Platts picks up win in pitching debut, contributes to late go-ahead rally for Janesville Craig

Paul Platts made his varsity pitching debut and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings and got down a bunt that helped trigger a go-ahead three-run rally in Janesville Craig’s 4-2 win over Sun Prairie West at Veterans Field at Riverside Park on Thursday night.

“He was practicing all along (to pitch),” Cougars coach Josh Shere said of Platts. “He came in and did awesome because he kept us right there. That’s exactly what you need out of a reliever.”

When Platts took the ball to start the fourth, the Cougars were down 2-0 after the Wolves scored two in the second without a base hit. He struck out four, walked one and surrendered just three hits.

Craig scored a run in the bottom of the fourth when Charlie Claas hit a one-out triple and Tony Greco hit behind him to bring him home.

The decisive sixth inning for the Cougars began with Ben Schaffner getting hit with a 2-0 pitch. Platts came to bat next and dropped down a bunt. West pitcher Brady Rhoads fielded it but threw wide of the mark at first base, an error that allowed Schaffner to score and Platts to advance all the way to third base.

Claas delivered a one-out RBI single up the middle, and Greco drove in his second run of the night with a sacrifice fly to close the book on the scoring.

”We battled, and we didn’t get too down when it didn’t go our way early,” Shere said. “We just continued to fight till the end.”

The Craig coach also highlighted a pair of defensive plays in the outfield. Carson McCormick doubled off a base runner in the first to defuse one potential rally, then in the seventh, Finn Dillon chased down a fly ball off the bat of Casey Wambach that had potential to go for extra bases.

”If he gets that double, who knows? We might still be playing,” Shere said.

Craig’s next game is scheduled for 5 p.m. Tuesday at Riverside Park against Janesville Parker. Shere said he and Vikings coach Kerry Michaels will be monitoring the weather forecast and if the outlook doesn’t look good for Thursday, the teams could play a doubleheader Tuesday.

JANESVILLE CRAIG 4, SUN PRAIRIE WEST 2

West 020 000 0 — 2 8 1

Craig 000 103 X — 4 3 2

Leading hitters — Davenport (SPW) 2x2, Holland (SPW) 2x2, Claas (JC) 2x3. 2B — Adamowski (SPW). 3B — Claas (JC).