Recap
Turtle Lake, WI — Tomahawk kept their season alive heading into the Memorial Day weekend with a road playoff win against three-seed Clayton/Turtle Lake, 6-5 on Thursday (May 25).
Having just won their first game of the season on Monday (May 22), the Hatchets led wire-to-wire against Clayton/Turtle Lake, jumping on starter Matt Brendenmuchl for four runs in the top of the first inning. Addison Peissig led off with a hit, stole second and went to third on a one-out single by Tyler Jablonski. After Zack Friske popped out for the second out, four consecutive hits plated all four runs - Brody Rigney, Cooper Hetzel, Monty Framke and Brayden Larson combined to stake Tomahawk to a lead they never relinquished.
The Hatchets would extend the lead to six-nothing on a two-run home run by Jablonski in the second - a tally that proved to be just enough offense for Tomahawk to secure a playoff win for the first time since 2016.
Larson started on the mound for the Hatchets, covering five and two-thirds innings, walking three and striking out eight and helping the Tomahawk defense avoid the big inning, something that has challenged the Hatchets all season. Hetzel closed out the sixth with the tying and go-ahead runners on base with a strikeout, and Jablonski saved it in the seventh, recording two strikeouts while stranding the tying run at second base as Friske ran down a deep fly ball in centerfield for the final out.
The season continues on Tuesday (May 30) with a regional semifinal game at Phillips.