Belleville Raiders Advance to Final Four
Share
Tweet
Photo courtesy of Julie Gilkes
Bottom Row: Sam Urquhart; Second Row: Logan Ludlum; Third Row: Derek Baumgartner, Brock Gilkes, Nate Reuter, Blake Noel; Fourth Row: Jaydon Winkers, Joey McNaught, Matt Everson, Nolan Kehiller, Curtis Sheahan. Fifth Row: Drew Haack, Brandon Moldrem, Justin Langley; Missing: Andrew Nimtz.
The Belleville Raiders Home Talent baseball team played and hosted the Western Section Championship game Sunday. The Raiders, as the one seed, battled the five seed Shullsburg. In a tightly played game the Raiders edged out a 3-1 win behind a strong Justin Langley performance on the mound.
Langley pitched all 9 innings, while striking out 13. He only allowed 1 run on 5 hits. Justin now has pitched 23 innings during the 3-week playoff, striking out 46 batters and only allowing 1 earned run. He has an ERA of .20 during the stretch. Not only has his pitching been top notch, at the plate he has now collected 4 hits, 2 being extra base hits with 5 RBIs.
The Raiders had a tough battle on their hands. Going into the fifth inning it was all notched up at 0. Joey McNaught would reach base on a walk and advance to 2nd on a passed ball. Langley, with 2 strikes, would hit a single scoring McNaught breaking the tie, making it 1-0. Shullsburg would go on to tie the game in the 6th, on a sacrifice hit. Belleville would respond in the bottom of the 6th. Drew Haack led the inning off with a double, creating a scoring opportunity early in the inning. On the next at-bat, Curtis Sheahan would record an RBI scoring Haack. With Sheahan on 2nd, Logan Ludlum came up with a big double to score Sheahan, ending the 6th inning 3-1. Belleville would find themselves with a 3-1 lead going into the 7th. Sheahan would record the first out, making a leaping catch at the wall. Matt Everson then would record the second out on a diving catch in center. Langley finished the game with a strikeout. Leading hitters were Matt Everson 2-4, Drew Haack 1-4, 2B, Logan Ludlum 1-4, 2B, 1 RBI, Curtis Sheahan 1-4, 1 RBI, Justin Langley 1-3, 1 RBI.
With the win, Belleville advances to the final four of the league. Belleville will play host next week to an undefeated Sauk Prairie team. The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., location TBD. Follow the Raiders' Facebook page for updates on location. This will be the first time in franchise history Belleville plays in the final four. Come support your team and GO RAIDERS!
