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The game, which was scoreless in the bottom of the fourth with one out, will be resumed Sunday night at 7:15 in Menasha. Game three, if necessary, will be held Monday in Sheboygan.

The Manitowoc Bandits punched their ticket to the NEWL Championship series with an 8-3 win over the Appleton Legends on Saturday night in Appleton.

The best-of-three championship series will begin Tuesday night in Manitowoc.

The A’s, who are seeking their first playoff series victory since 2008, now have a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-three series.

Back-to-back RBI singles from Tim Patzman and Ryan Solberg gave Sheboygan the lead in the third inning.

The A’s blew the game wide open in the fourth with an eight-run rally that included a bases clearing double from Charlie Reschke.

Second baseman and Plymouth native Greg Rhude, who was making his playoff debut, finished the night with three hits, a walk, and two RBI. Despite having a few butterflies before the game, Rhude refused to let the bright lights of the playoffs get the best of him.

“I talked to the trainer and I told him my legs felt like jell-o,” said Rhude. “I just wanted to drive each fastball I got if it was in my zone and that is what I did.”

A’s manager Shaun Wegner was impressed with the first year second baseman’s performance.

“Greg had a great game,” said Wegner. “He’s really picked up a lot this summer and he is becoming more of a baseball player and it is really fun to watch.”

Starter Collin Weyer picked up the win for Sheboygan, scattering seven hits through six innings of work and striking out five.

“In the playoffs any game where you can get five or six good innings out of a starter, you are going to take it every time,” Wegner said. “My hat is off to Collin tonight.”

The series will continue Saturday night in Menasha. With a win, the A’s will advance to the NEWL championship series. Fans wishing to make the trek to Menasha are encouraged to meet at Wildwood Park Saturday at 5 p.m. to join in the caravan that will be heading to the game. Game time is set for 7:15 p.m.

Collin Weyer 6-2, 2.35 ERA will take to the hill for the A’s in game one which is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.

The two teams split their four regular season games, with each club winning once in Menasha and Sheboygan.

An 11 game winning streak helped the A’s edge Menasha for the second seed and home field advantage in the semifinals.

Both squads qualified for the playoffs a year ago and were eliminated in the semis. Sheboygan fell to the Appleton Legends, while Menasha lost to eventual champion Green Bay.

The two clubs last met in the playoffs in 2008 when the A’s swept the MAC’s 2-0 to advance to the championship series.

Friday will mark the fourth time in as many seasons that Sheboygan has qualified for the league playoffs. The A’s have not won a playoff series since they defeated the MAC’s in ’08.

Those who are unable to make it to the park tonight can catch an audio broadcast of the action by following this link. Pregame will start at 7:20 p.m.

Game two will take place in Menasha Saturday night, first pitch is set for 7:15. Fans who wish to caravan to the game are encouraged to gather at Wildwood Park around 5 p.m..

Game three, if necessary, will be held in Sheboygan on Sunday, game time is set for 1 p.m.

The Appleton Legends and Manitowoc Bandits square off in the other semifinal which also gets underway Friday. Here is a little more about them:

Appleton (9-11) was the only team not to finish with a record over .500. However they fell in the championship series against Green Bay a year ago.

Manitowoc was the last team in the field to win the league title. They defeated Sheboygan two games to one to take the crown in 2008.

As amusing as it was, its stay was all to short lived. In an effort to support the Sheboygan A’s and facial everywhere, Everything A’s will be giving away a pair of box seats to the team’s first playoff game (August 5 or 6) as soon as Wegner grows his mustache back.

Share the link that you followed on Facebook or Twitter to enter.

Once the ‘stache has come to fruition  one lucky fan who “retweeted” or passed the link along will be selected to receive the tickets.

Follow me on Twitter (@Nate_Woelfel) for updates.

With the wins, Sheboygan pulls to 22-15 overall and an even 10-10 in the State League.

The A’s took game one 2-0. Back to back doubles from Tim Patzman and Ryan Solberg in the sixth inning provided the only two runs of the contest.

Archie tossed a two-hit shutout that inlcuded six strikeouts.

Sheboygan’s bats eliminated the need for late-inning drama in the nightcap by tallying six runs in the first three innings en route to a 7-0 victory.

Patzman drove in three runs in game two. He finished the twin-bill with two hits and four RBI.

Gardner kept Addison at bay with a masterpiece of his own. He allowed three hits, struck out five and walked none while only facing three batters above the minimum.

In total, the A’s out-hit the Braves 15-5 over the course of both games.

The two teams will go at it again on Sunday with another doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.

Coming into the contest the Bandits sat atop both the Wisconsin State and Northeastern Wisconsin Leagues .

Ryan Solberg broke a 1-1 tie in the third with a two-out, RBI double, but the Bandits remained within striking distance.

The A’s defense, which has been suspect at times throughout the season, came up big in the eighth inning when Grant Berkovitz cut down what would have been the tying run at home on a relay throw.

Starter Ben Stanczyk picked up the win, scattering four hits through six innings. Jack Archie pitched three innings of three-hit ball to pick up the save.

Offensively, Taylor Schwarz chipped in with a solo home run in the fourth, while Tim Patzman finished two doubles and an RBI.

The victory sets Sheboygan at 19-15 overall, 8-10 in the State League and 8-8 in the Northeastern Wisconsin League.

The A’s have handed Manitowoc two of their three losses in the NEWL, splitting the season series at two games apiece.

Sheboygan continues their playoff push Friday when they entertain the defending NEWL Champion Green Bay Storm. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m.

There were high expectations placed upon this unique mix of wily veterans and hungry newcomers and though things may not be going exactly to plan, the A’s are definitely in the mix as we hit the most critical stretch of the season to date.

Sheboygan currently sits at 17-13 overall. They own 6-7 and 6-8 records in the Northeastern Wisconsin and Wisconsin State League respectively. The State League only awards the regular season championship, but the top four clubs in the Northeastern Wisconsin League make the playoffs. With nine games in the next six days and four them counting in the Northeastern League, it could be moving time for Shaun Wegner and company. The league standings currently look as follows:

Wisconsin State League (9 games remaining)
Manitowoc Bandits      12-4      .5
Lombard Orioles            14-5      —
Eau Claire Cavaliers      10-6     2.5
Kenosha Kings                 9-6       3
Sheboygan A’s                  6-8     5.5
Oshkosh Giants              4-13       9
Addison Braves               3-16      11

The regular season title appears to be out of reach for the A’s who find themselves five and half games back of league leading Manitowoc with nine to play. However, the State League schedule appears to ease up a bit as we head into the dog days of summer, which makes a respectable finish in the top half of this premier league attainable. The A’s have held their own against the upper echelon of the WSL, posting a 5-7 record against the top three teams in the league, a marked improvement from the 3-8 record against those three squads a year ago. With the exception of Thursday’s tilt with Manitowoc, Sheboygan will not face any of the top three teams for the remainder of the season. They will face Kenosha three more times, once at home and the remaining six games are all against clubs with sub .500 records.

Northeastern Wisconsin League (7 games remaining)
Manitowoc Bandits      11-2        —
Menasha MAC’s            8-7        4.5
Sheboygan A’s                6-7       5.5
Appleton Legends         6-8        6
Oshkosh Giants             4-8       7.0
Green Bay Storm           2-6       7.0

With a win on Monday, the A’s moved to within one game of the second place MAC’s with seven to play in NEWBL. Tuesday’s doubleheader in Oshkosh will set the tone. If Sheboygan can sweep, they can move within mere percentage points of second place and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. However, if they drop both contests, they will be scrapping to maintain the fourth and final playoff spot with only a handful of games remaining. The two teams split their first two games of the season which were both played in Sheboygan.

After Tuesday’s double-dip, the A’s will have five games remaining in NEWBL play, three of which will be played in the friendly confines of Wildwood Baseball Park including single games against the Appleton Legends and the defending league champion Green Bay Storm who both trail the A’s in league play. Sheboygan is a combined 3-5 this season against their remaining three opponents.

Of the A’s remaining 15 games, 9 of them are at home. Good news considering, like most semi-pro teams, Sheboygan enjoys a deeper roster at home and that has equated to a slightly better record at Wildwood this season (13-8 at home as opposed to 4-3 on the road).

It is likely that the team’s level of success in the coming weeks will hinge upon their ability to minimize errors (the A’s have committed nine in their last four games) and produce adequately rested pitching arms on a nightly basis.

Remaining Schedule

7/19 @Oshkosh (2) 6:30 p.m./ 8:30 p.m.

7/20 @Kenosha 7:30 p.m.

7/21 Manitowoc 7:30 p.m.

7/22 Green Bay 7:30 p.m.

7/23 Addison (2)  6:00 p.m./8:00 p.m.

7/24 Addison (2) 1 p.m./ 3 p.m

7/26 Appleton 7:30 p.m.

7/27 Kenosha 7:30 p.m.

7/28 @Green Bay 7:30 p.m.

7/29 @Green Bay 7:30 p.m.

8/1 @Kenosha 7:30p.m.

Check back to Everything A’s as we will keep you posted on all of the latest happenings in Sheboygan baseball!

The A’s fell in an early 2-0, but they quickly erased the deficit.

Charlie Reschke gave Sheboygan the lead with two-out two-run double that capped off a four-run fourth inning.

The A’s appeared to be cruising. Starter Collin Weyer worked seven innings, striking out six and walking two. Connor Lenz kept things rolling with a perfect eighth, striking out the side.

But the MAC’s began to show signs of life in the ninth, hanging three runs on Lenz and placing the tying run in scoring position. A’s manager Shaun Wegner came on and stopped the bleeding when he struck out the only batter he faced to end the game.

Sheboygan turns their attention to a pivotal doubleheader in Oshkosh tonight. The twin-bill counts in both the Northeastern Wisconsin and Wisconsin State League standings.

R H E LOB

Men 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 — 5  8   4   9

Sheb 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 x–   6   8   3   9

The defensive woes continued for the A’s who allowed seven unearned runs in the first two innings, all of which came with two outs.

Starter Eric Van Beck tossed six innings, struck out 10 and allowed eight hits only to see his squad trailing 7-1 when he departed the ballgame.

A’s manager Shaun Wegner was far from impressed with his team’s defensive play.

“I don’t know how we are going to do it, but we have to find a way to get better on defense,” said Wegner. “Those routine groundballs have to be outs.”

Ryan Solberg was the lone bright spot at the plate for the A’s, he finished the night with two hits and an RBI.

The loss drops Sheboygan to 4-6 in the Northeastern Wisconsin League, 6-7 in the Wisconsin State League and 15-12 overall.

The A’s will try again Friday night as they welcome the Green Bay Storm to Wildwood for the first time this season. First pitch is set for 7:30 p.m.