Wausau Pilot & Review
BOWLER – The No. 10 seeded Wausau Newman Catholic baseball team pulled off a first-round upset of No. 7 Bowler, rolling to an 8-2 win in a WIAA Division 4 regional quarterfinal on Thursday at Bowler High School.
Newman Catholic (4-12) moves on to a D-4 regional semifinal at No. 2 seed Niagara (11-7) on Tuesday.
Tyler Ackermann and Eli Gustafson each had three hits, with Gustafson driving in two runs as did Jackson Varline, as the Cardinals scored all of their runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings and never trailed.
Carson Rice struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings and James Bates got the final four outs to finish off the victory for Newman Catholic.
Cardinals 8, Panthers 2
Newman Catholic 003 320 0 – 8 10 1
Bowler 001 001 0 – 2 6 2
WP: Carson Rice. LP: Danian Schultz.
SO: Rice (5 2/3 inn.) 8, James Bates (1 1/3 inn.) 2; Schultz (4 inn.) 3, Beau Brunner (3 inn.) 0. BB: Rice 2, Bates 0; Schultz 2, Brunner 1.
Top hitters: NC, Tyler Ackermann 3×5, 3B, 2 runs, RBI; Rice 2×4, 2 runs, RBI; Eli Gustafson 3×5, 3B, 2 runs, 2 RBI; Jackson Varline 2 RBI; Lucas Pfiffner 1×4, RBI; Evan Groene 1×4, RBI. B, Brunner 3×4, 2B, RBI.
Records: Newman Catholic 4-12; Bowler 7-6.
