Bison baseball team finding its groove

difference,” he said.

Starting pitcher Sam WendelSuppa gave up three runs in six innings in Tuesday’s 9-4 victory in the opening game of the doubleheader against Our Lady of the Lake.

The Bison helped by four walks and a hit batsman scored four times in the first inning on crisp run scoring singles from Hagen Davis and Nick Messinger.

The Lakers scored their first run in the third inning when a runner at third base came home on a wild pitch.

New Buffalo scored two more times after Vaughn Nikkel started the fourth inning with a double to center field and Ethan Lijewski followed with a

BY STAN MADDUX

hard hit single up the middle. Nikkel was driven home by Davis, who was thrown out on a ground ball he hit to the second baseman.

Lijewski crossed the plate from third base when WendelSuppa beat the throw from the catcher to steal second base.

The Bison added to their lead with three runs in the fifth inning.

Messinger reached base on a fielding error then wound up on second base from a nicely laid sacrifice bunt from Neil Johnson.

Nickel and Lijewski with two outs hit back to back triples to right field and later scored.

Lijewski pitching in relief gave up a run early in the final inning but struck out the last two batters to seal the victory.

The Bison won the second game 5-0.

Starting pitcher Gio Sanchez-Perez went the distance for New Buffalo in his shut out performance.

Lijewski said the team, with a lot of young struggling players two years ago, keeps reaping the benefits of more experience and physical maturity.

He said pitchers are throwing harder with much better control and batters are striking the ball with more authority.

Fielders are also making harder throw and covering more ground in chasing down balls.

For example, Lijewski while playing shortstop gloved a hard hit ground ball from behind second base and gunned down the runner.

Max Nikkel showing good range and quick hands caught several hard-hit ground balls at third base with sizzle on his accurate throws to first base for outs.

Sanchez twice grabbed deep fly balls after running them down while playing center field.

“Things like that are what we’ve been missing. I knew we were getting there. It’s fun to watch,” Lijewski said.

New Buffalo defeated Eau Claire 13-1 and 11-1.