Baseball 2-0 on the week so far

The Badgers looked in control early, jumping out to a 6-1 lead through four innings. Geneva scored first in the opening inning, but Berkshire answered immediately when Sam Barcikoski tripled to lead off the bottom of the first and later scored on a Patrick Brancel RBI single to tie the game. Wild pitches helped plate another run as the Badgers grabbed a 2-1 advantage.

Berkshire added to the lead in the fourth inning with timely hitting and aggressive baserunning. Bear Masink started the rally with a single, Paden Brent delivered an RBI hit, and the Badgers worked three walks in the inning. Holden Hedrick added a sacrifice fly while another run scored on a balk to push the lead to 6-1.

Aidan Andre kept Geneva off balance through five innings, striking out eight while working around several walks and defensive miscues.

But the game flipped in the sixth.

Geneva capitalized on errors, walks, and timely hits during a massive 11-run inning to suddenly surge ahead 12-6. Berkshire used four pitchers in the frame as Geneva sent wave after wave to the plate and appeared poised to complete the comeback.

The Badgers refused to fold.

In the bottom of the seventh, Oliver Miller and Evan Pollock reached to start the rally before Masink ripped a two-run single to cut the deficit to 12-8. After another walk, Christopher Brancel drilled an RBI double to left, bringing the tying run to the plate.

That’s when Patrick Brancel delivered the biggest swing of the night.

Facing a full-count battle, Brancel launched a game-tying three-run homer to center field, sending the Berkshire dugout into celebration and tying the score at 12-12.

Berkshire’s defense held in the top of the eighth despite Geneva putting the go-ahead run in scoring position. A key relay play cut down a runner at the plate on a Geneva double, helping preserve the tie.

The Badgers then completed the comeback in the bottom half.

Masink reached on an error and eventually moved to third. After a walk and a pop out, the Geneva pitcher was called for a balk, allowing Masink to race home with the winning run and seal the dramatic 13-12 Berkshire victory.

Berkshire jumped out early and never let go, defeating Crestwood 5-2 behind timely hitting and a strong defensive effort.

The Badgers wasted little time getting on the board in the first inning. After a walk by Christopher Brancel and a single from his brother Patrick, Holden Hedrick lined an RBI single to center to score the game’s first run. Later in the inning, Evan Pollock added another RBI single to give Berkshire a 2-0 advantage.

Sam Barcikoski settled in on the mound after allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, and the Badgers carried the momentum into the third inning. Patrick Brancel ripped a double to center and later scored on an RBI single by Oliver Miller, extending the lead to 3-0.

Crestwood answered in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI double to cut the lead to 3-1, but Berkshire responded again in the fourth. Paden Brent started the inning with a single, and after an error moved runners into scoring position, Barcikoski delivered an RBI single to right. P. Brancel later added another RBI knock to make it 5-1.

Crestwood picked up another run in the fourth on a run-scoring double, but Berkshire’s defense held firm the rest of the way. The Badgers worked through several late baserunners, including a tense sixth inning with runners on second and third, but escaped the jam with a fly out to preserve the three-run lead.