GRAND CHUTE – Seymour baseball coach Curt Jefson sensed his players were nervous entering the first state game in program history on June 18.
It didn’t look like it.
Timely hitting, solid pitching and flawless defense led Seymour to a 5-2 win over La Crosse Aquinas in a WIAA Division 2 state semifinal at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.
The Thunder (26-3) will play New Berlin Eisenhower (23-5) in the title game at 3 p.m. June 19.
“Felt confident,” said Seymour junior right-hander Xavier Salzman, who earned the win after allowing two runs on one hit and striking out five in five innings. “We all trust each other and what we can do on the field. … I felt great. I had a week off, so arm is all nice and refreshed. I let my defense do my work. I just put it down the middle and let them do it all for me.”
The only rough inning for Seymour came during the bottom of the second after it had taken a 1-0 lead in the top half of the frame.
Salzman allowed the first two runners to reach second and third, and then after striking out Landon Teachout swinging, he threw a wild pitch that allowed Isaac Schelfhout to score while advancing Waylon Hargrove to third.
Hargrove, who started the game on the mound for Aquinas, scored a short time later on a sacrifice fly to center that put his team up 2-1.
No worries for Seymour.
It tied the score in the third inning, in part because of some shaky defense by the Blugolds.
With a runner on third and one out, Salzman hit a pop up in front of first base and in foul territory. But instead of being caught by either the first baseman or pitcher, the ball fell in between them.
Hargrove hit Salzman on the next pitch, and after getting the second out on a grounder right back to the mound, he walked two straight batters to force in a run.
The score remained tied until the fifth, when a single to center by Seymour outfielder Carson Staffeldt scored his brother, Cayden Staffeldt, in what turned out to be the game-winning RBI.
Salzman gave his team some insurance runs the following inning with a single to left that knocked in two runs and gave Seymour a three-run advantage.
With Salzman at 86 pitches, and with just 14 left before he would have been required to be taken out because of the WIAA’s 100-pitch rule, Seymour turned to senior right-hander Colten Nieland to get the final six outs.
Salzman has become the Thunder’s ace throughout the season, and he gave his team the type of start needed to beat an Aquinas squad that won the D3 state championship in 2024 before being elevated to D2 this year.
“He pitched outstanding, just pitched outstanding,” Jefson said. “I asked him if he got another inning in him, and he said, ‘I don’t know, I’m exhausted, Coach.’ So, he gave us everything he had, and then Colten came in and closed the door. It’s kind of been our recipe this playoffs.”
The Blugolds made things interesting in the sixth, putting runners on second and third with one out.
But Nieland came up big, getting Hargrove out on a hit back to the mound that he fielded with a nice sliding grab, before getting Teachout on a flyout to center to end the threat.
Nieland allowed the leadoff batter to reach in the seventh, but a pop out and two strikeouts later, the Thunder was celebrating a trip to the title game.
Seymour had 11 hits and zero errors, beating an Aquinas team that had almost as many errors (2) as hits (3).
“That’s been the strength of our team all year, our defense has just been outstanding,” Jefson said.
Seymour now faces a New Berlin Eisenhower team that has been almost as hot as it in recent weeks, winning 13 of its last 14 games.
The Thunder was ranked No. 2 in the state in D2 at the end of the season, while the Lions were No. 5.
Seymour will attempt to win the seventh team state boys title in school history, joining basketball (1997, 2001, 2006), football (1985), track and field (1981) and golf (2025).
“You know, I told the boys that after today, the best news is that we get to have one more practice,” Jefson said. “It’s been a very special ride with these guys. (The title game) is going to be a special game. We are going to be ready to play. I just can’t wait to see how well we do.”
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Seymour baseball marches into WIAA D2 title game with 5-2 win over La Crosse Aquinas
Reporting by Scott Venci, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
