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WIAA State Finals: Day Three Recaps

June 15, 2023
By: Isaiah Glidden & Maddox Durst
Wisconsin Staff

After a rainy Tuesday, the Division 3 Semifinal matchups were moved to Wednesday morning, pushing the Division 1 and 2 Semifinals back. Despite this scheduling conflict, all six games at Fox Cities Stadium were able to be played, featuring multiple highlights as six teams punched their ticket to Thursday's Championship Games. 

Run-rule victories were the story of the day, as four of the six games ended in short-game fashion. The nightcap featured the most competitive game of the day, as the WIAA season continues to wind down. Below are the game summaries from all six battles in Wednesday's slate of action. 

SAINT CROIX FALLS VS KIEL

In the first game of the six-game slate, the Saints of Saint Croix Falls, who obtained a 25-3 record up until this point, took on the 24-2 Kiel Raiders. 

While in the first inning, the pitching for both teams held the opposition quiet, in the second it was the Saints who got on the board first courtesy of an error from the Raider defense. This was followed up by a huge two-RBI double from OF Tyler Olson (2023) that put Saint Croix Falls up by three early on. 

The Saints’ offense did not stop there as they exploded for yet another three-run inning in the third. Getting things started was RHP/INF Brayden Olson (2023; Purdue) who launched a solo shot over the left-field wall. This was followed up by an inside-the-park homerun from 1B Brady Belisle (2023; Augustana-football) to cushion their lead to five. Rounding out the inning was Tyler Olson who brought home another run on a RBI single.

Following their hot start, the Saints’ lineup was held scoreless, that was until the sixth when Belisle struck again with a three-RBI triple. This was followed up with a RBI groundout from C Nolan Imhoff (2023) which gave Saint Croix Falls their 10th run. 

The aforementioned Brayden Olson would then come out for his sixth and final inning, and held the opposition scoreless. In his start, Olson was once again dominant, as he struck out 12 batters and allowed just four hits to earn the win. 

With the win, Saint Croix Falls advanced to their second straight D3 Title Game appearance, and will face a tough Aquinas squad, more on their win below.

RANDOM LAKE VS AQUINAS

The second Division 3 Semifinal of the morning went down between Random Lake and Aquinas, as the Blugolds entered the tournament with a 23-2 overall record. 

RHP Matty Merlo (2023) toed the rubber for the Rams, going up against RHP Tanner Peterson (2024), as each pitcher had a high amount of success during the regular season. 

It was Peterson who highlighted the morning though, as the right-hander shut out Random Lake for six innings, twirling a one-hitter in the process.

The Blugolds’ offense helped out as well, accumulating 10 runs in the run-rule victory over the Rams. SS Eddie Peters (2024; Xavier commit) finished 4-for-4 from the cleanup spot, including an RBI double in the first inning. 

Peterson was able to help himself out and begin to expand the Aquinas lead, sending a two-run home run over the left field wall to give the Blugolds a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning. 

After knocking Merlo out of the game, Aquinas erupted for four runs in the fifth frame, putting this game away during the final few innings. After a leadoff single from Peters, the junior came around to score on a wild pitch. Then, with the bases loaded, INF Ben Corsi (2023) singled and plated two runs, expanding the lead to 9-0 after five innings. 

The Blugolds would add one more run in the sixth inning to walk it off in run-rule fashion, as they gave Peterson more than enough cushion on the mound to get the win. In his one-hit effort, Peterson walked four batters and struck out six, advancing Aquinas to the Division 3 Championship Game with a 10-0 win. They will battle against the aforementioned St. Croix Falls Saints, as both teams won their Semifinal matchups in short-game fashion.

ST. THOMAS MORE VS ALTOONA

In the first D2 game of the day, it was the Cavaliers, who entered the tournament with a 26-2 record, who came out on top, due to some dominant performances on both sides of the ball. 

Offensively, 3B Oliver Gonzalez (2024) led the way for St. Thomas More and he got things going in the first with a RBI single to right field. In the second, he recorded his second single of the game, this time driving in two, which helped the Cavaliers jump out to 5-0 lead in the second inning. 

The Olivo duo were also responsible for impressive days, starting with RHP/INF Kyle Alivo (2024; Iowa) who was the winning pitcher in this one. Across his five inning, complete game effort, Alivo punched out seven batters and scattered just three hits en route to the win. At the plate, he also tallied two hits, a double and a single, to drive in one run, too.

As for his younger brother, 2B Brayden Alivo (2026) he was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, and was just a home run shy of the cycle. He finished his illustrious day with one RBI and two runs scored as well. 

Rounding out the offensive efforts for the Cavaliers was SS Alex Alicea (2023; Louisville), OF/RHP Manuel Sostre (2025), and OF Bennett Karolewicz (2024) who each logged two-single performances, while also driving in a combined five runs. 

After this dominant win, St. Thomas More looks to their D2 Championship bout with back-to-back State Champions in Denmark.

DENMARK VS JEFFERSON

The headlines were notable and clear in this one, as Denmark and Jefferson met for the third straight year at Fox Cities Stadium in the WIAA State Tournament. Instead of battling in the title game though, these two foes played each other in the Semifinals, as the Eagles looked to defeat the Vikings for the first time in three years.

It was a slow start for both offenses in the first few frames, as RHP Lucas Miller (Denmark, 2023; Wisconsin-Whitewater) and Tyler Schroedl (Jefferson, 2024) found themselves in a pitcher’s duel.  

Denmark was able to break the scoreless tie in the sixth inning though, as the experienced Vikings exploded for six runs to blow this game open. OF Ethan Ovsak (2023) and Miller provided RBI base hits, as the bottom of the order was able to reach base to set the table for Denmark’s top producers. 

Miller, the son of the legendary head coach of the Vikings, Bill Miller, entered the State Tournament with video-game numbers as a two-way prospect. The Wisconsin-Whitewater commit was 11-0 on the mound before picking up another win this evening, and hitting .542 at the plate. He was once again a two-way spark for this Denmark team, reflecting his career and season as a Viking. 

RHP Jaycob Dittmer (2024) closed it out for Denmark, as the right-hander completed the shutout after Miller pitched the first 5.2 innings. The Vikings’ offense used that six-run sixth inning and seven errors from Jefferson to earn the 7-0 win over the Eagles, who was eliminated by Denmark for the third straight season.

The Vikings look to three-peat as Division 2 Champions for the first time in the WIAA since Rob Hamilton and Sun Prairie did so between the 2012-14 seasons. They will face St. Thomas More, who currently holds an undefeated record over Division 2 competition. 

WHITEFISH BAY VS STEVENS POINT

In the first Division 1 Semifinal matchup of the evening session, it was all Whitefish Bay in a run-rule victory, as the Blue Dukes dominated Stevens Point from the start. 

It began with MIF Jack Counsell (2023; Michigan), who emerged as the table-setter at the top of the lineup for Whitefish Bay. MIF JD Dix (2024; Alabama commit) drove him in to highlight a four-run first inning, as the No. 6 player in the nation’s 2024 class doubled to the opposite field to get the Blue Dukes the lead. 

During the second frame, Counsell was at it once again, as the senior singled and advanced to third on a Dix single. Then, 1B Austin Wienke (2023; Marshall commit), pulled a fastball to left field, scoring Counsell. 

To highlight the second inning, UTIL Benjamin Volpe (2024) highlighted the five-run frame with a two-RBI single with the bases loaded. That base hit was followed by another RBI single, thos one coming from C Benjamin Van Bell (2024). Whitefish Bay added on one more run in the third inning, extending their lead to 10-0 after three innings. 

The aforementioned Wienke continued to produce at the plate, as the righty launched a three-run home run to left field in the fourth inning, accumulating his fourth hit in as many at bats. The Marshall commit finished with a 4-for-5 line, leading the team in RBIs with five.

Counsell chipped in four hits, along with a three-hit day from OF Charlie McIntyre (2026) summarized the electric offensive showing for the Blue Dukes in this Semifinal battle, as Whitefish Bay went on to win 17-0. 

The Panthers were handed their second loss of the season, as the No. 1 seed in the Division 1 field struggled to score runs, and couldn’t slow down this Blue Dukes’ offense. 

RHP Alex Brodersen (2024) worked out of jams all evening, holding a strong Panthers offense to zero runs in five innings of work, despite only striking out one batter. The junior earned the victory, and used 20 hits from the offense to advance Whitefish Bay to the Division 1 Championship Game. 

HORTONVILLE VS FRANKLIN

In the nightcap, the Hortonville Polar Bears took on a talented Franklin squad which shaped up to be one of the premier matchups of the entire week. 

It was the Sabers who got on the board first, courtesy of a no-doubt home run from OF Alex Mierow (2023) that put Franklin up by one early. 

This was the only mistake RHP Nate Vela (2023; Winona State) would make in his complete game start. Across his seven innings, Vela was lights out as he struck out 10 batters, and scattered just two hits to earn the win. 

As for the offense, they got off to a sluggish start, but in the fifth, 3B Brett Sommer (2023; Wisconsin-Whitewater) ripped a line drive to the wall in left that he legged out for a triple. Following this, SS Camden Kuhnke (2023; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) beat out an infield single that brought home Sommer and tied the game up at one apiece.

The Polar Bears did not stop there. After singles from OF Joe Fischer (2023; McHenry County JC) and C Turner Kuhnke (2025), OF/RHP Thomas Burns (2023; Arizona State) delivered a single of his own that brought home two more runs, giving Hortonville the lead. With two runners still on, DH/C/OF Nathan Grams (2024) ripped a single that brought home the fourth run of the inning for the Polar Bears. 

That’s all Vela needed in this one, as he used a solid lead, paired with an electric crowd to limit Franklin to just one run on the evening, earning the 4-1 win. 

With the victory, Hortonville advances to their first title game since 1998, where they’ll face the aforementioned Whitefish Bay Blue Dukes in the Division 1 Championship Game. 

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