Semifinal Wednesday

Day Two of the WIAA State Baseball Tournament was June 11.

Division 2
West DePere 6, Barron 0

Barron (19-4) was plagued by five errors, which resulted in four unearned runs. Four errors came in the first three innings.

Prairie Du Chien 4, Waupun 0

Waupun pitcher Tyler DeBoer struck out 16 batters in a losing effort.

Baseball has given a welcome distraction to residents of those towns.

Prairie du Chien, Waupun deal with flood of emotions

The Blackhawks had made their way back into the state tournament field for the first time since 1993, when they captured the Division 2 crown. And many were hoping to use the excitement as a community-wide diversion, a way — for a moment, at least — to escape from life's problems.

"When we won the sectional and went back into town, it was about 11 or 12 at night, and we had three fire trucks, a cop car and about 50 cars leading us from the edge of town to the high school," said Blackhawks assistant coach Dale Hanson, who noted heavy rains passing through the state's southwest region on Wednesday and today threatened to raise the Mississippi to perhaps as much as two feet above flood stage and close U.S. 18 — a primary thoroughfare into town.

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But Prairie du Chien wasn't alone in its ordeal. Across the field, in the Waupun dugout, players and coaches have been busy in recent days battling a flooded Rock River.

Warriors coach Kevin DeBoer, who lives near a creek that flows into the river, had to sleep two nights away from home because a portion of his 800-foot driveway was under about three feet of water.

And Waupun junior shortstop/pitcher Bo Miles was excused from Sunday's practice in part because he was still confined to his home, but also because he wanted to help a neighbor save his.

So for about five hours that night, he was among those tossing 50 50-pound sandbags between the threatened house and a backyard that, Miles said, had his 5-foot-10 frame standing in chest-high water.

That's a Brett Christopherson column, by the way.

Division 3 semifinal: La Crosse Aquinas 13, Fond du Lac Springs 0

Aquinas' Zach Rickaway had some impressive pitching numbers entering the WIAA state baseball tournament: a 10-0 record, six complete games, 75 strikeouts in 51-plus innings and an ERA of 1.23.

Division 3 semifinal: Marathon 7, St. Croix Central 2

Marathon's David Schreier scattered three hits and struck out 11 and the Red Raiders scored six runs over the fourth and fifth innings in their victory over St. Croix Central at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute on Wednesday.

Division 4 semifinal: Catholic Central 2, De Soto 1

The Hilltoppers, who started the season 1-8, won seven of their next nine and took third in the Midwest Classic Conference. Burlington Catholic Central entered the state tournament with a 12-12 record.

Division 4 semifinal: Rosholt 7, Bruce 6

A successful sixth-inning squeeze bunt proved to be the difference-maker as Rosholt (19-6) edged previously unbeaten Bruce (24-1) in a WIAA Division 4 semifinal.

It's Championship Thursday today. The Division 4 game is going on right now.