As the regular season nears the end, the Upsala Blue Jays find themselves in the middle of the race for the Victory League West division crown. The Jays entered the weekend with a 8-1 record in Victory League play, a 1/2 game back of West Division leading Sobieski (8-0). With a pair of games scheduled against West Division rival Randall (5-3), Upsala would need to continue to play good baseball to keep pace with the Skis.
On Saturday the Jays traveled to Randall for game 1 versus the Cubs. This turned into a wild game which ultimately came down to the final pitch with the game in the balance. The Jays would get on the board first, as Joe Barkowicz belted a 2 run homer to left in the top of the 1st. The Cubs would answer with 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the first, highlighted by a 2 run homerun by Cub's cleanup hitter Peter Herman. Upsala would then respond with 3 runs in the top of the 2nd to take a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the 2nd, Randall would tie the game at 5's. In the bottom of the 3rd, Peter Herman once again clubbed a homerun to right, giving the Cubs an 8-5 lead. After 3 innings of work, Upsala starting pitcher Johnny Fuchs would give way to Eric Lampert. Lampert would keep the Jays in the game, allowing just one run over 5 1/3 innings of work. The lone run he allowed was in the 6th, which at the time gave the Cubs a 9-5 lead. Traling by 4 in the 7th, Upsala would string together a big inning. Brady Burggraff led off the inning with a solo homer to left. After a few Blue Jay hits, Upsala would cut the lead to 9-7, which chased Randall starter Kyle Petershick from the game. Ben Burggraff would greet new pitcher Peter Herman with a 2 run single to left to tie the game at 9's. Brock Cichon would follow that up with a bloop hit which gave the Blue Jays a 10-9 lead. The score would remain that way until the bottom of the 9th, when Randall would put runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Matt Swanson would relieve Eric Lampert on the mound. The count would run full on Randall first basemen Ricky Drew, who would hit a groundball back to Swany which led to a 1-4-3 game ending double play, preserving a 10-9 victory for the Blue Jays.
Ben Burggraff and Brock Cichon each had 2 hits for Upsala. Brady Burggraff and Joe Barkowicz each added a homerun.
Kyle Petershick had 4 hits 4 Randall, while Dusty Parker added 3 hits of his own. Peter Herman had a huge day as well, belting 2 homeruns, while knocking in 5 runs.
On Sunday, the Jays and Cubs would meet in near by Royalton due to poor field conditions at varsity field in Upsala. Once again the Jays would strike first, as Joe Barkowicz once again would knock a first inning homerun. This time a 3 run homer, which gave Upsala a 3-0 lead. Randall would get a run back in the 4th on a Kyle Petershick RBI single, cutting the lead to 3-1. The Blue Jays would add runs in the 6th and 8th innings to take a 5-1 lead. Upsala had rallied from 4 runs down the prior day, but this time around Randall would rally from 4 runs down themselves. The Cubs plated 7 runs in the top of the 9th inning, taking a 8-5 lead. The big hit of the inning was a 2 run double by Kyle Boser, giving Randall a 6-5 lead. After scoring two more runs, Randall would retire the Jays in order in the 9th.
Dusty Parker took the win for Randall, while Brandon Welinski would be tagged with the loss for Upsala. Joe Barkowicz homered for Upsala in the loss. Kyle Boser had 3 hits for Randall.
Upsala is back in action this coming weekend as the regular season will come to an end. The Jays enter the weekend at 9-2 in league play. Upsala will have a pair of games on the road, beginning Saturday @ St. Stephen (5-6) and then Sunday @ Sobieski (11-0). Both games are slated for a 1:30 start.
Check back for updates over the coming weeks as the Blue Jays prepare for the playoffs.
Thanks to everyone who bought and/or sold tickets for the Upsala Blue Jays/UBA raffle. Thanks as well to anyone else who assisted in any other way. This is turning into a great fundraiser which ultimately benefits those around the community.