OSHKOSH – There is a danger in tournament play in which a tough loss one night can carry over to the team's next game.
The Oshkosh Legion baseball team experienced that Thursday evening.
Less than 24 hours after a devastating ninth-inning loss to Neenah, Oshkosh took the field again in the Class AAA regional tournament at E.J. Schneider Field and failed to score a run for the first time all season.
The 6-0 loss to Fond du Lac officially ended the team's season, but head coach Brian Burgert believes that it was the gut-wrenching 6-5 defeat the night before that may have determined his team's fate.
The biggest thing missing from the Oshkosh effort against Fond du Lac was the timely hit.
Oshkosh left 12 runners on base against Fond du Lac — it also had 12 left on base Wednesday — and was never able to get that run-producing to hit to possibly open the flood gates.
It was an Oshkosh error that opened the door for Fond du Lac to take the lead.
A one-out throwing error by Penzenstadler in the bottom of the third inning was followed three hits, a fielder's choice and two walks, as Fond du Lac took a 3-0 lead on starter Jackson Schroeder.
Fond du Lac would then all but seal the win in the bottom of the sixth when it started the inning with two triples and a double and got a sacrifice fly from Ryan Norton off reliever Austin Fox to take the six-run lead.
Jordan Roen finished 2-for-5 for Oshkosh and Mitch Peterson picked up a double, but the team managed just seven hits in the game.
WP: Josh Ditter (7 IP, 4 BBs, 3 Ks). LP: Jackson Schroeder (4 IP, 2 BBs, 1 K).
Leading hitters: OSH – Jordan Roen 2x5, Mitch Peterson 2B. FON – Jack Cole 2x4, 2B, RBI; Reggie Hernandez 2x4, RBI; Luke Gellings 3B; Christian Arthurs 3B, RBI; Carver Nolan 2B, RBI.