Posen?s split at Au Gres provides a huge swing of emotion

The Posen baseball went from experiencing the thrill of a comeback victory in game one of their double header at Au Gres to the agony of defeat all in the span of a few hours. Junior Brandon Hentkowski kept the Wolverines in check on the mound while waiting for the Posen?s bats to come alive. Au Gres took a 2-0 lead into the top of the sixth inning and were two outs from putting away the game when the Vikings started getting runners on and wreaking havoc on the base paths. Sophomore Nathan Strzelecki got the rally started with the second of two singles and then advanced to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run play by senior Willie Richards. Strzelecki would score on a passed ball to cut the Wolverines lead in half, while Richards advanced to third. He would later come in on the fielder?s choice by sophomore Nick Delekta.

WITH TWO OUTs, Posen kept it going as senior Apollo Schuch walked and freshman Aaron Romel reached base on an error. Hentkowski then screeched a line drive two-RBI single. That made the score 4-2 Posen. The Vikings would add two additional runs in the inning to go up by four. Au Gres would come back with one in the bottom of the sixth. The 6-3 final gave the Vikes their first North Star League win of the season. That victory also improved their overall record to 4-1. Hentkowski (2-0) went all six innings, striking out six. He allowed two walks, six hits, and one earned run.

Game two proved how quickly you can go from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other, as it was Au Gres? turn to play comeback baseball. Senior Dave Karschnick was pitching shutout ball and coach Pat Kowalski?s club was playing excellent baseball through five complete innings. The top of the sixth started well for Posen, as Romel reached base on an error, moved to third on a sacrifice and a stolen base. He then came home on a fielder?s choice. Three outs from a sweep, Posen could not put the finishing touches on the victory.