Wausau Pilot & Review
NIAGARA – The No. 10 seed Wausau Newman Catholic pulled off another road win the WIAA baseball playoffs as it defeated No. 2 Niagara 5-3 in a Division 4 regional semifinal Tuesday at Niagara High School.
The Cardinals (5-12) move on to a D-4 regional final at No. 3 seed Florence (12-4) on Wednesday. Florence beat Wausaukee 7-5 on Tuesday.
Newman Catholic scored three times in the first inning and added two more in the third, and made it hold up the rest of the way behind pitchers Carson Rice and James Bates.
Rice went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs and two hits with seven strikeouts, before giving way to Bates, who allowed just one baserunner in the final 1 2/3 innings to pick up the save.
Rice added two hits, Tyler Ackermann drove in two runs, and Jackson Varline and Jackson Pfender added RBI for the Cardinals.
Niagara finishes its season with an 11-8 record.
Cardinals 5, Badgers 3
Newman Catholic 302 000 0 – 5 6 3
Niagara 100 200 0 – 3 3 4
WP: Carson Rice. LP: Blake Holmes. SV: James Bates.
SO: Rice (5 1/3 inn.) 7, Bates (1 2/3 inn.) 1; B. Holmes (1/3 inn.) 0, Christian Hedmark (6 2/3 inn.) 9. BB: Rice 4, Bates 0; B. Holmes 3, Hedmark 3.
Top hitters: NC, Tyler Ackermann 1×4, 2 RBI; Rice 2×3; Eli Gustafson 2B; Jackson Varline 1×4, RBI; Jackson Pfender RBI. NIA, Hedmark 2 runs; Easton Holmes 2B, 2 RBI.
Records: Newman Catholic 5-12; Niagara 11-8.
