By MITCH MAERSCH
Ozaukee Press staff
After escaping with a Division 2 regional victory over a tough opponent in New Berlin West, the Grafton High School baseball team ran out of magic in a sectional semifinal on June 6 at Big Foot.
The Black Hawks took a one-run lead in extra innings, but Kettle Moraine Lutheran drew three walks and had a walk-off grand slam to win, 6-3.
“It was an exciting game. We came up just short, but it was really a great season when we look back at it, so no regrets,” coach Brian Durst said.
Grafton senior Jack Sommers started and allowed two runs (one earned), two hits, four walks and hit a batter in six innings while whiffing five. He threw 91 pitches.
Sommers started “a little erratic” with two walks and a hit batter in the first inning, Durst said. Two rare passed balls helped give the No. 2-seeded Chargers a 2-0 lead.
“We really did a nice job to minimize the damage that inning and work out of trouble,” he said.
The Hawks tied the game in the second inning. No. 9 hitter Jaeden Tiegs hit a one-out double.
“As he’s done all season long from the bottom of the order, he got us going and put us in a position where we could get some runs,” Durst said.
Leadoff hitter Mason Lempke followed with a single that put runners on the corners, then he stole second.
Michael Muecke “came in clutch for us” and drove in a run with a single to right field, moving Lempke to third base, Durst said.
With two outs and two strikes on Ryan Quello, Lemke took a big enough lead off of third base to make KML’s pitcher step off the mound. Lemke got in a rundown, and the catcher’s throw to third hit him in the back and rolled into left field.
“He got up and scored. He made that happen completely by himself and tied the game,” Durst said. “Lemke worked his magic like he has done his entire career on the bases.”
Muecke took third on the play but was stranded.
The Hawks missed out on other chances to score throughout the game, Durst said. They outhit KML, 8-3, but the Hawks struck out 11 times, many of them looking, “which is always frustrating,” he said.
Charger starter Landon Hagenow went 6-1/3 innings, allowing one earned run and one walk while whiffing nine.
Brett Biondich relieved, getting a double play to end the seventh inning.
In KML’s half of the seventh inning, Grafton junior Sam Schiller, who closed out the game with the bases juiced for a one-run win in the regional final, shut down the Chargers.
The Hawks took their first lead of the game in the eighth inning against Biondich. Carson Faust walked, Quello singled and Bonk got hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.
With two outs, Vince Cameranesi worked a walk for an RBI.
“A two-out walk was an exciting moment in the game. It definitely made us feel like we were going to have a chance,” Durst said.
One run is all the Hawks could push across.
“Again, we squandered the opportunity to get more,” Durst said.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Schiller walked the first three batters, and Durst brought in senior Nick Colker.
On a 2-2 count, Hunter Abitz knocked a ball over the fence in left center for a walk-off grand slam.
It was the second time KML beat Grafton in a tight game. The Chargers won, 4-2, on April 15.
“Before the season even started we knew what our regional looked like and we knew how much talent there was throughout,” Durst said. “The fact that we ended up playing New Berlin West as an eight seed said plenty. Both teams in any other year or any bracket could have easily been a top two or three-rated team.”
KML lost the sectional final to St. Thomas More, 3-2.
Grafton finished 18-10 overall and tied with three other teams at 11-7 to share the North Shore Conference title. It was the Hawks’ first league crown since 1990, and they won their first regional title since 2019.
“We ended up having an exciting run. We had a lot of support — great fan support showed up at Big Foot,” Durst said.
“We gave them an exciting run at the end of the season, and for those who followed along, they know what a wonderful a year it ended up being.”