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Platteville Merchants end U18 Babe Ruth season with loss to Fennimore
Merchants finish 412
merchants team
Members of this years Platteville Merchants U18 Babe Ruth Baseball team were (front, from left) Nate Osterholz, Dalton Banfield, Cameron Brant, Brandon Brant, Avery Johnson, Josh Reuter, (back) Shayden Behlke, Ashton Mathias, Mitch Knockel, Blake Noel, Spencer Johnston and Jason Withrow. Missing from the picture was Matt Lambert. The Merchants finished their summer season with an overall record of 412.

The Platteville Merchants U18 baseball team wrapped up its summer season with a 7–4 nine-inning loss to visiting Fennimore last Wednesday night.
Fennimore scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 5–4 lead and never trailed again.
The Golden Eagles added single runs in the seventh and eighth to pull away while Fennimore’s Chris Andrews held Platteville scoreless the final four innings to earn the complete game victory.
The two teams agreed to play a full nine-inning game as opposed to the usual two five-inning games that has been customary for the Merchants during the summer.
With the loss, Platteville finished the summer season with a record of 4–12.
Andrews needed 116 pitches to get through all nine innings despite surrendering 14 hits. Andrews allowed four runs, but just two earned, while striking out five and walking two.
Platteville’s Blake Noel (1–1) took the loss, allowing five runs, one earned, on six hits in 52/3 innings of work. Noel struck out seven and walked three.
Fennimore took a quick 1–0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Jeff Needham.
The Merchants broke through with three runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead.
Josh Reuter gave Platteville a 2–1 lead with two-run single to right field, plating Jason Withrow and Brandon Brant.
Four pitches later Mitch Knockel lined a single to left field to score Matt Lambert.
Fennimore pulled within a run a half inning later on a sacrifice fly by Zenz.
Platteville answered in the fifth with a Lambert RBI single to score Brant to make it 4–2, but that was the last run the Merchants could produce against Andrews.
In the sixth, Fennimore scored three unearned runs to take the lead. Needham reached on an error to begin the inning. After Jay Needham singled, Noel struck out Kartman then induced a fly out to left field and was poised to get out of the jam, but Zenz ripped a two-out RBI single to center fielder to score Brett Needham.
Noel walked back-to-back batters to tie the game at 4–4.
Fennimore took the lead two pitches later when Williams reached on an infield error allowing Zenz to score.
Reuter came on in relief of Noel and got out of the bases loaded jam without further damage.
Fennimore added a run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly and another in the eighth on an RBI ground out.
Platteville’s Brandon Brant went 2-for-5 in the game and scored a pair of runs.
Lambert (2-for-4), Reuter (2-for-5) and Knockel (2-for-5) each had two hits and an RBI for the Merchants in defeat.
Jason Withrow and Shayden Behlke each went 2-for-4 as well.

Fennimore 7, Platteville 4
(from Wednesday, July 16 at Platteville)
Fennimore    100    103    110    — 7   9  3
Platteville    003    010    000     — 4 14  3
Leading hitters — F: Brett Needham 2x4, Jay Needham 2x4, Zenz 2x3; P: Brandon Brant 2x5, Josh Reuter 2x4, Matt Lambert 2x4, Mitch Knockel 2x5, Shayden Behlke 2x4, Jason Withrow 2x4. W — Andrews (9 IP, 14 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB). L — Blake Noel (1–1, 5.2 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 1 ER, 7 SO, 3 BB).