Windom 000 010 002 = 3-10-3
Milroy 000 000 100 = 1-3-2
The Windom Pirates clinched the championship of Region 10C Friday night, rallying for a 3-1 victory over the Milroy Irish at Milroy’s Irish Yard to win the best-of-three series 2-0.
Windom broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth inning. Josh Garrison led off with an infield single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Brett Willaby. Garrison took third on a sacrifice fly to right by Jake Tauer, which was dropped for a two-base error. Keenan Wenzel then delivered an RBI single, giving Windom a 1-0 lead. However, Tauer was thrown out at the plate on the play.
The Pirates were set up to add to the lead in the sixth when Luke Gilbertson hit a one-out double and Alex Borsgard singled. But Gilbertson was thrown out at the plate, knocking out a potential scoring threat.
Milroy took advantage in the bottom of the seventh. A walk and a hit batsman chased Pirate starting pitcher Paxton Gravlin, a draftee from the Fox Lake Foxes, from the game after a stellar outing. A wild pitch put runners at second and third before an errant throw allowed a run to score, tying the game 1-1.
But Windom mounted a rally with two outs in the top of the ninth. Brett Willaby was hit by a pitch and Jake Tauer doubled. With two runners on, Wenzel laced a triple to the right-center gap, giving the Pirates a 3-1 lead.
Collin Lovell then struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth, sealing the championship for the Pirates.
Wenzel finished the game with four hits and drove in all three Pirate runs. Gilbertson and Garrison had two hits each.
Gravlin gave the Pirates all they could ask for out of a draftee, holding the Irish to three hits and no earned runs over six innings. He walked two and struck out nine.
Lovell earned the pitching win, working the final three hitless innings. He struck out seven.
The Class C State Tournament begins Friday, with games being played at Hutchinson, Brownton, Gaylord and Glencoe. The bracket for the tournament will be announced Sunday evening.
