Chase Timdal delivered a clutch single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Iola-Scandinavia Thunderbirds to a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Shiocton Chiefs on Thursday, April 9, at Taylor Field & Park.
The game remained tied at 2 entering the final frame. Timdal’s hit plated the winning run, capping a tight contest between two strong pitching staffs. The Thunderbirds improved their recent form with the dramatic finish, following a lopsided 11-1 win over the Winneconne Wolves five days earlier on the same field.
Both teams excelled on the mound in the Thursday showdown. Iola-Scandinavia pitchers combined for eight strikeouts, while Shiocton recorded five. Mason Morfey started for the Thunderbirds and delivered four scoreless innings, allowing two hits with six strikeouts and one walk. Ben Gruba earned the win in relief, working three innings and giving up three hits and two unearned runs while striking out two and walking two.
Henry Garvey opened for the Chiefs and went four innings, surrendering three hits and two unearned runs with five strikeouts and four walks. Jackson Young took the loss, allowing one run on three hits over two and one-third innings without a strikeout and with two walks.
The T-Birds broke through in the bottom of the fourth. Jose Gutierrez singled to center field to drive in one run, and Mason Kriesel walked and later scored, giving the Thunderbirds a 2-0 lead. Shiocton answered in the top of the fifth when Brent Collar singled to center, driving in two runs to tie the game at 2. Gutierrez and Timdal each drove in one run to pace the Thunderbirds’ offense. Gruba led the way with two hits in four at-bats. Kriesel drew three walks as I-S showed patience at the plate, totaling six free passes. The Thunderbirds also stole nine bases, with Gruba, Morfey, and Kriesel each swiping multiple bags. They turned one double play in the field.
Collar led Shiocton with two runs batted in on a 1-for-3 day. Levi Jack, Braylon Krull, Collar, Andrew Young, and Reid Flannery each had one hit for the Chiefs, who finished with five hits.
I-S versus Winneconne
In Friday’s contest against Winneconne, the Thunderbirds jumped on the Wolves early and never looked back. Winneconne scored first in the top of the first when Duel singled to plate one run for a 1-0 lead.
Iola-Scandinavia responded immediately in the bottom half, taking a 4-1 advantage on singles by Wolberg and Timdal. The Thunderbirds added one more in the second on a single to right by Gullixon, making it 5-1.
They blew the game open in the third. Gutierrez singled to drive in a run, an error allowed another to score, and Gullixon singled to plate two more, pushing the lead to 9-1. Two additional runs in the fourth sealed the 11-1 mercy-rule victory after five innings.
Desrochers earned the win for Iola-Scandinavia, allowing six hits and one run over five innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Kleinschmidt took the loss for Winneconne, giving up six runs (five earned) on six hits in two innings with four strikeouts and two walks.
The Thunderbirds collected nine hits. Gullixon, Wolberg, and Timdal each had two hits, while Gullixon and Timdal drove in three runs apiece. Iola-Scandinavia stole five bases and turned one double play without committing an error. Gutierrez handled the most chances in the field with six. For Winneconne, Pahl recorded two hits in three at-bats, and Duel drove in the lone run on a 1-for-3 performance.
Iola-Scandinavia next hosts the Weyauwega-Fremont Warhawks on Monday, April 13, at Taylor Field & Park. The game starts at 4:30 p.m.
