PRINT ADS

Corey Jessessky hit two home runs and pitched three innings, helping the Holmen American Legion baseball team to its first win of the season Friday, a 12-4 win in game one of a doubleheader with Viroqua.

Jessessky also drove in four runs. Ben Squier, who Holmen head coach Duane Vike said is still nursing a hamstring injury from the spring, finished with two hits, including a double and home run, and four RBIs. Despite the offensive outburst, Vike was more impressed with Jessessky on the mound.

“He throws strikes,” Vike said. “He doesn't get himself in trouble.”

Despite leaving with a 6-3 lead, Jessessky failed to go the required four innings to get the win, with that going to Levi Adank, who struck out four and walked three over the final four innings. Adank and Jay Merfeld added two hits each, with Merfeld lining a double.

“We look like we're close to getting a couple guys rolling again on offense,” Vike, who also is the Holmen High School head coach, said. “We're going to be a better team than we were in the spring with Levi and Spencer Schaller.”

The Legion was clobbered 12-1 in game two. Jordan Vaaler, Jeff Matt, Zach Mally and Ross Jenks each pitched for Holmen, with Vaaler taking the loss after allowing four walks against two strikeouts over the first three-plus innings.

Despite a combined one-hitter in game one from Shane Peterson and Mally, Holmen lost 3-2 and 9-6 at Black River Falls two days earlier. Black River broke a 2-2 tie through 4 1/2 innings in the fifth. Despite taking the loss, Vike said Mally threw well.

“He's able to get outs one time through the order,” Vike said. “Our young pitchers are shy. They show signs of coming around, but then they don't show command of the strike zone in their next outing.”

The Legion did manage five hits, but just one extra-base hit, a Mitch Peterson double. Adank had three hits and Jerod Dayton, a Boscobel junior-to-be who will attend HHS next fall, had two hits in game two, but BRF scored twice in the second to break a 1-1 tie and never trailed again.

Holmen will play Tomah Friday, Onalaska and Lomira Saturday in a 1 p.m. doubleheader, and Viroqua and Westby in a Sunday doubleheader at this weekend's Viroqua tourament. It will be a busy weekend for Vike, who also will coach the Division 1 girls North team in the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association state all-star series Saturday at 9 a.m. at Madison Area Technical College.