STURGEON BAY – Peshtigo had already been through this twice.
Sevastopol handled the Bulldogs 6-1 and 10-2 during the regular season, putting up runs in bunches and leaving Peshtigo searching for answers. So when the ninth-seeded Bulldogs returned to Sturgeon Bay for a WIAA regional opener Thursday, May 28, they arrived with something extra.
There was a little frustration. A little confidence. And, according to coach Nick Bloch, a chip on their shoulder.
Peshtigo turned that edge into one of its biggest wins of the season, knocking off No. 8 Sevastopol 5-2 to extend the careers of a senior-heavy roster and earn a shot at top-seeded Kewaunee.
“Yeah, they had our number in conference play,” Bloch said of last Thursday’s opponent. “They’re a really good team. They have some really good pitchers and during the year they just put the ball in play on us and put up a lot of runs, so we had a little chip on our shoulder today.”
The Bulldogs looked ready from the opening inning.
Lincoln Nemec ripped a first-inning RBI double to score Elliott Proft and stake Peshtigo to an early 1-0 lead. Proft later doubled and scored again in the third as the Bulldogs built a 2-0 advantage.
At the center of it all was Braydon Denowski, who battled through traffic for 5⅓ innings on the mound.
Denowski scattered seven hits, allowed two runs, one earned, walked one and struck out four, repeatedly escaping trouble against a Sevastopol lineup that threatened to break through multiple times.
In the first inning, Denowski stranded a runner at second after striking out a batter to end the frame. He escaped another jam in the fourth after the Pioneers loaded the bases, with Peshtigo turning a key defensive play behind him to preserve the shutout.
“Deno did awesome,” Bloch said. “Every time I asked him if he had more in him, he told me yeah.”
Bloch credited a more disciplined offensive approach for helping flip the script after the earlier losses.
“Last time we were here, we were swinging at good pitches, swinging at bad pitches,” Bloch said. “Today we had good approaches at the plate, a lot better than the first couple games. We made them throw to us, swinging at pitches we could handle and do damage with.”
Peshtigo added breathing room in the fifth when Bryce Heroux scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0.
After Sevastopol scratched across a run in the bottom half, Heroux delivered perhaps the biggest swing of the game in the sixth, tripling to score Jacob Paris and push the lead to 4-1.
The senior admitted the moment felt especially good after a recent dry spell at the plate.
“Good,” Heroux said of the triple. “I’ve been in a slump lately. I don’t know the last time I got a hit, it’s been a while.”
The game nearly unraveled in the bottom of the sixth.
Sevastopol cut the lead to 4-2 and loaded the bases with one out, forcing Bloch to make the move to Heroux on the mound. The right-hander walked into a pressure-packed situation and responded by striking out the next two hitters to strand all three runners.
Bloch saw the look before Heroux even entered.
“Asked Heroux if he was up to it and he just shook his head,” Bloch said. “No words came out of his mouth. He was just ready to go.”
Peshtigo added insurance in the seventh when David Keske delivered an RBI single, then Heroux finished it in emphatic fashion, striking out the side to close the game.
What was going through his mind?
“Get them out,” Heroux said. “Strike them out. Go right after them.”
For Bloch, the win meant more than simply advancing.
With eight seniors on the roster and no guarantees beyond a looming matchup with powerhouse Kewaunee, Thursday offered something meaningful.
“I think so,” Bloch said when asked if the season was already a success. “Just having this team that we do, we have eight seniors, and to begin playoffs with this type of game, it’s awesome.”
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