No. 1 Frewsburg eliminates Chautauqua Lake

To suggest that he was gracious in defeat would be an understatement.

“Frewsburg is definitely the program that everyone is trying to mimic and imitate in terms of their longevity and consistency over time,” he said.

In a 4 1/2-inning clinic, the Bears (20-0) certainly showed how good they can be.

Garrett Brink allowed two hits, struck out nine and didn’t issue a walk as the Bears blanked the eighth-seeded Eagles 10-0 in a Section VI Class C quarterfinal at the Robert H. Jackson Sports Complex.

Chautauqua Lake’s Nate Henry receives a throw as Frewsburg’s Daniel Peterson slides into second base during Tuesday’s Section VI Class C quarterfinal at the Robert H. Jackson Sports Complex in Frewsburg.
OBSERVER Photo by Scott Kindberg

The win sends Frewsburg into the semifinals at 5 p.m. Thursday when it will entertain No. 5 Wilson (12-7), a 7-1 winner over No. 4 Holland yesterday.

The Bears scored in all four innings — two in the first, two in the second, five in the third and one in the fourth — which was more than enough for Brink.

“He’s done a fantastic job,” Frewsburg coach Eric Haglund said. “He works hard in the offseason, plays travel ball, and he’s going to Hilbert College to play there, which is a great asset for them. He’s in a long line of Brinks and it’s well-deserved for him.”

The senior needed just 71 pitches to get through five innings, aided by a 4-6-3 double play in the top of the first. The lone hits for Chautauqua Lake (8-12) came from Devin Hewes with one out in the first inning and from Nolan Olson to lead off the second, but that was all the Eagles could muster against the right-hander.

“Brink threw a heck of a game,” Cummings said. “He’s very fun to watch when he’s in command of his pitches and, tonight, he absolutely was. He kept us off-balance, he hit his spots, and their offense had some timely hits to cash in some runners who walked.”

In addition to taking advantage of eight free passes against the Eagles’ pitching tandem of Nate Henry and Hewes, Frewsburg was led by Chase Haglund, who had two hits and scored twice. Brink was on base all three times, highlighted by an RBI single and two runs scored; Maddox Sheesley and Mason Eckman each drove in a pair of runs; Aidan Gruber collected a pair of hits and scored twice; and Vincent Sanfilippo added a double and also scored twice.

Added together, it was just the kind of performance Coach Haglund wanted. Now the next challenge is Wilson, which will have a two-hour bus ride Thursday.

“It’s a huge advantage (for us),” Coach Haglund said.

As for the Eagles, Cummings admitted “it’s never easy ending a season when you have a really good group of kids that like to be around each other.

“I think we did a pretty good job of growing and learning as the year went on. One thing that we’re definitely proud of is that, regardless of the score, our guys didn’t roll over and give up. I think we improved over the year, but there’s still a long way to go for us.”

For the Bears, on the other hand, they just keep rolling along.

“It’s a huge group effort,” Coach Haglund said. “We try and keep that alive all the way down to the Little League. It’s been a great thing for years.”