and struck out six batters over the first eight innings, got into a little trouble after starting off the ninth with a walk and a hit batter.
    Kory Tuescher came on in relief and got the first Ridgeway batter he faced to ground into a fielder’s choice for the first out of the inning. The Cards plated a run on a double-steal to cut the deficit to 3-2 with the tying run in scoring position, but Tuescher coaxed a groundout to third and registered a strike out to save the victory for Wiegel and the Indians.
    Brad Schliem went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and a run to lead Wiota’s nine hit attack. Solberg also had two doubles in four at-bats with a RBI, and Jerry Doescher added a double for the Indians.
    At Blanchardville, on Saturday, June 16, Trevor Theobald doubled in the tying run and came around to score the winning run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 12th inning to lead the host Bullets over Wiota, 12-11, in a wild extra-inning affair as part of Blanchardville’s 51st annual Father’s Day Chicken Barbecue celebration.
    The Indians grabbed the lead from the Bullets (2-6) in the fourth, ninth, 10th, 11th and 12th frames, but they were unable to hang onto the lead for long as the hosts had an answer every time.
    Wiota scored four times in the top of the ninth to erase a 6-4 deficit and take an 8-6 lead, however the Bullets came right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the ninth to deadlock the score at eight all and force extra innings.
    The Indians plated single runs in the top half of the 10th and 11th stanzas, but the Bullets fired back with runs in the home half of each inning to keep the score knotted going into the 12th frame.
    Tommy Meier scored on an error in the top of the 12th to put Wiota ahead 11-10, but Theobald came through for the hosts in the bottom of the inning to end the marathon affair.
    Nick Flannery went 3-for-7 at the plate with three runs batted in and three runs scored after pounding out a home run and a pair of doubles to guide the Indians’ 14-hit attack, and he was also saddled with the loss on the hill in relief of Meier after allowing six runs over the final three and a third innings of the game.
    Kory Tuescher went 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI for Wiota, which stranded 16 runners on base over 12 innings. Brad Schliem and Jayson Haldiman (double) also added two hits for the Indians.
    At Wiota, on Thursday, June 14, Jason Boll drilled a RBI-double in the fourth inning and another in the sixth to power the Indians over Evansville, 4-3, for their first Night League win of the season.
    Boll gave the Indians a 2-1 lead in the fourth when he plated pinch runner Jake Meier with his first two-bagger, but the Jays plated two runs in the top of the fifth to rally for a 3-2 lead.
    Wiota scored the tying run on an error to start off the sixth, then Boll put the hosts ahead to stay when he drove in Matt Keister with his second two-base hit of the game.
    Wade Black tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the victory in relief for the Indians (1-2). Black allowed one unearned run on two hits and no walks with one strikeout over the final three innings.
    Wiota has another three-game week in store for them this week. The Indians head to Argyle for a Night League game on Thursday, June 21, starting at 7:30 p.m. Wiota returns home to host Platteville in a Sunday League game on Saturday, June 23, beginning at 1 p.m., and Monroe in another SL game on Sunday, June 24, also at 1 p.m.

SUNDAY LEAGUE
Wiota……… 100  110  000 - 3  9  1
Ridgeway… 010  000  001 - 2  2  0
Leading Hitters: Brad Schliem 4x5, Jeff Solberg 2x4. 2B- Schliem (2), Solberg (2) Jerry Doescher.
WP- Taylor Wiegel. LP- Peterson.

Wiota…………… 001 300 004 111 - 11  14  0
Blanchardville… 101 001 302 112 - 12  14  2
Leading Hitters: Kory Tuescher 3x4, Nick Flannery 3x7, Brad Schliem 2x3, Jayson Haldiman 2x4. HR- Flannery. 2B- Flannery (2), Tuescher, Haldiman.
WP- McKeon. LP- Nick Flannery.

NIGHT LEAGUE
Evansville… 000  120  0 - 3  4  5
Wiota…........ 010  102  x - 4  4  2
Leading Hitters: Jason Boll 2x2. 2B- Boll (2).
WP- Wade Black. LP- Rasmussen.