Trojans just miss out on crown

Wauwatosa West won three of its final four Woodland Conference games last week, but fell one game short of winning the Black Division championship.

The Trojans beat Greendale twice and St. Thomas More, but lost to Blue Division Champion New Berlin West (17-1 Woodland, 22-5 overall) to finish with a 12-5 mark, one-game behind New Berlin Eisenhower, which won nine straight conference games to finish 13-4.

The Trojans were 16-12 overall and they have won 11 of their last 13 conference games.

Ending on a positive note

The Trojans defeated St. Thomas More, 11-6, on Saturday at Breitlow Field in their final regular-season game.

Tosa West kept answering every threat by the Cavaliers and more to get the win.

After the Cavaliers scored two runs in the first, Tosa West scored six runs in the bottom of the inning to put the game away.

Austin Jones had the big two-run single, but the Cavs held out with three walks and a hit batter.

St. Thomas More countered with a run in the second, but the Trojans scored two more runs for an 8-3 lead. St. Thomas More scored one in the fourth and Tosa West bounced back with two in its fourth and one in the fifth for an 11-4 lead.

Jones went 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch and four RBIs. He also hit the Trojans' only homer of the season.

Mickey Morgan went 3-for-4 with two doubles, Tyler Gross went 2-for-3 and Willie Belknapp went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

Jones started on the mound and got the win and improved to 6-2 in conference play. Gross, JJ Belknapp and Morgan finished out the game as Tosa West coach Chad Mateske pitched by committee.

Trojans struggle early

After disposing Greendale, 11-1, on July 2, Tosa West had to play a doubleheader on July 3, playing New Berlin West in the afternoon and then traveling Greendale later that night.

Two bad innings cost Tosa West in a 7-4 loss at New Berlin West.

JJ Belknapp started against the Vikings and it did not go well. Zach Scholz doubled to lead off the first, then Adrian Peil singled in a run. Darin Sowinski then smashed an opposite-field home run off Belknapp to take a 3-0 lead.

The Vikings added four runs in the third, as Peil doubled and Andy Knoll tripled him in.

Knoll then scored on an error by the first baseman and Matt Rink then slammed a two-run homer over the left-field fence.

Belknapp settled down, allowing two walks, one intentionally, and a double to Peil the final three innings.

Making it a game

While the lead proved to be too large, the Trojans made it respectable.

"I told the guys 'Let's put some runs on the board for pride,' " Mateske said after the loss. "At the minimum, let's try and win the hit column."

The Trojans scored four times thanks to a double by Jacob Boudreaux, two walks, a hit batter and hits by Gillis and Gross. The game ended with runners on second and third when Jones flew out to deep left field.

"In the end, we had the tying run at the plate," Mateske said. "We tied them in the hit column. There are little victories that we can try to take into the second game.

"In the team meeting afterward, Boudreaux said 'Let's carry that last game into Greendale.' "

Taking the nightcap

Greendale got off to a 3-1 lead over Tosa West in the day's second game. Tosa West scored twice in the fifth to tie the game and added single runs in the sixth and seventh to win it, 5-3.

Gross tossed a complete game, holding the Panthers to five hits, while walking three and piling up seven strikeouts.

Gross had three of the team's 10 hits, getting two singles, a double and he drove in three runs.

JJ Belknapp singled and doubled and Boudreaux went 2-for-3.

The Trojans played a non-conference split doubleheader on Friday, losing, 6-1, at Cedarburg in the afternoon and then beating Mukwonago, 7-6, in the evening.

The Trojans only managed one hit in the loss at Cedarburg, as the Bulldogs opened with a run in the first and five in the second to put the game away against a rusty Travis Hudson, who pitched two innings. Nick Orlowski finished up with four shutout innings.

The Trojans then nipped Mukwonago in the second game, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to take a 6-1 lead and get some breathing room. The Indians rallied within a run by scoring one in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth, but Tosa West added a run in the seventh, so even though Mukwonago rallied for a run in the bottom of the inning, the Indians still came up short.

Although Mukwonago outhit the Trojans, 9-6, Tosa West worked the Indians pitching staff for six walks to help key the win.

The offensive star was Morgan, who went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBIs.

Morgan pitched two innings and Gillis tossed five for the Trojans.