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May 5, 2009

Prep baseball: Assumption pitchers issue 15 walks in loss to Marathon

By Mitchell A. Skurzewski
Daily Tribune staff

MARATHON -- The Wisconsin Rapids Assumption Royals baseball team allowed just three hits to Marawood South leader Marathon on Monday.

The problem for the Royals was that the pitching staff issued 15 walks in an 11-3 loss to the Red Raiders.

The Royals issued eight walks in the second inning as the Raiders scored seven runs on just two hits.

Assumption was a strike away from getting out of the inning unscathed, but Cody Hanke drew a bases-loaded walk to plate a run and Tyler Hamann followed with a three-run double.

"That might have been our inexperience on the mound," Assumption coach Mike Schulte said. "We needed to focus and bear down and get that last guy."

Marathon led 8-0 after the second, which proved to be far too much for the Royals to overcome.

Assumption received most of it's offense off the bat of Brad Birkhauser, who went 2 for 2 with a walk and hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning.

"Brad (Birkhauser) is hitting the ball well," Schulte said. "He and Brad Rosandick are two freshmen who play regularly, and the game is starting to slow down for them."

The Royals had scored 47 runs in their past two games, but Marathon starter Nick Blume kept them off balance for the most part.

"We were concerned with how Assumption had been swinging the bats coming in and we were expecting a high-scoring game," Marathon coach Steve Warren said. "We felt like no lead was safe, and we tried to add some runs, whether it was one run at a time or more, because we respect their bats."

The Royals' young team is making strides as the season progresses -- it was no-hit the last time it faced Marathon.

"This team improved a lot since the last time we played them, and that is a credit to coach Schulte," Warren said.

"We are trying to compare where we are from the beginning of the year to where we are now," Schulte said.

"I think we have come a long way. We had two freshmen pitch out there, and they battled, and our offense in the last week and a half has been much improved."

Assumption 000 201 0 -- 3 5 2

Marathon 171 200 x -- 11 3 0

WP--Nick Blume. LP--Nate Erwin. SO--Erwin 1, Kyle Steele 3, Joe Ashbeck 0; Blume 7. BB--Erwin 9, Steele 5, Ashbeck 1; Blume 3. 2B--A, Brad Rosandick; M, Tyler Hamann, Nick Blume, Cody Hanke. HR--A, Brad Birkhauser.

Records: Assumption 3-9, 3-6 Marawood South; Marathon 9-1, 7-0 Marawood South

Assumption's Brad Birkhauser crosses home plate after his home run Monday against Marathon. (Xai Kha/For the Daily Tribune)