Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 6 Two late rallies propel Stratford to the D-3 title
December 20, 2019
Through four innings, it looked as if Markesan and the Hornets were in cruise control en route to the Division-3 state championship. But the Stratford dugout never relented. In the fifth frame, and from nothing, the Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie it when Riley Bauman single to center with two down. He’d repeatedly been clutch at the plate all tournament and this was just the latest evidence of that fact.
Chasing the deficit again in the top of the seventh Bauman sparked a rally with a two-out single that led to an enormous rally where eight-straight baserunners reached safely to give Stratford a 9-3 lead.
The PBR Wisconsin staff was on-site in the Fox Cities to watch this epic back-and-forth contest between two of the state’s best D-3 programs fight for the state title. Check out our reporting from on-site that day below.
D-3 CHAMPIONSHIP
Stratford – 9
Markesan – 4
After Markesan’s sophomore starter Bryce Leedle pitched over a bases-loaded jam in the first frame, he settled in, which allowed the Hornets behind him to score the first couple of runs of the game.
Max Stellmacher’s RBI single in the second gave the Hornets the first lead and a wild pitch in the third made it 2-0, all while Leedle looked to be in charge.
Stratford really had no answer for the sophomore righty through four innings, and Markesan’s 2-0 lead was holding firm. Then, from out of nowhere, the Tigers rallied and tied it in the fifth. They loaded the bases and, with two outs, yet another clutch Riley Bauman soft single to center helped the Tigers get on the board, getting level with the Hornets, 2-2.
Markesan had an answer, however, though it came with some help. With two outs and a runner on first, Sage Stellmacher grounded a ball softly to the left side of the infield. Stratford’s shortstop dove and fired it to first on a hop and the ball got away. The baserunner made his way to third and kept on going all the way home when he realized there was no one covering. The heads-up play gave Markesan back the lead with three outs to go.
In the sixth, and again with two outs, a walk brought Stratford’s Chandler Schmidt to the plate who barreled a line-drive to right, misjudged by the right fielder, landing just short of the right field fence, scoring the tying run.
After a 1-2-3 Markesan half-inning, Stratford looked like they were going to go the same way in the top of the seventh when Bauman – again – sparked a rally. His two-out single to right energized the Stratford dugout which led to a chain of eight straight baserunners reaching safely. Eli Drexler’s two-run single helped pad the lead and a few more hits after his made it a 9-3 ballgame with three outs to go.
Markesan scratched across one in the bottom of the seventh but, ultimately, that was all they could muster.
Stratford are state champions for the first time in their program’s history.
TOP-10 STORIES OF 2019
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 3 Webster goes back-to-back in undefeated season 12/31/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 2 Eau Claire North rallies to late, dramatic D-1 win 12/31/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 1 Lux's loud MLB debut brings more eyes to Wisconsin baseball 12/31/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 4 Binelas powers historic freshman season at Louisville 12/30/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 5 Antigo earns its first-ever state title in underdog run 12/23/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 6 Two late rallies propel Stratford to the D-3 title 12/20/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 7 Preble's Wagner earns state POTY honor 12/19/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 8 PBR at The Rock tournament success in year one 12/18/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 9 Vukovich slugs his way to MLB's derby final 12/17/19
- WI Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 10 Team Wisconsin with 12 commits already from the first-ever LakePoint trip 12/16/19