APPLETON — The Kaukauna Galloping Ghosts baseball team came alive in the fifth inning of its WIAA Division 1 state quarterfinal game, defeating River Falls 4-1 and advancing to Wednesday’s semifinal.
Kaukauna is now one win away from an appearance in the WIAA Division 1 state baseball championship game.
They’ll face with winner of the No. 2 seed Milton vs. #7 Nicolet quarterfinal game.
Three-seed Kaukauna fell behind 1-0 to six-seed River Falls in the third inning, and the offense languished until the fifth.
That’s when lead-off hitter Bron Schaefer tripled, then scored on an obstruction call following a triple by Kaden Kress. An RBI double by Branden Jenkins score Kress and gave Kaukauna its first lead of the day.
Kaukauna scored two more runs in the sixth to push its lead to 4-1. Kaukauna pitcher Carson Gates pitched the complete game.
The Ghosts will play in Wednesday’s second semifinal game, following the first semifinal that begins about 2:30 p.m. The title game, which will be televised, begins at 6 p.m. Thursday.
This is the Ghosts first trip to the state tournament since 1954.
All three of the Galloping Ghosts’ previous appearances came during a four-year span from 1951-54.
They won their lone state title in 1953 and bowed out of title contention in the other appearances in 1951 and 1954.
Only two players remain from that team: Don Frank and Dock Jaeger, according to comments on the Kaukauna High School Facebook page.
Frank spoke to the team Sunday.
This season, the Galloping Ghosts qualified by defeating Kimberly, then Bay Port in the Kimberly Sectional final. They finished runner-up in the Fox Valley Association this season.
