The Five Os dealt Brookfield a 7-4 loss which eliminated the Bulldogs from playoff contention and more importantly gave Oconomowoc 1st place in the LOL West regular season. The final regular season game of the year would not be an easy one for the Os. They jumped on the board early when starting pitcher Rob Becker shut them down 1-2-3 in the first inning and then lead off hitter Tim Schlosser opened the bottom half of the first with a double. Luke Nelson moved him over to 3rd on a ground out when Jeff Rhoads then brought him in with a broken bat single. One of the many key plays came for Oconomowoc in the top of the 3rd. Player/manager Jason Booth led off with a single for Brookfield and then was moved over to second on a bunt. A single to center by #9 hitter Kris Standish looked like it would tie the game but a bulls eye strike to home plate from center fielder Jeff Rhoads was in time to get Booth and keep the score 1-0. The next inning Brookfield did manage to tie the game up on a single by Brett Summers. Brookfield then showed they wanted that final playoff spot when they pushed across two more in the top of the 6th and took a 3-1 lead. Both runs came with two outs and the key hits were a triple by Jason Booth and a single by K.C. Pilsoneay. Oconomowoc answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game again. Lead off singles by Luke Nelson and Jeff Rhoads set up the table for Derek Nelson who doubled in Luke and then a sacrifice fly to center by Steve Rhoads scored his brother Jeff. Not giving up, Brookfield managed to score another run in the top of the 7th and also knock starting pitcher Rob Becker out of the game. Going into the bottom of the 7th, Oconomowoc was down 4-3. With two outs in the inning, two single plays defined the game for Oconomowoc. Luke Nelson hit a slow grounder to short which was bobbled and the great hustle by Nelson allowed him to reach and keep the inning going. Next stepped up Jeff Rhoads. With an 0-2 count on him, Jeff drove a curveball from Brookfield pitcher Greg Basthemer over the right center fence to give Oconomowoc a 5-4 lead. Oconomowoc added two more runs in the 8th and then Luke Nelson nailed the game down by picking up the save.
Leading the Five Os at the plate was Jeff Rhoads who was 3 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Derek Nelson, Pete Schlosser and Mike Mitchell all had two hits. Earning the win for Oconomowoc was Matt Schref who went 1 and 2/3 innings and did not give up a run. Luke Nelson earned the save by throwing the final 1 and 1/3.
The win puts Oconomowoc at 26-7 overall and finishes their regular season in the LOL West with a 16-4 record, good enough for first place. They have a first round bye and will play the lowest seed remaining after the first round of playoffs. Oconomowoc's possible opponents include Sussex, West Bend and Lannon. The final seeding are below and the first round of the playoffs are held on Sunday. Lannon will be at Hartland at 1:00 pm and West Bend will be at Sussex at 2:30 pm. Oconomowoc will play next Saturday at 1:00 pm in Oconomowoc.
Final Playoff Seedings
Oconomowoc
Menomonee Falls
Hartland
Sussex
West Bend
Lannon
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