West Allis NATIONALS Baseball

The West Allis Nationals shook themselves from their offensive malaise Saturday as they cruised to an 11-1 and 8-0 DH sweep of the Racine Kiwanis.

Game one was a more tightly contested affair than the final score indicates.   The Nationals trailed 1-0 until the third when Jimmy Jungbauer's sacrifice fly plated Adam Karas.

That remained the score until the bottom of the fifth when the Nationals exploded for 10 runs - their biggest inning of the year - and ended the game via the mercy rule.   Jungbauer served a two run double to right center to start the rally and a two run triple to end it.   Matt Soderlund contributed a two run double, as well, and Jared Fon, Marcos Cruz, Austin James, and Kyle Kalkopf also added RBI's in the frame.

CJ Herrforth earned the win - his third of the year - with 5 efficient innings of work.   Herrforth needed just 41 pitches, allowing just one earned run on two hits.

Given that efficient performance, Herrforth was able to start game two as well.   Herrforth gave way to Curt Pryal in second and Pryal shut down the Kiwanis the rest of the way in the 8-0 game two victory.

Tyler Eikemeyer was the offensive star.   Eikemeyer knocked in 5 runs with a bases clearing double in the second and a two run single in the third.  Jared Fon, Nick Lingvay, and Marcos Cruz also contributed two hits a piece.

Next up for the Nationals are the Kenosha Bobcats.   The two teams square off in a League game on Tuesday night July 5 at Zirkel Field in West Allis.  First pitch is set for 7:30pm.

The West Allis Nationals offensive woes continued on Tuesday night as the four time defending League Champion Kenosha Kings came to Zirkel Field and shut out the Nationals 3-0.

Wasted in the effort was a strong pitching performance by Jimmy Jungbauer.  Jungbauer went 7 innings allowing only one earned run on five hits while striking out six.   Newcomer Adam Widder threw the final two frames in his Nationals debut, striking out two.

Kyle Knaust, Matt Soderlund, Danny Putnam, and Jared Fon collected the only hits of the game for the Nationals who were shut out for the third time this year in league play and fourth time overall.

The Nats next play on Saturday afternoon at New Berlin West High School.  The Racine Kiwanis will be in town to play a DH starting at 1pm.

Matt Soderlund scored from third on a passed ball in the eighth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and the Nationals held on to win, 4-3, in a non-league contest vs the Kenosha Bobcats at Simmons Field in Kenosha.

The Nats entered the eighth down a run after the Bobcats had rallied to take a 3-2 lead in the prior half inning.  Curt Pryal led off the inning with an infield single and went to second on a throwing error.  After a Jared Fon groundout, Pryal went to third on Matt Soderlund's grounder to second.   Soderlund reached base as the ball was misplayed.   Jimmy Jungbauer then singled to left on the first pitch he saw, scoring Pryal and tying the game at 3. 

Curt Pryal, in relief of starting pitcher CJ Herrforth, held down the Bobcats in the eighth and ninth innings to earn his second victory of the year.   Pryal threw the  4 innings, allowing two hits and two runs while striking out 5.

Pryal and Jungbauer led the Nationals with two hits a piece.

Next on the schedule is a league game against the division leading Kenosha Kings.   This will be the first meeting of the year between the two squads which split 6 games last year, the last three of which were in the championship series in which the Kings prevailed 2 games to one to secure their fourth consecutive league title.   First pitch will be at 7:30pm on Tuesday night at Zirkel Field in West Allis.

The West Allis Nationals combined timely hits with a couple of misplayed balls to post 6 runs in the first inning Saturday en route to an 8-1 victory over the Burlington Barons.   The league victory put the Nats alone atop the Langsdorf League, one half game ahead of the idle Kenosha Kings.

After Danny Putnam reached on a fielder's choice and went to third on a single by Curt Pryal, Jared Fon knocked in the first run of the game with a line single to left.   Matt Soderlund followed with a three-run homer to left center to put the Nats ahead 4-0.  After Kyle Knaust singled and Austin James reached on an error, Adam Karas singled to left, scoring both and giving the Nationals a cushion that would never be threatened.

Nationals pitchers Jimmy Jungbauer and Alex Kingsley were both very sharp.  Jungbauer went 5 innings to earn the win, striking out four and walking only one while Kingsley went 3 innings allowing only 2 hits and walking one.   Danny Putnam worked the ninth in his first mound outing of the year, walking in the Barons' only run of the game.

The Nats have a week long break before facing the West Allis White Sox on Saturday June 18.  The two teams will square off for a league doubleheader beginning at 2pm at New Berlin West High School.

The locals skipped batting practice on Tuesday night and the result was a 15 hit effort which carried them to a 13-3 non-league victory over the Kenosha Bobcats.

Logical, right?

The Nationals jumped early, scoring three times in first, once in the second, and six times in the third.   During that stretch, Kyle Kalkopf reached base and scored three times and Danny Putnam had three run scoring knocks - including a triple that nearly left the park.  

Every Nationals starter that played the full game - one that ended early in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Putnam - recorded at least one hit.   Matt Soderlund led the way with four safeties.   In addition to Putnam's three hits, Kyle Kalkopf, Jared Stengel, and Austin James added two a piece.

CJ Herrforth started on the mound for the Nationals.  Despite the early cushion, he struggled with command, issuing an uncharachteristic six walks in four innings of work.   Kyle Knaust earned the victory in relief throwing three perfect frames and striking out three.

Next up are the Burlington Barons in a Langsdorf League game.  The two teams will match up for a single game on Saturday at Burlington's Beaumont Field.  First pitch is set for 1pm.