WIOTA –Wiota went on a hit parade over the weekend, bashing out 31 hits and plating 22 runs on the way to a pair of Home Talent League Western Section victories on back-to-back days at Wiota Park.
    The Indians (6-2 in Sunday League, 7-5 overall) cut down the Platteville Woodchucks, 14-8, at home on Saturday, and then came back to the park less than 24 hours later and defeated the Monroe Brewers, 8-5, to remain in the hunt for the Western Section lead.
    On Sunday afternoon, league-leading Verona (7-1) dropped its first game of the season to second-place Ridgeway (8-2) by a score of 8-7 to tighten the race in the Western Section. Wiota currently sits alone in third-place.
    At Wiota, on Saturday, June 23, three was a lucky number for the host Indians as they scored three runs in four separate innings to lumber past the Platteville Woodchucks by a score of 14-8.
    First baseman Jayson Haldiman went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, three runs batted in and a run scored, while catcher Taylor Wiegel went 3-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of runs scored to pace the Wiota attack.
    The Woodchucks (3-6) took the lead with a run in the top of the first inning, but Wiegel put the Indians into the lead to stay with a two-run single in the home-half of the first.
    Wiota tallied three runs in the second to go ahead 5-1, then added three more insurance runs in the fourth, sixth and eighth innings to run away with the victory.
    Wiegel plated a run with a bases-loaded walk in the fourth frame and another single in the sixth, while Haldiman doubled in a pair of runs in the fourth and Brad Schliem added a RBI-double in the sixth.
    Schliem scored three times and drove in two runs for Wiota. Merrill Brunson was 3-for-6 for the Indians with two runs scored and two RBI, and Nick Flannery went 2-for-3 with a run.
    Starter Justin Doyle got the win on the mound for Wiota after working five and two-thirds innings and allowing five runs on nine hits and six walks with four strikeouts. Flannery tossed the final three and a third innings to earn the save, yielding three runs on two hits and five walks with six Ks.
    At Wiota, on Sunday, June 24, first baseman Jayson Haldiman continued his torrid hitting from the day before by going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Indians over Monroe, 8-5.
    Haldiman singled in a pair of runs and came around to score on an error to highlight Wiota’s five-run outburst in the first inning.
    Merrill Brunson launched a solo home run and Matt Keister singled in another run for the Indians in the fifth inning to extend the lead to 7-1, while Haldiman ripped a lead-off double in the seventh and scored on another error to make it 8-3.
    Monroe scored a run in the eighth on back-to-back doubles by Lon Scheuerell and Adam Scherer, then opened the ninth with a lead-off single to put a scare into the Indians.
    Wiota starter Tommy Meier got the next two Brewer batters to fly out to the outfield to get within an out of a complete-game victory, but a scary thing happened next when Meier couldn’t get out of the way of a liner up the middle by Monroe’s Matt Busjahn.
    Busjahn’s shot hit off Meier’s face and sent him from the game bloodied and dazed, however he was lucky in that he was able to get a hand up fast enough to slow down the ball a bit before it hit him.
    Wade Black came in for Meier and surrendered a RBI-single to Ben Korth to make the score 8-5. The Brewers brought up the potential tying run in Scheuerell, who already had three hits in the game; but Black got the former Indian to fly out to right fielder Jason Boll to end the game.
    Meier worked eight and two-thirds solid innings to earn the win. He allowed five runs on 12 hits and just one walk, while registering six strikeouts.
    Center fielder Jeff Solberg was 2-for-5 with two runs scored and a RBI for Wiota, and Meier went 2-for-3 with a double.
    At Argyle, on Thursday, June 21, Wiota let a victory slip from their hands as the host Beavers took advantage of three errors by the Indian in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally for a 4-3 South Section Night League victory.
    The Indians (1-3 in NL) did all their scoring in the top of the second inning when Justin Doyle tripled in a run and scored on an Argyle error to put the guests ahead 3-0.
    The Beavers scratched a run in the third and another in the sixth to cut the deficit to 3-2.
    Argyle’s Justin Crotty and Cole Jordan each reached on errors to start out the seventh for the hosts, then with one down Drew Schliem executed a perfect suicide squeeze bunt to score Crotty for the tying run and Jordan came around to score the game-winner on an errant throw to third by Wiota on the play.
    Doyle finished 2-for-2 at the plate with a triple, a RBI and a run to lead the Indians.
    Wiota heads to Hollandale in Sunday League action on Sunday, July 1, beginning at 1 p.m., and the Indians will host Blanchardville in a special SL game on Wednesday, July 4, also starting at 1 p.m.
    The Indians’ Night League game against Orfordville, which was originally scheduled for June 28, will be played at the Beloit Sports Complex on Thursday, July 5, starting at 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY LEAGUE
Monroe… 010  002  011 - 5  13  7
Wiota…… 500  020  10x - 8  14  2
Leading Hitters: Jayson Haldiman 3x4, Tommy Meier 2x3, Jeff Solberg 2x5. HR- Merrill Brunson. 2B- Haldiman, T. Meier.
WP- Tommy Meier. LP- Korth.

Platteville… 101 120 300 -   8  11  2
Wiota……… 230 303 03x - 14  17  2
Leading Hitters: Jayson Haldiman 4x5, Taylor Wiegel 3x4, Merrill Brunson 3x6, Nick Flannery 2x3. 2B- Haldiman (2), Brad Schliem.
WP- Justin Doyle. LP- Ware.

NIGHT LEAGUE
Wiota…. 030  000  0 - 3  5  4
Argyle… 001  001  2 - 4  5  4
Leading Hitters: Justin Doyle 2x2. 3B- Doyle.
WP- T. Ritschard. LP- Jeff Solberg.