Several area baseball teams are headed to Tuesday's sectional around after winning their regionals on Thursday.
In Division 1, #4 Waunakee will play at #1 La Crosse Central after winning 16-2 over #5 Onalaska. On the other side of the bracket, #6 Middleton out-lasted #3 Baraboo 13-12 to advance to take on #2 Tomah.
#1 Janesville Craig easily dispatched #8 Fort Atkinson 10-0, and they will play #4 Beloit Memorial, winners over #5 Oregon 10-8 (see below). On the other side of the sectional bracket to be played in Verona on Tuesday, #3 Verona out-dueled #6 Madison Memorial 5-4, while #7 Elkhorn earned an 8-7 upset of #2 Madison West.
In the Sun Prairie sectional, #1 Sun Prairie will meet #4 Fond du Lac on Tuesday, while #2 Oconomowoc and #3 Beaver Dam also advanced.
In Division 2, #1 Mount Horeb will meet #1 Prairie du Chien in Evansville on Tuesday, while #1 Turner will battle #1 and top-ranked Catholic Memorial on the other side of the bracket. #2 Jefferson advanced in the Waupun sectional, and will face the top-seeded host on Tuesday.
Division 3 winners included Wisconsin Heights, Lancaster, and Darlington, who will all play in the Whitehall sectional. In Division 4, Pecatonica blew out Barneveld 17-0 to advance, while Riverdale needed nine innings to win 1-0 over Highland.
Beloit Memorial 10, Oregon 8
On a picture-perfect day at the Beloit Sports Complex, the Beloit Memorial Purple Knights emerged as regional champions, rallying to defeat the Oregon Panthers 10-8 on Thursday night.
After the game, Beloit Memorial coach Ryan Schmitz said simply, "that's baseball!" when asked about the ups and downs of the game that saw Beloit Memorial lose a 4-0 lead, but rallied from being down 8-5 to win 10-8.
Beloit Memorial got to work in the first inning, scoring four runs as eight Purple Knights batted in the inning. In the top of the second, Oregon, the Badger South champions, rallied with only one runner on and two outs. The Panthers loaded the bases, and Jordan Helmkamp rocketed a double into the right field gap to score three runs to make it 4-3 in the top of the second.
Helmkamp ran into a little more trouble in the bottom of the second as Oregon's pitcher, giving up a leadoff single and then walking the next batter. However, the damage would be limited to one run, and after two innings it was 5-3 Beloit Memorial.
Oregon added a run on an RBI single by Connor Zagrodnik to trim the deficit back to one run, 5-4. Helmkamp coaxed three ground balls out of the Purple Knights in the bottom of the third, putting down the side in just seven pitches.
Oregon's half of the fourth inning got started when Helmkamp reached on an error. Carson Timberlake knocked a triple into right field, scoring Helmkamp to tie the game. Tyler Damon hit an RBI single to bring Timberlake home, and Damon would score two batters later on a double by Eric Modaff. After Beloit Memorial changed pitchers, subbing in Corbin Ovist for Miguel Betancourt, Jack Haufle knocked in an RBI single to make the score 8-5 before Ovist got out of the inning on the next batter.
The Purple Knights' rally in the bottom of the fourth started with a leadoff double by Ty Crosby. Beloit Memorial loaded the bases with nobody out, and Miguel Betancourt hit a single to plate two runs. Memorial would tie the game two batters later, when Steven Makinen hit a sac-fly to make it 8-8.
Oregon went down in order in the fifth, while Beloit Memorial would take back the lead on an RBI single by Matt Elliot in the bottom of the fifth to make it 9-8, which would end up being the winning score.
Oregon got a man on base in the top of the sixth, but Matt Elliot made two great plays in left field, facing directly into the sun on a cloudless day on two fly outs, to keep the Panthers off the board. Beloit Memorial added an insurance run on a sac-fly to make the score 10-8 in the bottom frame of the inning.
Down to their final three outs, Oregon got a leadoff single from Jack Haufle, but Corbin Ovist retired the next three Panthers in order to earn the win and send Beloit Memorial on to the sectionals on Tuesday in Verona, where they will face Janesville Craig in the sectional semifinal.
Beloit Memorial BOX
Matt Elliott 2-3, R, RBI, BB
Miguel Betancourt 3-3, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SAC
Drew Freitag 1-3, RBI, R, BB
Steven Makinen 1-3, 2 RBI, R, HBP
-PR Felix Estrella R, CS
Avery Lewis 1-3, R, RBI, SAC, K
Corbin Ovist 1-4
Trent Porter 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Ty Crosby 1-4, 2B, R
J.D. Dixon 1-2, 2 R
Miguel Betancourt 3.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 4 K, 2 BB
Corbin Ovist 3.1 IP, W, 3 H, 0 R, 3 K, 2 BB
Oregon BOX
Carson Timberlake 2-4, 3B, R, RBI
Tyler Damon 2-4, RBI, R, K
Ian Schildgen 0-4, 2 K
Eric Modaff 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI
Jack Haufle 3-4, 2B, R, RBI
Connor Zagrodnik 1-4, RBI, K
Nate Newton 0-3, R, BB, K
Cole Scott 0-2, R, BB, K
-PH Ben Prew 0-1, K
Jordan Helmkamp 1-2, 2B, 3 RBI, R
Jordan Helmkamp 4.0 IP, 8 R, 9 H, 1 K, 2 BB
Brandon Knobel 2.0 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 0 K, 0 BB
OR 8 R 11 H 1 E
BM 10 R 13 H 1 E
OR 0-3-1-4-0-0-0=8
BM 4-1-0-3-1-1-X=10
PBP
Top 1st: [#4 Miguel Betancourt pitcher] #10 Carson Timberlake flew out to center. #12 Tyler Damon struck out. #7 Ian Schildgen struck out looking. 0-0
Bottom 1st: [#6 Jordan Helmkamp pitcher] #14 Matt Elliot grounded out to short. #4 Miguel Betancourt singled. #1 Drew Freitag walked, Betancourt advanced to second. #15 Steven Makinen singled, Betancourt scored, Freitag advanced to second. BM 1-0. #3 Avery Lewis singled, Freitag scored, Makinen advanced to second. BM 2-0. #8 Corbin Ovist grounded out to third base, Makinen advanced to third, Lewis advanced to second. #5 Trent Porter doubled, Makinen scored, Lewis scored. BM 4-0. #7 Ty Crosby grounded out to third. BM 4-0
Top 2nd: #11 Eric Modaff singled. Modaff advanced to second on defensive indifference. #18 Jack Haufle flew out to center. #3 Connor Zagrodnik struck out looking. #20 Nate Newton walked. #14 Cole Scott walked, Modaff advanced to third, Newton advanced to second. #6 Jordan Helmkamp doubled, Modaff scored, Newton scored, Scott scored. BM 4-3. #10 Timberlake singled, Helmkamp advanced to third. #12 Damon flew out to center. BM 4-3
Bottom 2nd: #2 J.D. Dixon singled. #14 Elliot walked, Dixon advanced to second. #4 Betancourt sacrifice bunted, Dixon advanced to third, Elliot advanced to second. #1 Freitag grounded out to short, Dixon scored, Elliot advanced to third. BM 5-3. #15 Makinen walked. #6 Felix Estrella pinch-runner for Makinen. Estrella out for leaving basepath on steal attempt. BM 5-3
Top 3rd: #7 Schildgen struck out looking. #11 Modaff lined out to short. #18 Haufle doubled. Haufle advanced to third on defensive indifference. #3 Zagrodnik singled, Haufle scored. BM 5-4. #20 Newton grounded out to second. BM 5-4
Bottom 3rd: #3 Lewis grounded out to short. #8 Ovist grounded out to the pitcher. #5 Porter grounded out to short. BM 5-4
Top 4th: #14 Scott flew out to short. #6 Helmkamp reached on Error-4. #10 Timberlake tripled, Helmkamp scored. TIE 5-5. #12 Damon singled, Timberlake scored. OR 6-5. #7 Schildgen flew out to right. #11 Modaff doubled, Damon scored. OR 7-5. [#8 Corbin Ovist replaces #4 Miguel Betancourt at pitcher]. #18 Haufle singled, Modaff scored. OR 8-5. #3 Zogrodnik lined out to third. OR 8-5
Bottom 4th: #7 Crosby doubled. #2 Dixon reached on Error-2. #14 Elliot singled, Crosby advanced to third, Dixon advanced to second. #4 Betancourt singled, Crosby scored, Dixon scored, Elliot advanced to third. OR 8-7. #1 Freitag singled, Betancourt advanced to second. #15 Makinen flew out to left, Elliot scored. TIE 8-8. Betancourt advanced to third on passed ball. Freitag advanced to second on passed ball. #3 Lewis struck out looking. #8 Ovist grounded out to short. 8-8
Top 5th: #20 Newton grounded out to second. #14 Scott struck out. #6 Helmkamp flew out to center. 8-8
Bottom 5th: [#2 Brandon Knobel replaces #6 Jordan Helmkamp at pitcher] #5 Porter singled. #7 Crosby sacrifice bunted, Porter advanced to second. #2 Dixon flew out to right. #14 Elliot singled, Porter scored. BM 9-8. #4 Betancourt doubled, Elliot advanced to third. #1 Freitag grounded out to first-unassisted. BM 9-8
Top 6th: #10 Timberlake grounded out to second. #12 Damon singled. #7 Schildgen flew out to left. #11 Modaff flew out to left. BM 9-8
Bottom 6th: #15 Makinen hit by pitch. #6 Estralla pinch-runner for Makinen. #3 Lewis sacrifices, Estrella advances to second. #8 Ovist singles, Estrella advances to third. #5 Porter flies out to left, Estrella scores. BM 10-8. #7 Crosby flies out to left. BM 10-8
Top 7th: #18 Haufle singles. #3 Zagrodnik flew out to center. #20 Netwon struck out. #8 Ben Prew pinch hits for #14 Scott. Prew struck out. [END] BM 10-8
Photo: Jimmie Kaska