The Utica/Beaver Crossing/Friend seniors picked up a win in the Class C Area 4 tournament at Wilber last weekend, but it wasn’t enough.
The Badgers saw their season end July 23 with an 8-0 loss to Wilber in an elimination game.
UBCF started the tournament against Stromsburg/Osceola/Shelby July 21 and fell short 12-4, allowing six runs in the sixth inning to end the game early.
Breckan Schluter was 2-3 with a double and two RBIs for UBCF, which had just five hits in the game. Singles by Mark Milton, Jake Leif and Will Vyhnalek rounded out the total.
Cooper Girmus, Keenan Kosek and Jordan Lawver pitched for the Badgers, which dropped to the elimination bracket with the loss.
In the first elimination game July 22, UBCF sent David City home with an 8-1 loss. Jordan Lawver led the team with a 2-3 day including a double and scored three runs.
The game started well for UBCF, which scored two runs in the first inning. With one out, Milton walked, advanced to third on a ground out and scored on the double by Lawver.
Lawver took third on a wild pitch and scored on an error by the shortstop for a 2-0 lead.
UBCF added a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth for a 5-1 lead.
In the seventh, the Badgers put up a three-spot to extend the lead. Schluter was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and stole second. He advanced to third on a ground out and scored on a passed ball.
With two outs, Lawver was hit by a pitch and stole second and third. Girmus and stole second, and Kosek was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Connor Clouse singled to the shortstop, driving in Lawver and leaving the bases loaded. Girmus finished the scoring by crossing the plate on a wild pitch.
The Badgers finished with five hits and had four batters hit by pitches. The team also stole 10 bases, led by three for Lawver.
Kosek pitched all seven innings and allowed just one unearned run. He struck out six.
The win let the Badgers live another day. UBCF came back July 23 to play top-seeded Wilber, which had been upset by SOS in its first game. Wilber held UBCF to just one hit, a triple by Devin Slawnyk in the fifth inning. Girmus reached on an error in the second inning and stole two bases.
Girmus pitched all six innings and allowed four earned runs while striking out four. The game ended with two outs in the sixth when Wilber pushed the margin to eight.
UBCF finished its season with a 3-17 record.
