New Look 49ers rally to win opener.
The Brownsville 49ers traveled to Hustisford on Sunday with a new look and new lineup.
Sporting columbia blue unis the 49ers rallied to defeat the Hustisford Astros 4-3.
The big blow came off the unlikely bat of pitcher/firstbaseman
Jace Unrein. In the ninth Jace led off the inning with a booming homerun to right.
"I have played a lot of games here, and that is by far one of the longest homeruns I have
seen to right field. A no-doubter as soon as it was hit. Good for Jace I was happy his
mom got to see that on mother's day, said manager Tim Norton.
Things started slowly for the 49ers as the Astros rallied for 3 runs in the third (2 unearned).
The Astros scored on a RBI double by Jami Kaul and 2 runs on a throwing error.
"Really the only bad play we had today on defense. Overall very satisfied with our defense.
Barty was awesome as always, and everyone else made the routine ones."
Brownsville had 6 hits thru the first 5 innings but failed to come up with the big hit.
They left 8 runners in scoring position. Finally in the 6th the 49ers got on the board
with an RBI groundout by Tyler Witkowski. Newcomer and Marian standout Matt
Schroeder scored the run. The 49ers rallied again in the 7th to tie the game. The big
hit coming from Schroeder with a 2 out rbi double to right center. "Can't say enough
about Matt today. He had no idea he was pitching today and to come out and hold
them to one earned run and then go four for four at the plate. Wow welcome to the
49ers, said Norton.
Things stayed scoreless until the ninth. Jace Unrein led off the inning with a solo shot
to right. "I had just got on him the pitch before to get the hands through the zone, boy
did he ever get them thru," stated Norton.
For the day the 49ers pounded out 15hits and left 15 on base. "I can't remember the
last time we left 15 on base, let alone get 15 hits in a game. A great sign for things to
come with a couple starters missing said Norton.
The 49ers travel to Kewaskum next Sunday to face the A's in another early season
difficult matchup. They then return home for their first home game of the season
on Thursday May 26th versus Hartford.
FINALLY!!!! CHAMPIONS!!!
THE BROWNSVILLE 49ERS BLANKED THE OAKFIELD OAKS 5-0 SUNDAY TO CAPTURE THEIR FIRST EVER ROCK RIVER TITLE.
HEADING INTO SUNDAY'S FINALE IT WAS WINNER TAKE ALL AS THE 49ERS HAD BEATEN OAKFIELD A WEEK EARLIER IN OAKFIELD 6-0 TO FORCE A DECIDING CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
BOTH TEAMS WERE SET TO PLAY ON SATURDAY, BUT THE RAIN CAME TOO HARD AND THE FIELD WAS JUST NOT PLAYABLE. "JUST COULDN'T GET IT DRY ENOUGH IN THE INFIELD, SAID NORTON.
SO THE GAME WAS MOVED TO SUNDAY, HOWEVER, SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE PARK BROUGHT SOME BAD NEWS FOR BOTH TEAMS. 3 BROWNSVILLE PLAYERS AND 2 OAKFIELD PLAYERS WERE TOLD THEY COULDN'T PLAY SUNDAY DUE TO FALL BALL HAVING STARTED AT THEIR COLLEGES. "THIS TO ME WASN'T RIGHT AND WILL GET CORRECTED. IT WASN'T FAIR TO THESE 5 KIDS WHO PLAYED ALL YEAR AND IN A FEW SECONDS SOMEONE TELLS THEM THEY CAN'T PLAY. MY APOLOGIES GO OUT TO ALL OF THEM." SO WITH THE FACT THAT ALL 3 OF BROWNSVILLE PLAYERS WERE STARTERS THE PHONE CALLS STARTED. RYAN HALL AND TOM COLE, PLAYERS WHO HAVE BEEN IN THE LEAGUE FOR YEARS WERE CALLED ON TO FILL IN FOR THE 49ERS ON SUNDAY.
THE GAME STARTED SLOWLY AS BOTH PITCHERS SETTLED IN. 49ERS HOT STARTER TYLER WITKOWSKI ESCAPED A JAM IN THE SECOND WITH A WALK TO TAVES AND DOUBLE BY SEYFERT THE OAKS HAD 2 ON WITH ONE OUT. THE 49ERS MOVED THE INFIELD IN AND WITKOWSKI GOT A STRIKEOUT AND GROUND OUT TO END THE THREAT. "THAT WAS HUGE EARLY IN THE GAME, WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE LOW SCORING A RUN OR TWO MIGHT BE THE DIFFERENCE, SAID NORTON.
THE 49ERS FUN STARTED IN THE THIRD FROM AN UNEXPECTED PERSON IN THE NAME OF RYAN HALL. FORCED INTO PLAYING HIS FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON RYNO WAS UP WITH WITKOWSKI ON FIRST. ON A 2-1 SLIDER HALL MADE OAKS STARTER CHRIS MORGAN PAY WITH A TOWERING HOMERUN TO LEFT FIELD. "ALL I COULD SAY TO MYSELF WAS WOW. I GUESS I MADE THE CORRECT PHONE CALL LAST NIGHT. I WASN'T EVEN THINKING ABOUT BUNTING THERE, CASUE I HAVE SEEN HIM BUNT IN THE PAST AND HE CAN'T. SO WE LET HIM RIP, AND BOY DID HE EVER.
WITH WITKOWSKI, AND MORGAN BOTH CRUISING ALONG, THE GAME QUICKLY MOVED TO THE 6TH WITHOUT ANY MORE SCORING CHANCES.
THEN UP STEPPED CATCHER JAMES GOODFELLOW WHO HIT THE FIRST PITCH HE SAW FROM MORGAN AND HIT A LASER DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE FOR A HOMER. " I TOLD HIM LAST WEEK TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH HIM, TRY TO SWING EARLIER IN THE COUNT. THAT BALL WAS CRUSHED ON THE LINE, NOTED NORTON. THE HOMER MADE THE SCORE 3-0 HEADING INTO THE 7TH.
WITH WITKOWSKI STILL RETIRING BATTERS ONE AFTER ANOTHER THINGS LOOKED GOOD FOR THE 49ERS. OVERALL FOR THE GAME TYLER GAVE UP ONLY 2 HITS AND STUCKOUT 6.
THE 49ERS ADDED 2 MORE IN THE 8TH WITH ANOTHER BLAST FROM GOODFELLOW TO MAKE IT 5-0. I HAVE BEEN TELLING HIM TO STEP UP IN A BIG GAME FOR 3 WEEKS, IM GLAD HE PICKED THE BIGGEST GAME OF OUR YEAR TO GET IT DONE, SAID NORTON. HE IS A GAMER AND ONE OF OUR LEADERS."
AS THE NINTH APPROACHED YOU COULD FEEL THE TENSION. THE BROWNSVILLE FAITHFUL HAVE BEEN HERE MANY TIMES BEFORE, BUT HAVE NEVER FINISHED ONE OFF. 2 QUICK GROUND OUTS BROUGHT MIKE MERK TO THE PLATE AS THE OAKS FINAL HOPE. A GROUNDER TO SHORTSTOP JEREMY BARTELT WAS FIELDED CLEANLY AND FIRED TO FIRST BASEMAN JOSH STOFFEL. CHAMPIONS AT LONG LAST THE 49ERS WERE.
" I HAVE BEEN IN THIS LEAGUE FOR 19 YEARS, THIS IS MY 5TH TITLE GAME AND HAVE NEVER WON IT. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW HAPPY AND PROUD I AM OF THIS TEAM. WE WERE NOT VERY GOOD AT SOME TIMES THIS SEASON. SHORT ON PITCHING AND COMMITMENT BY SOME. BUT AS THE PLAYOFFS APPROACHED SOMETHING CHANGED. WE FINALLY GOT OUR TEAM I ENVISIONED FROM DAY ONE. AT NO POINT DURING THE SEASON DID WE EVER HAVE OUR STARTING LINEUP. WITKOWSKI 'S ARM GOT BETTER AND JOSH STOFFEL CONTINUED TO PITCH LIKE HE DID ALL YEAR, STATED NORTON.
FOR THE PLAYOFF RUN THE 49ERS WERE 6-1 AND POSTED 4 SHUTOUTS. THEY GAVE UP A TOTAL OF 4 EARNED RUNS. "OUR PITCHING WAS UNBELIEVABLE. I THINK IT IS ONE OF THE BEST RUNS I HAVE SEEN IN ALL MY YEARS. WE ELIMINATED THE NUMBER 1,2, AND 4 SEEDS TO WIN THIS. IT WASN'T EASY, BUT IT SURE WAS FUN, "SAID NORTON.
WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE 49ERS WHO KNOWS. THEY JUST WANT TO SAVIOR THIS ONE FOR A WHILE. AT LONG LAST THE 49ERS CAN CALL THEMSELVES ROCK RIVER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!!!
49ers sweep weekend!!
The Brownsville 49ers got back on the winning track this past weekend with
one convincing win Friday night over the Mayville Mallards and a nail biting
win Sunday over the persistent Horicon Honkers in the rain.
Friday night's opener started slow as the game was tied 1-1 heading into the
fourth. The 49ers scored 3 times in the 4th with rbi's coming from Klismith,
Theisen and Bartelt. In the 5th Tim Holtz led off with a ringing triple to the gap
and was driven home by Unrein with an a single. The 49ers continued to pile it
on in the 6th as they scored another 4 times with rbi's coming from Goodfellow
and 2 by Holtz with another extra base hit , double. Unrein finished the scoring
with another rbi single. On the mound was veteran Josh Stoffel, who again pitched
a masterpiece keeping Mallards off stride all night. Stoffel went 7 innings allowing
7 hits and only one one. "Josh continues to pitch well. As he gets older he really
needs to pitch smarter, and that is exacxtly what he has been doing," stated manager
Tim Norton.
The 49ers added another 3 runs in the eighth with a booming 3 run homer by Holtz.
I can't say enough about Holtz and Unrein, 2 big additions to our team. I guess we
just keep getting lucky with our college pick-ups. They think they know everything
about the game, but we still can teach them a few things, but I am glad their on our
side, said Norton.
For the game Holtz was 3 for 4 with 5 rbi's, Unrein 3 for 3 with 3 rbis'and
Goodfellow 2 for 3 with an Rbi.
Sunday proved to be a different story as the winless Horicon Honkers strolled
to town. Battling a continuous rain throughout the game the Honkers stayed
close as they closed to within a run in the 6th. The 49ers got on the board right
away in the first as Goodfellow walked and scored on a ground out by Unrein.
In the third Goodfellow ripped a towering home run to right center. "I really didn't
think he got it all, but when he hits em they usually go, he has so much bat speed,
said, " Norton.
As the rain continued the 49ers started to run out of pitching . Horicon never gave
in and in the seventh they finally wrestled the lead away with a 2 run rally, and the
rain coming down hard. The 49ers were down one with some doubts. Holtz led off
the inning with a single and was reluctantly bunted over two second by Unrein, with
the throw sailing into center field by the pitcher. Now with 2nd and third and no outs
the 49ers got a big rbi sac file from Cetnar. "Tying the score was huge with the rain
the way it was coming and going, we just needed to tie it and hope we could hold
them, " said Norton.
Going to the ninth the 49ers had to empty the bullpen as they were almost out
of pitching. Raflk came in to throw a scoreless ninth. Leading off the ninth was
Holtz who again came thru with a towering double to dead center. " I think it
should've been caught, but Holtz will argue, but a great start to the inning." stated
Norton. After 2 straight outs up stepped veteran Josh Stoffel. " I was worried they
would pitch around him, so told him to be aggressive, " said Norton . Aggressive he
was as he laced the second pitch to center for a game winning rbi single to score
Holtz.
The 49ers move to 4-1 in league play one game behind division leaders Rubicon.
This week the 49ers play Wednesday in the Plymouth tourney versus Forest.
Then back to another double up weekend against the upstart Hartford Hawks on
Friday in B-Ville. The 49ers continue their homestand on Sunday versus their
rivals the Oakfield Oaks. Game time on Friday is 8:00p.m and Sunday at 1:30.
Come out and see the exciting new look 49ers. Hope to see you there.
STOFFEL STIFLES ASTROS
Long time 49er Josh Stoffel got it done Sunday as he proceeded to shut down the red-hot Hustisford Astros 6-1. Stoffel pitched 7 strong innings allowing only the one run and 6 hits. "Very impressed with Josh today, he had a bad quad, but pitched with alot of guts and heart. Didn't complain, a true old school type player," stated manager Tim Norton.
The 49ers wasted no time to spoil 47 year old starter for the Astros Jim Wittrock day. Lead off hitter Jeremy Bartelt singled to start the game and veteran J.J. Raflik also followed with a single. Newcomer and Marian standout Tim Holtz followed with a laser to left scoring both runners. The third run scored on a ringing double by Racine native Jace Unrein. There was some confusion in the inning as the 49ers batter out of order much to the dismay of mananger Tim Norton. "I have never seen this happen, but will take the blame. I must have told Klismith and Unrein the wrong spot, but will never know. Cost us an out, but Jace got another hit, this time a double down the line. Glad it didn't cost us a run." said Norton.
The 49ers added another run in the third with another RBI double by Unrein who finished the day 4 for 4. "Can't say enough about Holtz and Unrein, really helps add to the hitting . Can't wait till we are at full strength. We were missing two starters again today. Should be really fun when we get everyone all there," said Norton.
The Astros got their lone run in the 5th via" a wild pitch. The 49ers got another run in the 6th and 7th coming on a sacrifice fly from Goodfellow and a ground out by Bartelt. Overall the 49ers collected 11 hits on the day, while holding the Astros to just 6. "Stoffel really battled today. He looked very sharp and stepped up just like I thought he would, said Norton.\
The 49ers travel to Kewaskum next Saturday in a makeup game for the Memorial day weekend. " Another huge game for us. We need to make another statement to prove our legitimacy. Alot of new face this year. But I feel confident we have a really good mix again this year. So far so good, but it's the Rock so you never know week to week, stated Norton.
Come out to Kewaskum and see the new look and exciting 49ers. Game time is set for 2:30p.m. Hope to see you there!!
49ers escape with 10th inning win
The Brownsville 49ers had to go extra innings Sunday
to beat a scrappy Slinger Stinger team as they scored 6
runs in the 10 inning to seal the victory. Slinger
scored 2 runs in the bottom of the ninth to force the
extra frame.
Brownsville got on the board first right away in the
first as newcomer Tim Holtz singled in his first Rock
River at bat. He then went to third on James
Goodfellow's laser to left. Newcomer and former
Oakfield player John Cetnar then grounded out to
short to produce the first run of the game and season
for the 49ers. Slinger got on the board in the second
without a hit as 49ers pitcher Barry Braatz walked in
a run.
In the third the 49ers plated 2 more with the big hit
coming from Cetnar with a 2 run double. The 49ers
bats stayed silent all the way till the 8th as the Stingers
closed the gap in the 4th with a single run.
The ninth inning proved again to be a challenge in
Slinger for the 2nd consecutive year. Leading 4-2
reliever Tim Holtz gave up a double and bloop single
then proceeded to retire the next 2 hitters. Slinger
then got 2 big hits to tie the game. A sharp liner to
first ended the rally and forced the extra frame.
In the 10th the 49ers were down to their last out, but
Holtz coaxed a walk. Goodfellow singled to left, and
Cetnar hit a dribbler down the third base line for a
single. Then up stepped rightfielder Josh Klismith
who proceeded to lace a shot to center for a bases
clearing double scoring all three. The 49ers added
3 more runs with the big hit coming from newcomer
Cody Marciniak who laced a double down the right
field line. "The big hit was Klismith's. He was overdue
for sure, and just stayed on top and smoked it to
center. I think the center fielder mis- judged it a bit
and it went way over his head, said manager Norton.
Jace Unrein finished the game for the 49ers. "Overall
we didn't hit at all, but we did manage to get some
cluth hits when it counted. Our starting pitching was
not that good considering we had 6 walks from the
starter. As the weather warms up we will hit, that's a
given. The talent is as good as any team in the 10
years since I have been here, even better than last
year , stated Norton.
The 49ers will host the red-hot league leading
Hustisford Astros Sunday . Game time is 1:30, come
on out and see the excitement brewing in B-ville!!