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Platteville Merchants finish summer season undefeated
pla dean
Plattevilles Zach Dean rips a two-run double to left centerfield in Fridays 140 victory at Lancaster. Dean with 3-for-3 in the game.

LANCASTER — Two days after four pitchers combined on a no-hitter in a 9–1 victory at Barneveld, the Platteville U18 baseball team closed out an undefeated summer season Friday at Lancaster with a 14–0 five-inning victory over the Arrows.

Ben Pluemer (3–0) allowed just two hits in four scoreless innings to earn his third win of the summer and he got plenty of run support.

Catcher Cam Brant, who also pitched a scoreless fifth inning to close out the win, went 3-for-3 with a double and a game-high five RBIs. Right fielder Zach Dean went 3-for-3 with a double and a pair of RBIs.

Second baseman Jake Niehaus was hit by a pitch to lead off the game. He promptly stole second and later score on a Pluemer sacrifice fly to make it 1–0. The Merchants never trailed again. Shortstop Nate Reuter and Pluemer drew back-to-back walks to lead off the third inning. Brant was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Third baseman Logan Ludlum grounded out to first base to drive in a run, then after first baseman Noah Johnston walked to reload the bases, Dean belted a two-run double to deep left centerfield to make it 4–0.

Austin Shaffer drove in another run on a ground out to make it 5–0. Brant added a bases clearing three-run double in Platteville’s six-run fifth inning.

Platteville drew 14 free passes in the game, 10 bases on balls and four hit by pitch. The Merchants also out hit the Arrows 8–2.

Last Wednesday, Garret Heer, Brant, Coleman Brecke and Ludlum combined on a no-hitter as Platteville defeated host Barneveld 9–1.

Heer (2–0) went four innings allowing one unearned run in the fourth inning on a pair of errors. Gordon reached on a two-out error by Brecke, then stole second and third and came in to score on a throwing error by Brant. But Platteville was already comfortably ahead 7–0 at the time and Barneveld managed just one base runner the rest of the game.

Heer struck out nine in four innings and walked just one to earn his second win of the summer. Brant stuck out one and walked one in the fifth inning. Brecke struck out the side in the sixth and Ludlum tossed a six-pitch 1-2-3 inning to close out the game.

Pluemer went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs and Brant went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Platteville offense.

Brant hit the Merchants only home run of the summer with a two-run blast over the centerfield fence in the top of the fifth inning to make it 9–1.

Pluemer had an RBI double in the first, an RBI single in the third and an RBI double in the fourth
Niehaus went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases and scored three runs. He also ripped a RBI double in the fourth that made it 6–0.

Platteville finished the summer league season 8–0 and outscored its opponents 105–10.

Platteville 9, Barneveld 1
(from Wednesday, July 12 @ Barneveld)
Platteville    201    420    0       —  9 12 3
Barneveld    000    100    0    —  1  0  3
Leading hitters — P: Jacob Niehaus 2x4, Ben Pluemer 3x4, Coleman Brecke 2x4, Cameron Brant 2x4. 2B — P: Pluemer 2, Niehaus. HR — P: Brant.
W — Garret Heer (2–0, 4IP, 0H, 1R, 0ER, 9K, 1BB). L — Matthew Fahey (2IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 1K, 0BB).

Platteville 14, Lancaster 0
(from Friday, July 14 @ Lancaster)
Platteville    104    36           —14  8  1
Lancaster    000    00        —  0  2  1
Leading hitters — P: Cameron Brant 3x3, Zach Dean 3x3. 2B — P: Brant, Dean.
W — Ben Pluemer (3–0, 4IP, 2H, 0R, 2K, 1BB). L — Noah Hromokda (1IP, 1H, 1R, 1ER,1K, 0BB).