By Bud Milroy
Sports Correspondent
High school’s “second season” started Tuesday – a switch the Catholic Central High School baseball team was ready to see.
The Hilltoppers won their opening-round playoff game Tuesday evening at Beaumont Field, downing Williams Bay 6-0 in a game shortened to six innings due to rain.
“We’ve been pointing to this all season. We’ve struggled at times this season, but I believe that this team has what it takes to go deep in the playoffs,” said CCHS coach Tom O’Connell. “Tonight we started slowly, a little too aggressive at the plate early, but we were steady in our approaches and finally got thing going.”
The Hilltoppers were held in check by Williams Bay right-handed Jake Sutter, who held Catholic Central to just one hit over the first five innings. However, CCHS took advantage of a pair of walks and an error in the fifth to score a pair of runs.
In the sixth, Catholic Central finally got to Sutter. Zach Mehring led off the inning with a solid single to right field, and Kross Krueger had a walk. Nolan Girard then delivered a single to score Mehring and Krueger to third – and then took second on the throw to the plate.
One out later, Aaron Sobber squeezed in a run and reached on a bunt single. Sobbe then stolen second base, and Jake Kaider lined a single to left field to score both runners.
Krueger starred for Catholic Central on the mound. The sophomore right-hander went the distance to earn the victory, yielding just five base hits and striking out five. Sobbe finished with a pair of hits and scored two runs to lead the offense.
Next up for Catholic Central will be Black Hawk at Black Hawk Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
The top-seeded Blackhawks defeated Albany 8-6 Wednesday afternoon. That game had been postponed because of Tuesday’s storms.
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