Kaukauna stuns Appleton Doubledays in Class AAA Legion baseball regional opener
By Dustin Riese
For AppletonSportsPage.com
APPLETON – Riding an 11-game winning streak into American Legion regional play, the Appleton Doubledays (12-3) came into Wednesday’s opening game against the Kaukauna Angels with a ton of confidence.
The Doubledays hadn’t lost a game since early in the season and already posted two victories against Kaukauna earlier in this summer by a combined score of 39-2.
Thins were much different a third time around. There is an old saying that it is hard to beat a team three times in one season and Kaukauna lived by that phrase as it jumped on the Doubledays early and rode it to an 8-2 victory at Don Hawkins Field at Appleton Legion Post 38.
“Great outing by Owen Jenkins today,” Doubledays head coach JP Prestiagiacomo said. “Good pitching beats good hitting every time and that was again the case today.”
Jenkins, Kaukauna’s hard-throwing lefty, pitched into the sixth, allowing two runs and striking out four, while the Doubledays and their pitching staff had their struggles from the start.
Mac Kramer allowed four runs, three earning, on six hits in just 2 2/3 innings as he struggled with command for Appleton.
That included a pair of runs in both the second and third innings as the Angels opened up an early 4-0 lead through three. Although runs were a struggle most of the game, Appleton did have the pressure on in each of the first few innings only to come up empty handed. The second inning was a prime example of that as Dan Dieck and Brandon Tobak opened things up with a pair of singles before Dawsen Burington walked, loading the bases with two outs.
Unfortunately for the Doubledays, they were unable to do anything with that scoring chance as Jenkins got out of the inning with a massive strikeout of Cade Prestigiacomo. Trailing 4-0 in the fourth, it was the Doubledays threatening once again as one-out singles from Josiah Robbert and TJ Parker set the offense up only to be turned away by Jenkins again.
After taking over for Kramer in the third, Robbert finished his outing with four strikeouts to keep his team in the game. That proved essential once the sixth inning rolled around with Tobak picking up a single to lead things off before advancing to second on another walk. The key to this inning was a bunt from Parker to move both runners up as Burington delivered an RBI groundout on the next play to pull the Doubledays within 4-2.
The Doubledays were still alive with one inning to go only to see Kaukauna push across four runs to break things open.
Three errors led to three runs coming home to push the Angels’ lead to 7-2. Kaden Kress singled, driving home the fourth and final run of the inning as the Angels to provide the final 8-2 score.
The Doubledays were led by Lincoln Thede at the plate as he came away with two hits and two walks to reach base all four times. Tobak also added two hits for the Doubledays (12-3).
Appleton will take on Neenah in an elimination game at 3 p.m. Thursday. Kaukauna (8-10) will play Sheboygan at 5:30 p.m., followed by Appleton Post 38 and Manitowoc at 8 p.m.
Angels 8, Doubledays 2
Kaukauna 022 000 4 – 8 9 0
Appleton 000 002 0 – 2 8 4
WP: Owen Jenkins. LP: Mac Kramer.
SO: Jenkins (5 1/3 inn.) 4, Kress (1 2/3 inn.) 4; Kramer (2 2/3 inn.) 2, Josiah Robbert (4 inn.) 0, T.J. Paker (1/3 inn.) 0. BB: Jenkins 4, Kress 1; Kramer 3, Robbert 2, Parker 0.
Top hitters: K, Kress 2×5, 2B, RBI; Reardon 2×4; Ebben 2×4, 2 runs, 2 RBI. A, Lincoln Thede 2×2, 2B; Brandon Tobak 2×4.
Records: Kaukauna 8-10; Appleton 12-3.
Class AAA American Legion Baseball Regional
July 23-26, at Don Hawkins Field, Appleton
Wednesday, July 24
Game 1: Kaukauna 8, Appleton Double Days 2
Game 2: Manitowoc 6, Neenah 2
Game 3: Appleton Post 38 11, Sheboygan 2
Thursday, July 25
Game 4: Appleton Double Days vs. Neenah, 3 p.m.
*Game 5: Kaukauna vs. Sheboygan, 5:30 p.m.
Game 6: Manitowoc vs. Appleton Post 38, 8 p.m.
*If Winner of Game 1 wins Game 5 schedule is as follows:
Friday, July 26
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 5:30 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 27
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 5:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 10 vs. Loser Game 10 if Loser of Game 10 suffered first loss of tournament, 8 p.m.
*If Loser of Game 3 wins Game 5 schedule is as follows:
Friday, July 26
Game 7: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 5:30 p.m.
Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 8 p.m.
If Winner of Game 6 wins Game 9:
Saturday, July 27
Game 10: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 8, 5:30 p.m.
Game 11: Repeat if Winner Game 8 wins Game 10, 8 p.m.
If Winner of Game 6 loses Game 9:
Game 10: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9, 5:30 p.m.
Game 11: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 8 p.m.