The Beaver Dam American Legion team couldn't live up to its town's name in its meeting against Stevens Point to close out the first day of the 38th Ed Kardach Firecracker Classic on Thursday.
"We're starting to settle in a little bit; we're starting to play Sixer baseball," Luke Suchon said. "This is a big deal not only for us, but for the Stevens Point community."
Awaiting the Sixers is Wausau, their Wisconsin Valley Legion League rival who took a 13-12 loss at Bukolt Park on Tuesday. Beaver Dam was set on making Thursday's game as close as that conference clash, but had a hard time doing so, especially after already playing one game. Beaver Dam dominated Hartford 11-1 in the Classic's second game of the day.
"They pretty much dominated (Hartford), but we knew we had to get out in front of them early," Point's Nick Winch said.
Fresh and rested, the Sixers got going with eight runs in the bottom of the second. An leadoff error allowed Winch to get on base, and he scored on an RBI single from Jake Tepp. Later in the inning, Winch drove in three runs on a home run, making it an 8-0 game. The Sixers brought 12 batters up in the signature inning.
"The big thing is to get a big lead on these guys," Suchon said. "Every year, we see Beaver Dam, and we know they can hit the ball. They showed that a little bit at the end (Thursday)."
More runs came in each of the following innings. The game ended in five innings despite Beaver Dam scoring three runs apiece in the fourth and fifth frames. Beaver Dam looked like it could have extended the game to its full seven innings after a two-run triple and an RBI groundout in the fifth, but another four-run spurt came from Point in the bottom half, fueled by two-run doubles from Brandon Mendyke and Ryan Williams.
"We've had a lot of extra-base hits in the last couple games, and that's why we've been scoring almost every inning," Winch said.
