A blistering hot Sunday afternoon on the peninsula played host to arguably the most dramatic week of results in the Door County Baseball League. One of those games that were closer than many people may have thought took place in the Town of Institute, as the Institute Cubs were looking for their first win of the season against Sister Bay.
The Bays were on the road for the first time in three weeks after having three consecutive home games at Sister Bay Sports Complex. Their offense in the first inning had been elite as of the past few weeks, and it did not stop against Institute. Stew Larsen would reach on a walk, then catch Arthuer Hocevar sleeping behind home plate with a stolen base. Spencer Krause would then take the first pitch he saw from Cubs starter Sig Hansen out to deep left-center field for a 2-Run Home Run to quickly put up another crooked number in the first inning for the Bays.
Institute's offense, however, would kick itself into gear after being blanked by Maplewood the week before, as four singles in the first off of Sam Forkert would have Sam Zirbel come around to score to cut the lead in half to 2-1. Although the runs did not come with the success at the plate, the Cubs were able to hit around the left-hander Forkert throughout the first few innings. Institute would leave the bases loaded in the second and a runner on third in the third, stranded, but put up 8 hits through the first three innings.
Sig Hansen would begin to settle in and slow down the Sister Bay offense until the fifth inning, when the Cubs only trailed 2-1 and felt like they were within striking distance of a major upset. A walk and an error would have two runners on, and a Tom Sawyer single would load the bases up with one out. Stew Larsen would hit a ball on the ground, and legged out an RBI fielder's choice by half a step, avoiding the double play, and giving his Bays a 3-1 lead. After the Bays added two more, Sig Hansen's day would finish in the 6th, allowing five runs, but only four of them earned.
Sam Forkert would allow three runs in the 6th inning off of an RBI single from Robby Pollman and a 2-RBI double from Quin Schram, who had a fantastic 3-for-5 day at the plate. Forkert would allow an uncharacteristic 14 hits on his afternoon, mostly pitching for contact in the latter half of his outing. The first 12 hits for the Cubs were all singles, and the Cubs did not have an extra-base hit until the 2-RBI double from Schram.
With the score at a tightly contested 5-4, Cubs fans in attendance could smell an upset. Matt Hecht would come in relief and shut those dreams down, retiring 8 of the nine batters he faced. Sister Bay would add some insurance in the ninth inning, which would lead us to our final at 7-4. Sister Bay improves its record to 7-2, as Institute still looks for its first win at 0-9.
