Saxony Lutheran baseball team uses big inning to rally past Leopold

Things weren't looking good for the Saxony Lutheran High School baseball team when Leopold built an 8-3 lead through 4 1/2 innings.

A seven-run bottom of the fifth changed all that.

"We had a really good inning," Spencer Sander said. "We just worked as hard as we could to come back."

The Crusaders rode Monday's fifth-inning outburst to a 10-8 win over the visiting Wildcats.

Saxony improved to 9-1 heading into today's game at undefeated, state-ranked Oran. Leopold fell to 4-5.

Saxony Lutheran second baseman Spencer Sander hits the ground while trying to catch a popup as right fielder Matt Stueve, right, and first baseman Jon Winkler converge during the sixth inning Monday at Saxony Lutheran. Leopold hitter Cameron Davis reached first base on the play. (Fred Lynch)

"Leopold played tough," Saxony coach Paul Sander said. "Our kids made a really nice comeback. I was proud of them."

Leopold jumped on the Crusaders and ace pitcher Matt Stueve from the start.

The Wildcats scored four first-inning runs, the big blow being a three-run homer by Greg Davis.

After the Crusaders pulled within 4-3, Leopold knocked out Stueve with a five-run fifth that made it 8-3.

"We hit the ball well," Leopold coach James Lewis said.

Leopold's John Bohnsack bunts for a base hit against Saxony Lutheran during the fifth inning Monday at Saxony Lutheran.

The Wildcats could have had an even bigger fifth inning after Stueve left the mound.

But Clay Roth, who came in to pitch from center field with runners on first and third and only one out, escaped further damage by striking out two straight batters.

That set the stage for Saxony's fifth-inning rally that featured five hits, three walks and a key two-out error that allowed the go-ahead run to score and caused a final tally also to be unearned.

"We can't get past our one squirrely inning. We have one a game," Lewis said. "You can't give a team more than three outs in an inning."

Austin Mickan's two-RBI single made it 8-5 and knocked out Leopold starter Mark VanGennip, who was not overpowering but had kept the Crusaders off balance with his assortment of offspeed deliveries.

"The first pitcher frustrated us. He kept us off balance," coach Sander said. "He did a good job but we finally figured him out."

Davis, a much harder thrower, took the mound from left field with runners on second and third and still nobody out.

Davis walked the first two batters he faced, the second free pass to Jon Winkler forcing in a run.

Gabe Bohnert's RBI single made it 8-7 and kept the bases loaded.

Leopold then turned a 4-6-3 double play as the tying run scored.

But just when it looked like the Wildcats would keep things even, an error on a ground ball allowed Winkler to score the tie-breaking run.

Spencer Sander followed with an RBI single to make it 10-8.

"We hit well when we needed to," Sander said.

Roth did the rest, including escaping a big sixth-inning jam.

A leadoff single by Cameron Davis and two one-out walks loaded the bases.

Greg Davis then made solid contact but his hard ground ball was hit to second baseman Sander.

Sander flipped to shortstop Shawn Hadler for a force out and Hader's relay to first baseman Winkler completed the inning-ending double play.

"When that ball was hit I was hoping Spencer could get to it, then I knew it would be a double play," Roth said. "That was a big momentum change."

A few feet either way and Davis likely has a two-run, game-tying single with Leopold still threatening.

"An at-em ball," Lewis said.

Roth allowed a single to Casey Graham leading off the seventh inning. Roth then struck out the side to earn the victory.

"I was able to throw strikes and just get it done," said Roth after working the final 2 2/3 innings.

Said coach Sander: "Matt didn't have his best stuff. Clay's a gutsy kid. He's not scared."

Sander went 3 for 3 with a walk as he raised his batting average to .649 (24 of 37). He also drove in two runs, giving him 23 RBIs on the year.

Bohnert and Ryan Sprandel added two hits apiece. The Crusaders finished with 12 hits.

Cameron Davis, Graham and Lance Seiler all had two of Leopold's nine hits. Greg Davis recorded four RBIs.

"We battled all the way to the end," said Lewis, in his first season at Leopold. "They've done that every game."

Leopold 400 040 0 -- 8 9 3

Saxony 120 070 x -- 10 12 1

WP -- Clay Roth. LP -- Greg Davis. HR -- Greg Davis (L). 2B -- Cameron Davis (L). Multiple hits -- Leopold: Casey Graham 2-3, Cameron Davis 2-4, Lance Seiler 2-4. Saxony: Spencer Sander 3-3, Ryan Sprandel 2-3, Gabe Bohnert 2-3. Records -- Leopold 4-5, Saxony 9-1.