The Onalaska Wildcats traveled west to play in the 48th annual Weimar Baseball Tournament at Veterans Park. The Wildcats were a force over the weekend, going 4-0 and outscoring their opponents 62-13.
Game 1 of the tournament was Thursday against the Snook Blue Jays. The Wildcats made quick work of the Blue Jays, 26-1. In the top of the first, Snook got two hits and scored a run on a wild pitch, putting them up 1-0.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Wildcats came out hot, getting back-to-back singles. After a couple of wild pitches, a couple of passed balls, and a walk, the score was 2-1 Onalaska. With a runner on second and no outs, Wildcat catcher Thad Lilley, turned on a fastball, blasting a two-run homerun over the wall in left field. Things only got worse for the Blue Jays committing five errors, walking five, a hit by pitch and allowing seven hits in the first inning. After the inning, the score was 16-1 Onalaska.
Wildcat starting pitcher, Jarrett Purkerson, an “immaculate inning,” a nine-pitch inning. According to MLB.com, the “immaculate inning” only occurred 60 times in Major League Baseball from 1876 to 2009. That’s roughly once every 35,700 innings pitched.
Snook got two quick outs to start the bottom of the second inning, but the Wildcats rallied, getting five H, five walks, and three hit batters to score 10 more runs before time expired.
Wyatt Reyes went 4-for-4 with a triple, four RBIs and three runs. Lilley was 2-for-3 with a home run, 3 RBIs, and two runs. Brayden Topkins went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and three runs.
Game 2 was against the Black Gold 47s from the Alberta, Canada area. They traveled over 2,000 miles to play this weekend. The Wildcats had to come from behind to beat the 47s, 13-5.
Reyes led off the game with a single, then promptly stole second base and scored on a single by Jake Gibson, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. Lilley started on the bump for Onalaska. He had trouble finding the strike zone and allowed the 47s to score two runs in the bottom of the first on two walks, a single, and a hit by pitch.
Patrick Roth drew a walk to start the bottom of the second inning. He went from first to third on a pickoff attempt, then tied the game 2-2 on a sac fly to right field by Purkerson.
In the bottom of the inning, Lilley continued to struggle on the mound for the Wildcats, allowing the Black Gold 47s to score three more runs, taking a 5-2 lead.
In the third, Lilley singled and scored on a passed ball and Topkins scored on an RBI-double by Purkerson. After three innings, the Wildcats trailed, 5-4.
Onalaska bats erupted in the fourth. Reyes singled, Gibson walked, Blaine De La Cerda singled to load the bases for Lilley. He smashed a double to left-center, scoring two runs. Topkins and Roth each drove in a run, increasing the lead to 8-5. Jerry Pinkert picked up his first two RBIs of the season on a single up the middle. Gibson drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Wildcats an 11-5 lead. De La Cerda hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring another run. Lilley picked up his third RBI of the inning on a single to left, giving the Wildcats a 13-5 lead. Purkerson shut down the 47s in the bottom of the inning to pick up his second win of the day in the 13-5 victory.
The Wildcats continued to punish the baseball in their third game of the tournament Friday night against the Lexington Eagles, winning 9-4. Lexington started off the game with back-to-back triples and a fielder’s choice to take the early lead, 2-0.
Reyes started the things off for the Wildcats with a stand-up double, then scored on a single to center by Gibson. Lilley doubled to right-center, scoring Gibson from first and tying the game. The Wildcats scored two more runs on throwing errors, giving Onalaska the lead, 4-2.
They picked up three more runs in the second inning on a balk, sacrifice, and an error.
In the third inning with Reyes on second and Gibson on first, Reyes stole third on a double steal, then scored on a passed ball to make it 8-2 Wildcats. Lilley led off the fourth inning with a double and scored on an RBI-single by Topkins, giving the Wildcats a 9-2 lead.
Lexington threatened Onalaska’s lead in the bottom half of the inning. A triple and an error with two outs and a runner on base allowed the Eagles to score two runs, but that’s all they could muster. Reyes went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, Lilley went 2-for-2 with two doubles , a walk, an RBI and three runs, Topkins picked up the win in his first start of the year, throwing four innings, allowing only two runs on three hits and struck out one.
Onalaska played the Black Gold 47s again for their fourth game Saturday morning and their offense didn’t slow down, beating the group from Canada 14-3. The Wildcats got on the board in the bottom of the first, when Reyes scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Topkins.
It stayed 1-0 until the bottom of the third. Roth singled, stole second, and scored on an RBI-single by Lilley. Topkins doubled to score Lilley for a 3-0 Onalaska advantage. Consecutive bases-loaded walks for Pinkert and Conner Ruiz pushed two runs in. Two more runs scored on an error by the 47s for a 7-0 score.
In the fourth inning, Ruiz hit a single to left field scoring two runs. Gibson smashed a triple to right, clearing the bases at 12-0 Onalaska. Roth singled to score Gibson, then Lilley singled to score Roth, making it 14-0 Onalaska. The 47s managed three runs the fifth, but a fly ball to Ruiz in center ended the game.
Roth threw four innings, allowing only one hit, no runs, no walks and three strikeouts. Roth also went 2-for-2 with two walks at the plate, collecting an RBI and a run. Topkins went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.
“We barreled up some baseballs this weekend,” Onalaska head coach, Cody Pinkert said. “I was very happy with what the team did offensively.”
Wyatt Reyes and Thad Lilley were offensive juggernauts over the weekend, hitting a combined 19-for-26 with five doubles, a triple, a home run, 19 runs, 13 RBIs and eight stolen bases. Jarrett Purkerson (2), Patrick Roth, and Brayden Topkins picked up wins for the Wildcats.
Next up, Onalaska plays in Little Cypress-Mauriceville Monday night and at home against the Corrigan Bulldogs Tuesday.
