The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton Bulldogs reached their season-long goal of attending the Baseball State tournament after winning the Section 1A Championship. After a warm sendoff from Janesville on June 10, the Bulldogs traveled to St. Cloud for the State Class A Quarterfinal on Thursday, June 11th. The game had all the drama worthy of a playoff match, but only one team could advance to the Semifinal. After a great rally in the sixth inning and a final chance for glory in the seventh, the JWP Bulldogs were defeated 4-3.
Early morning showers and an overcast sky greeted the Bulldogs as they warmed up on the grass of Joe Faber Field, home of the St. Cloud Rox. Their opponents were the number two seed Red Lake County Rebels. Both teams’ main color was blue, so the stands were full of supporters whose team affiliation could be determined by the side they sat on and the amount of Bulldog gear they wore. Packs of JWP fans were in attendance, ready to cheer on the boys as they made their first-ever State appearance.
The Bulldogs put up a valiant effort against a team known for bringing in more runs than other teams could handle. The Rebels overwhelmed opponents throughout their undefeated run in the Section 8A tournament. Defensively, the Bulldogs might have held off more runs from the Rebels had Mother Nature not rained down as hard as she did. Three runs from the opposition came in at the bottom of the second; a would-be single turned into a double as Quast slipped while trying to field the ball in center field. The fourth run for the Rebels was allowed in the third inning, and that was all the Bulldogs were willing to give up. Chase Gerdts had the start on the mound and struck out seven batters over six strong innings.
As the game reached its twilight, the Bulldogs attempted to bite back with the heart of its lineup in the top of the sixth. Following a single and two walks, the bases were loaded with players hungry for a chance to cross the plate. The JWP faithful began barking and howling from the stands as Gavin Bauer dug in. Unaffected by the gravity of the moment, Bauer blasted a fly ball that no Rebel could field properly, scoring three runs to trim the lead to one. A one-two-three bottom half provided another wave of Bulldog pride from the crowd and the momentum seemed to favor JWP. Despite a hardfought effort that had runners on the corners with two outs, a groundout by Peterson delivered the final—heartbreaking—out to seal a 4-3 defeat in the opening round.
Following the game, Coach Cory Jewison reflected on the defensive battle against the Rebels, “They did a great job fighting out there against a team we know can hit.” He extended praise to Gerdts’ resilience on the mound after giving up early runs, “He fought back after giving up some early runs, and our guys played hard behind him.” Though the opening round of State didn’t turn in his team’s favor, Jewison remained proud of his squad, “I was so proud of how we responded late…they have to be proud of themselves for how we pushed the defending State champs.”
Moving into the consolation bracket, JWP faced the Brandon/Evansville (BRND) Chargers the following day.
The bitter sting of opening-round defeats fueled the bats of both teams in the early innings. The Bulldogs scored four runs to take an early lead. A leadoff single by Quast set the tone, and his swiftness on the basepaths notched the first score. A hit-by-pitch (HBP) by Gerdts led to back-to-back liners by Wandrie and Geariety to drive in three more.
BRND responded in the bottom of the second with two runs to cut the deficit in half; however, the Bulldogs bit back in the top of the third with two runs of their own. Upon a meeting between officials, the official score was corrected to 5-2 before play resumed, and JWP soon added to their lead off a bases-loaded walk.
In a sudden overcharge of power, the Chargers seized control of the contest with a four-run burst in the bottom half of the inning. Four straight hits—including two doubles—turned a 6-2 JWP lead into a tense battle. JWP had an opportunity to escape a two-out, bases-loaded jam, until a hit batsman and a sliced single past shortstop swung momentum in the Chargers’ favor, resulting in a 7-6 lead.
As the Bulldogs returned to the dugout, the fighting spirit appeared to diminish. A three-and-out in the next frame, followed by back-to-back three-run innings by the Chargers, revealed a stark and thudding reality. JWP showed a second wind in the top of the sixth. A wild pitch scored Peterson, and a sacrifice fly by Dahlberg brought the score to 13-8; however, the Chargers tacked on two more runs in the bottom frame to secure a convincing 15-8 victory over the Bulldogs.
While their State experience may not have had the storybook ending they had hoped for, the Bulldog baseball boys achieved their season-long goal of becoming Section 1A champions. After a flawless run in the Section 1A tournament, the Bulldogs earned the school’s first-ever appearance at the State baseball tournament. In a school year that has featured historic State appearances in basketball and golf, the baseball team’s inclusion in this exclusive club shines brightly. It takes a dedicated group of nine players working in unison to succeed in baseball—a sport where one error, one pitch, or a single hit can define a game or a season. This postseason run may well serve as a catalyst to further greatness for the Bulldog baseball program; as is so often the case, some of the greatest teams require postseason pain to reach new heights.
The JWP seniors may have wanted to advance further in the bracket, but the historic milestones they helped achieve this season will have a lasting impact on their underclassmen and future generations of Bulldogs.
