Prep Baseball Report

Waupun's Bronkhorst shuts down Jefferson for the D-2 title


By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – It’s redemption for Waupun after finishing as runners-up in last year’s Division-2 title game. The Warriors were led by two excellent performances, one at the plate and one on the mound, to carry them across the finish line in their 4-0 win over Jefferson. The Warriors are now two-time State champs, winners for the first time since 2007.

Starter Caden Bronkhorst’s effort on the mound cannot be overstated. After shutting the door in his team’s win over Ellsworth yesterday, Bronkhorst threw six-plus shutout innings against Jefferson on Thursday, a team that scored 14 runs and tallied an 11-run inning just the day before in their semifinals game with Mosinee. Bronkhorst kept those powerful bats holstered, finishing his start without having allowed a run in 6.2 innings, and he gave up just four hits, two walks, and he struck out nine Eagles, too.

On offense, Waupun scored one in the first to give Bronkhorst some room to breathe early. Caleb Sauer slugged a two-out single into left to score lead-off man Jak Lenz from second. In the third, Lenz doubled to the right-center gap to plate Waupun’s second run of the game. And again in the fifth, Lenz ripped another double, this time over the head of Jefferson’s left fielder to score his team’s third run. The Warriors added another run in the inning on an error by the Eagles’ pitcher on a throw down to first.

Bronkhorst returned to the mound in the sixth and further dashed Jefferson’s hopes with a clean inning, setting the Eagles down in order. Then, in the seventh, the junior dialed into an extra gear and struck out the first two batters. Jefferson found some fight here, after Bronkhorst plunked the Eagles’ Nick Hauser with a pitch. A single and a walk followed to load the bases, forcing Bronkhorst to be relieved after reaching the pitch count restriction. Sophomore reliever Vaughn Williston took the mound and got the first batter he faced to fly out to left to clinch the D-2 title victory.

The loss ends a hugely successful season for Jefferson, a team that won 19 games and was co-champ of the Rock Valley Conference. The Eagles still have plenty of reasons to be immensely proud of what they accomplished this spring.

For Waupun, it’s a satisfying conclusion for a great number of seniors in their dugout, like Brenden Bille, Sauer, Lenz, and Bryce Burmania, among others. But, you can expect Waupun to be in the running for a third straight State berth in 2019, seeing as a number of the key contributors on this year’s team, like sophomores Baron and Jarrett Buchholz, as well as today’s starter and winner, the junior Bronkhorst, will return to defend their crown.

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