The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton baseball team is having its best season in years.
Now they’re making history as the Section 1A champions.
With their 3-2 victory over #1 New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva at Riverland College in Austin on Tuesday, June 2, the team will participate in the state tournament next week, starting on June 11. This is the first time in the baseball team’s history that they have made the state tournament.
“I’m proud of these boys,” said Head Coach Cory Jewison. “They play so well as a team.”
Before talking about that game, let’s go over their semifinal game against Southland at Riverland on Saturday, May 30.
Bulldogs 4, Rebels 3
What may be helping this team in this run is knowing that they can beat any team they face. The only team they didn’t face before the playoffs, Schaeffer Academy, ended up being a cakewalk for them. And Lyle-Pacelli, who had upset them 13-2 earlier in the season, was sent to the elimination bracket after the Bulldogs defeated them in five innings.
The Southland Rebels were a team that JWP faced a few weeks before the section tournament, defeating them at home 4-0. All four runs were in the first inning.
This time, however, the offense was steadier. After a scoreless first, starting pitcher Ayden Peterson had initially walked one at the top of the second, but two strikeouts and a throw from him to first baseman Blayne Wandrie made it a quick three outs for the Bulldogs. Seth Dahlberg started the bats, hitting a line drive past second base for a single. Yale Johnson had a flyout, and Michael Walker (who was a courtesy runner for Dahlberg) barely made it to third base. But a shot at left field by Wandrie gave the team its first run of the game.
The third inning started great for JWP defensively, but a triple by the Rebels made things dicey. However, third baseman Jaxon Wolff saw the runner head home, and he made a quick throw to Dahlberg for the out, preventing the score.
Peterson walked to start the bottom of the third. Chase Gerdts seemed to pick the spot he wanted to hit at for most of the game: just out of reach of the Southland first baseman. He challenged him for the first time in this inning. Dahlberg walked, and although Walker (courtesy) was out on a Gavin Bauer single, Peterson made it home to make it 2-0.
The officials called a balk on Peterson to start the fourth inning, but he recovered with another two strikeouts. After Peterson walked one, Parker Geariety at second threw to Wandrie for the third out. It didn’t look promising for the Bulldogs at first with Wandrie and Geariety out to start the bottom of the fourth, but a single by Blake Bure (and a stolen base) helped the team get back its momentum. A double by Caleb Quast brought Bure home, and Gerdts once again hit the ball just below and to the right of the Rebels’ first baseman, getting Quast home for the 4-0 lead.
Southland had been threatening to break the JWP defense all game. Peterson threw a strikeout, followed by hitting a Rebels player at the plate. A shot toward Caleb Quast looked like it could get the Rebels their first run of the game. But Quast’s cannon arm to home beat the runner. However, Southland finally broke through with two runs. Gerdts was brought in to close the game after that to relieve Peterson. After one more run, JWP tried to get some momentum back on offense, but two quick outs and another strikeout made it 4-3.
In the sixth inning, Wandrie caught two balls for an out, and Gerdts collected a strikeout for a quick top of the sixth. Sadly, the bottom was just as quick, as Bure was the only one who got on base with a walk. Quast was called out on a 50/50 play at first base, and Peterson struck out.
The Bulldogs kept their composure, though. A scoop and tag by Wandrie at first, followed by a Gerdts strikeout, set up the final out of the game. They just needed one. Gerdts walked one, and another Rebels player earned a single. It also looked like a deep shot at right field would be trouble thanks to the wind. But Gavin Bauer caught the ball to help JWP escape with the 4-3 win.
It may have kept JWP fans on the edge of their seats, but to the casual baseball fan, it was a great back-and-forth. Southland faced NRHEG after the Panthers defeated Lewiston-Altura in the elimination bracket 6-0, and the Rebels lost a close one 5-4.
Bulldogs 3, Panthers 2
The first game that JWP played against NRHEG was as close as this one. However, as pitcher and senior captain Chase Gerdts pointed out, it was a different game.
“We were playing in 40-degree weather,” Gerdts said. “So, it was harder for either team to get anything going on offense.”
“We knew they were going to hit much better,” said fellow senior captain Caleb Quast.
They were right to assume that. New Richland was out on their first try at an offensive play, but a single by the Panthers helped them get a good start. Sophomore shortstop Blake Bure had some issues handling the ball. But to be fair, so did NRHEG later in the game. Maybe someone put grease on the baseballs?
Gerdts walked one in a bases-loaded situation, which led to NRHEG’s first run of the game. The Bulldogs got out of the inning with two errors. Some have suggested that JWP should try hitting the ball on the first pitch. Perhaps Quast took that advice, because he ended up whacking it on the first try, and it skipped over the head of the Panthers’ first baseman. Quast stole to second after a dropped ball by the NRHEG catcher. Ayden Peterson attempted a bunt, but despite two NRHEG players going after the ball and falling over each other, one of them ended up with the ball in their glove.
After a 1-0 lead for NRHEG, it was a quiet two innings. In the top of the second, Gerdts got all the outs via two strikeouts and a catch. However, Jaxon Wolff was the only one with a successful hit at the bottom of the inning, and he was caught stealing.
The third inning was much of the same. A single by NRHEG, followed by a Gerdts strikeout and two outs at first, ended the top of the third quickly, while JWP threatened to score again but fell just shy at the bottom of it.
Coach Jewison acknowledged that the team had some jitters, but he commended their work to get into the game. They scored three runs in the fourth, which ended up being the difference. Junior Blayne Wandrie started the scoring with a double, with Parker Geariety getting him home off his single. Wolff got on base with a single, and he and Geariety got home off a deep shot into the outfield by Quast.
“For those boys to be down 1-0 and to fight back with three runs…it was one of our best moments, bar none,” Jewison said.
NRHEG didn’t answer back until the sixth inning, when they strung together a few plays for a run. Most teams would panic after two straight flyouts at the bottom of the sixth, followed by having to defend a one-run lead in the final inning. But not JWP. Bure caught the ball for the first out, and Quast caught the following two to seal the game.
These two teams are bitter conference and section rivals. But it was a special moment for NRHEG, as local legend Jeff Reese, who coached some fantastic Panther baseball teams, and the coaches embraced him and gave him a medal during the presentation of the section titles.
“I give them all the credit in the world,” Jewison said. “They’re a young and very talented team. They’re going to be a force and a difficult team to face for the next few years.”
JWP may be that as well, though. This team has had a chance to bond quite a bit in the past few years, starting with their spring break trips to Vero Beach, FL, where they had the chance to train at a professional baseball facility and sharpen their skills. This season has brought them closer together.
“The trip really helped us with the team bonding,” Jewison explained. “They’re a close group because of it.”
Junior captain Seth Dahlberg also said it was beneficial for them. “It was great for us catchers and pitchers because it helped us get ready for the season.”
“It gave us a chance to play some baseball earlier than some other teams and try new things,” Gerdts said.
What could give them an advantage at the state is that they play as a team and have fun doing it. It’s not just a few players contributing, but everyone has a role. Whether it’s Blake Bure making a catch, Gavin Bauer providing a clutch hit for a walk-off victory, or Ayden Peterson pitching a gem of a game, the team finds ways to win from all sources. Jewison highlighted Wandrie’s hit to left field, which started the three-run inning that ultimately helped them win the game.
“That’s the biggest thing for us coaches, is telling them to play their game and have fun,” Jewison shared. “I’m proud of every one of these guys. Whether it’s role players, bench players, the managers, or the starters…they all played their own role, and they fought. They did such an awesome job.”
The team will have over a week off to prepare for the Class A state tournament. They will start on Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud on Thursday, June 11. If they win their first game, they will continue to play at Joe Faber Field. If they lose, they will play in the consolation bracket on Friday, June 12, at Cold Spring Baseball Park. The state championship will be at Target Field on Monday, June 15.
