SHEBOYGAN,WIS.-Though they were in an, admittedly, good position after a win on the opening day of the NCBA District V Regional, the Wisconsin Division II club baseball team still had work to do when they took the field for day two.
A win, and the Badgers were off to the championship on Sunday morning. A loss, and they would be forced to play for their tournament lives in an elimination game approximately an hour later.
Wisconsin proved to be up to the occasion, but no one delivered a more timely performance than starting pitcher Logan August.
August pitched a no-hitter and, in-turn, keyed a 2-0 Badgers’ victory over Lakehead Saturday afternoon at Wildwood Baseball Park.
The sophomore right-hander silenced the Thunderwolves’ bats with a six strikeout performance and a strong supporting cast.
“I have a fastball and a slider. I like to mix it up a lot-mixed in a changeup today,” August said. “What I was just trying to do was throw a lot of first-pitch strikes. Once you get that first one in, they don’t know what’s coming. You can really have a little bit of fun with them.”
Offensively, UW scraped together just three hits in the first three innings, but a Lakehead error and a clutch run-scoring double from Adam Rubatt helped the Badgers assume a 1-0 edge in the bottom of the third.
When August came back out for the fourth inning, he began to realize the magnitude of the situation.
“It kind of got real in the fourth inning. I started thinking about it a little bit,” August said. “As a pitcher, when you have a not hitter, you’re trying not to think about it. You want to stay cool.”
Per baseball tradition, his teammates gave him plenty of time to “stay cool,” largely avoiding him while he wasn’t on the mound.
“Everyone was kind of hesitant to talk to me,” August said with a smile while firmly clutching a game ball in his right hand. “They were on the left side, I was on the right side of the dugout. I think everybody kind of had it in mind that something was going on.”
For a fleeting moment, the no-no appeared to be in jeopardy. With two outs in the top of the sixth, a line drive toward the left field line looked like it was earmarked for trouble. But third baseman Sean Blythe climbed the ladder and snatched the hot shot, ending the inning.
“Great plays, great defense all-around,” August said of his teammates. “It was a great team effort. We got some clutch hits too in that last inning.”
Griffin Rear provided some insurance for Bucky and company with an RBI-single in the sixth.
With two down in the top of the seventh August was as focused as ever, even while on the cusp of such a rare feat.
“I was just zoned,” August said. “I was just like, ‘I’m not going to let this last guy ruin this.’”
After the final out was recorded, a special scene played out. A scene that is seen so often, yet is somehow unique every time it occurs. The dugout explodes. The players hop the top railing in a rush to offer their congratulations. The catcher comes sprinting out to his pitcher to share an embrace near the mound, followed by plenty of high fives, fist bumps, and hugs between teammates.
While August clearly enjoyed every second of it, the fact that his team won, was far more important to him.
“The most important thing was getting that win, though,” August said. “If that guy would have gotten a hit, but we still would have won the game, I would have been fine with it, to be honest with you. “
The Badgers will face Minnesota State-Moorhead in the championship at 9 a.m. Sunday. Since UW is 2-0 on the weekend, the Dragons must win two games on Sunday in order to win the regional. Wisconsin, on the other hand, only needs one win to punch its ticket to Kentucky.
Wisconsin downed Moorhead 6-2 on Friday.
“We’re in the driver’s seat. We’re the home team in the next game. That team is going to have to come out and beat us, twice,” August said. “I think we’re looking good right now.”
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