When this week started, Brookfield East baseball coach Tim Granger thought there was only a slim chance of the Spartans sweeping their pivotal three-game set with powerful Menomonee Falls.
But when Jake Schaffhauser's linedrive bases-loaded single scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh off Indian ace Ben Burns Thursday night, giving East a 4-3 win, the Spartans had done just that, completing their third straight rally against Falls and keeping them within a game of Greater Metro Conference North Division leading Brookfield Central.
"When the week began, I thought there was on a very slim chance of us doing that," Granger said. "because they're a good program. They've always been a good program. But after we won the second one (Tuesday night), we thought we could do it. We could take all three."
The win improved the Spartans to 11-4 in conference and 16-10 overall while Falls fell to 8-6 and 21-6, respectively.
For Indian coach Pat Hansen, the sweep was little short of a nightmare, as the Indians fell to third in the division. He got three straight good pitching performances against the Spartans this week, only to see costly errors and timely East hitting undo his squad.
"We just can't finish," he said. "The difference was, was that they made the plays and we didn't."
Such as was the case in the sixth, when the Spartan made it 3-2 by scoring a run on just one hit with the help of two Indian miscues.
Then when another Falls error started the East seventh and a fielder's choice on a bunt resulted in everyone being safe all-around, the Spartans saw the door open for another rally.
A well-placed sacrifice put runners on second and third with only one out. Jake Janowski then ripped a single to center and the score was tied. Kevin Sylla was intentionally walked to load the bases after notching two hits on the evening, but Schaffhauser foiled the strategy with his timely hit.
The rally made a winner of sophomore Brian Sylla (five strikeouts, three walks and one hit by pitch) and a loser out of Burns (three strikeouts and two walks).
Falls had grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third on a throwing error off a stolen base and a RBI groundout by Derek Schmidt. It was 3-0 in the top of the fourth after Ryan Romens stroked an RBI double down the leftfield line, but Schaffhauser made it 3-1 with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
Granger, whose team has a huge series against Central next week, saw this sweep as a season-making event.
"It was a huge series of wins for our confidence, for our morale, for the school," he said. "...The kids are starting to believe."
For Hansen, it's a different picture.
"At the beginning of the season, I thought six or seven losses might win it," he said. "We still have a chance, but we have a lot of work to do."
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