Westminster falls in regional baseball title game
Alden-Hebron pitcher Mark Winkelman is the real deal.
Westminster Christian struck out 11 times and recorded just 1 hit as No. 1 seeded Alden-Hebron took a 3-1 victory for the Class 1A Westminster Christian baseball regional championship Saturday. This was the third time the two teams have met in the IHSA postseason, but the first time the Creighton-bound Winkelman took the mound.
"He did a good job, but I don't think we made enough adjustments," Warriors coach Jeff Moeller said. "We didn't stay aggressive at the plate."
Winkelman (9-1) also had the advantage of playing with a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Zak Engelnrecht (3-for-3, 2B, RBI) smacked a one-out double off Westminster starter Brandon Siewert (9-4). He would score on 1 of the Warriors' 3 errors on the day.
With the lead, Winkelman did not allow a runner past first base for 4 2/3 innings. It wasn't until Siewert walked with two outs in the fourth that Westminster had a baserunner. And as soon as they did, the Warriors took advantage.
Siewert scored when Brandon Wiengartner slammed an RBI triple to deep right. The triple was the lone hit of the day for the Warriors, who finish the season 26-9.
"He's a good pitcher," Siewert said of Winkelman. "This is the first time we've seen him in regionals. He has a good curve ball."
The Giants (21-4) extended their lead to 3-0 after scoring a pair of runs off Kevin Elder in the third. Leadoff hitter Shane Engelnrecht (2-for-3, run, 3B, 2B) smacked a triple to right field to open the inning. Zak Engelnrecht promptly brought him home with an RBI single a batter later.
Winkelman added the final run when he scored off Dilan Erath's RBI single with two outs, giving the Giants a 3-0 advantage going into the fifth.
Westminster did get a pair of baserunners in the fifth thanks to 2 errors from Alden- Hebron. Ryan Perez reached third in the inning, but Winkelman struck out Zach Holmer to end the inning.
"I like to mix it up," said Winkelman. "I had a lot of Adrenalin going into the first few innings."
The Warriors advanced to Saturday's championship game after playing an additional inning from Thursday's semifinal against North Shore Country Day. Suspended after 11 innings, Westminster wasted little time. After Siewert retired the first 3 batters, the Warriors won 6-5 when Steve Berglund drew a bases-loaded walk to bring Joe McGannon home. Siewert picked up the win.