2014 Brauers Beat Brookside for the 2014 Northeast Wisconsin Title

Northeast Wisconsin MSBL

Neenah Brauers 7, Brookside Baseball Club 2

Submitted by Joe Viau, Northeast Wisconsin League president.Neenah Brauers won their second Northeast Wisconsin MSBL Championship in the past three years, beating the defending champions, the Brookside Baseball Club. Last year these same two teams squared off in the championship series, with Brookside coming out on top. The Brauers, managed by Jason Stevens, were able to win the Paul Deal Memorial Trophy back this year with great pitching and hitting.

In game one, the Brauers were able to capitalize on some mistakes by Brookside to put up five runs. Jonathan Novas had a double, a triple and three runs scored to lead the offense. Juan Ramos pitched eight innings and allowed three runs, one earned, while striking out 10 batters. Novas closed out the game with three strikeouts.

In game two, Brookside got the best of the Brauers with a five run fifth inning, going ahead 7-4. Brookside put up another three runs in the seventh, but in the bottom half of the inning the Brauers got two runs back to bring the score to 10-6. In the bottom of the ninth, the Brauers scored two runs with two outs on doubles by Jason Stevens and Aaron Roberts and a single by Juan Alcala. There were runners on first and third after another single by Rudy Solis when Jim Nettekoven hit a ball deep into the left center field gap. Brookside’s manager Justin Sutrick made the catch, and held onto the ball after colliding with the left fielder, to end the game with a 10-8 final score. Jason Stevens and Aaron Roberts each had four hits for the Brauers (two doubles for Stevens and three doubles for Roberts). Brookside’s offense was led by Mike Hillberg, who had a single, double and home run.

In game three the Brauers were able to capitalize on an error to put up three runs in the first inning. Additional runs were tacked on in the third, fourth, seventh and ninth innings. Brookside was threatening in the sixth with the bases loaded and no outs when Rudy Solis caught a fly ball in center and gunned down the runner trying to score from third. Juan Alcala went the distance on the mound and was able to hold the Brookside hitters to just two runs by striking out nine batters and scattering eight hits. The Brauers’ had six batters with two hits apiece: Jonathan Novas, Jason Stevens, Rudy Solis (1 double), Jim Nettekoven, Nick Altobelli and Derek Phillips. The Brauers pounded out 15 hits total in the 7-2 win.