Wildcat baseball has set themselves up for an exciting final week of the regular season, after taking a 6-5 victory Tuesday over Coldspring. Two more wins would earn the team a district championship.
Onalaska got on the board first in the top of the third, as Collin Vann singled. A wild pitch, then sacrifice fly by Ty Phillips would push Vann to third. Blaine Delacerda drove him in with a sac fly of his own. A base hit from Pat Roth got a second run in, and Luke Field reached by error, allowing a third to score in the inning.
Coldspring answered in the bottom half, when Brayden Sherman singled and James Clark produced a run on a bunt that was thrown away. Ethan Hamilton then singled to plate a second run.
In the top half of the fourth, Onalaska doubled their lead as Wyatt Reyes doubled, Vann reached by error and Delacerda connected on an RBI-single.
Coldspring again had an answer. Kaden Hubbard, McCall Hilton and Sherman all singled to load the bases. A wild pitch scored a run and Jacoby Johnson walked to load them again.
A sacrifice bunt from Clark tied the game at four apiece. Onalaska retook the lead in their next chance. Trip Teel singled and Roth sacrificed him over with the bunt. A double from Field put the Wildcats in front, 5-4.
Extending their lead in the seventh would be important, as Roth doubled and Jake Gibson did the same to drive him in.
Coldspring threatened in the last half of the seventh, when Johnson bunted his way on. Clark reached by infield single and a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. A sacrifice fly from Hamilton got one in to make it 6-5. A sacrifice grounder from Wade Currie got the tying run the third base.
Dillon Jennings, who threw all seven innings for Onalaska, got a strikeout to escape with the road win. It is an important victory, as the school is now guaranteed the top division 1 seed. Also, Anderson-Shiro, the top division 2 school, took a loss Tuesday, meaning next week’s contest between the Wildcats and Owls could break a tie for an outright district title.
