Norway 9U squad cruises to Green Bay tournament championship undefeated

By Daily News staff

ABRAMS. Wis.-- Norway’s 8 and 9 year old All-Star baseball team won the Abrams 9U Tournament on July 10 and 11.

The young Norway team went undefeated through their five games in the tournament.

Game recaps:

Game 1 Friday vs. Grand Chute, Wis. Won 15-4, winning pitcher Tyler Sternhagen.

Sternhagen led off for Norway with an inside-the-park home run, on the way to Norway scoring six runs in first inning and five runs in the second, with nine total hits. Sternhagen led the way with a home run, a triple and a double with five RBI's. Tobi Anderson had a single and a double with three runs scored.

The game lasted only four innings as the mercy rule was in place. Colton Lord, Tucker Buchanan and Sternhagen pitched, combing for seven strikeouts, and allowing five hits.

Game 2 Friday vs. Oconto, Wis. Won 7-3, winning pitcher Buchanan

Jake Hosking led the hitting attack with two hits. Total team had seven hits, scoring five runs in the first inning.

Buchanan, Anderson and Sternhagen pitched, each allowing a run, while combining for eight strikeouts.

Game 3 Saturday morning vs. Green Bay, Wis. Future Tritons Won 20-4, winning pitcher Hosking.

Norway scored 10 runs in first inning and 10 runs in the third. The game went only three innings as mercy is 15 runs after three.

Of Norway’s 15 total hits, Landon DeBakker and Dylan Erickson had three piece. Trenton Halvas closed out the game with an inside the park home run in the third inning, exciting the entire team.

Hosking had a triple and single, and pitched two innings striking out five and allowing no runs. Erickson pitched one inning striking out three.

Game 4 Saturday vs. Bayport, Wis. won 7-4, winning pitcher Hosking.

Norway gave up two runs in the first inning with their first error of the tournament and faced a deficit for the first time. They responded by scoring five runs in the third inning to retake the lead, adding two more runs in the fourth.

Norway had 10 hits in total. Sternhagen, Hosking, Anderson and Halvas had two hits apiece. Erickson drove one to the fence for a huge triple in the third inning, clearing the bases for three RBIs. Halvas drove one in the gap in the fourth inning for a triple as well.

Norway added a third triple in the inning by Hosking.

Lord, Hosking and Sternhagen pitched for Norway, allowing four runs, while striking out nine Bayport hitters.

Hosking got into some trouble in the third inning, but Tristan Lessor made a great play at 2nd and almost pulled off a double play, but he did get the lead runner out.

Championship game Saturday evening vs. Impact Sports Academy, DePere, Wis. Won 5-3, winning pitcher Colton Lord.

Lord went out in the first inning and struck out the side for a quick inning. Top of second, DeBakker and Hunter Ziller both singled, followed up by another inside the park home run by Halvas for three RBI's.

Lord lost a little command in the bottom of the second allowing some base runners on, giving up two runs. He regained his control and ending up striking out three more to get out of a bases-loaded jam.

Top of third, DeBakker crushed a ball over the center fielder's head for a bases clearing triple. Norway had runners on bases in the later innings but couldn't get them in.

Sternhagen, who came in to pitch in the fifth inning, struck out two batters and had a comebacker to him he took to first. In the bottom of the sixth with the championship on the line, Sternhagen went out and struck out the side to win the championship.

In the championship game, Norway had 10 hits. Sternhagen with three, DeBakker had two and Halvas clouted a home run.

Cumulative statistics for tournament

Pitching:

Sternhagen- 7 innings pitched, 5 runs allowed and 17 K's

Lord - 5 innings pitched, 6 runs allowed and 11 K's

Hosking- 6 innings pitched, 2 runs allowed and 11 K's

Hitting:

Sternhagen and Hosking 8 hits,

Anderson, DeBakker and Erickson, 7 hits.

Halvas 5 hits with 2 HR's and a triple

(The coaching staff of the Norway 9U team contributed to this tournament recap.)