Brillion, Reedsville win regional titles

By David Nordby

The Brillion News

BRILLION – Joe Shimek, Chase Braun and Landon Mathes all had two RBIs, and the Lions clinched a WIAA Division 3 regional championship with a 7-4 win over Bonduel on Wednesday.

“It feels great. It’s great to be able to know that us as seniors and the whole team achieved something this season after a tough loss for conference,” Mathes said.  

The Lions are 23-4 overall with the 23 wins setting a new program record.

“We have great kids. They do things the right way, and not that you need validation or a plaque, but it’s sure nice to get something that says, hey, this team did this,” Coach Chad Shimek.

The Lions earned the title, twice overcoming being behind on the scoreboard.

Aiden Hillsberg scored in the second inning after tagging up to make it 1-0 in favor of Bonduel. Beckett Hartlaben hit a solo home run to right field in the third inning to make it 2-0.

Then it was Brillion’s turn. In the bottom of the third, Braun doubled to score Shimek then Mathes doubled to score Braun to tie the game.

Hartlaben batted in Hillsberg in the fourth inning to give Bonduel a 3-2 lead but that was gone by the end of the inning after Brillion loaded the bases and Shimek and Braun each forced walks to bring runs home.

Mathes pitched the first four innings of the game and Braun pitched the final three. Braun had four strikeouts.

To get to Wednesday, the Lions beat Algoma 9-1 in the regional semifinal on Tuesday. Shimek pitched the full game and had five strikeouts. The offense totaled 13 hits with Mathes and Hayden Cousin each batting in two runs.

As the team has all season, the Lions got hits from across the lineup and were led by strong pitching with efficient defense in both games.

This season has been a testament to the depth the team has.

“We’ve got guys on the bench that are good players. All around the lineup, we have guys. They’ve put the time in,” Coach Shimek said.

Brillion will play No. 1 Kewaunee (27-0) in the sectional semifinal on Tuesday in Crivitz at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the sectional championship the same day, scheduled for 4 p.m.

Panthers Go Back-to-Back

It’s back-to-back regional championships for Reedsville.

The Panthers took care of No. 6 Central Wisconsin Christian with an 8-1 win to earn a WIAA Division 4 regional title on Wednesday. They beat No. 7 Hilbert 1-0 on Tuesday to advance.

Reedsville will play No. 4 Green Lake/Princeton in the sectional semifinal on Tuesday at 11 p.m. at Pecatonia. Green Lake/Princeton beat No. 1 Lourdes Academy 11-4 on Wednesday to earn their regional title.

Additional baseball coverage will be featured in the print edition of The Brillion News.