Port’s big innings douse Flames

PORT WASHINGTON — Two big innings spelled the difference Friday as Port Washington handed the Plymouth Flames an 8-3 Land O’ Lakes Baseball League game here.

The Flames grabbed an early lead when Ryan Wachter doubled to left scoring Justin Gephart, who had reached on an infield single. Wachter was thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a triple, ending the inning.

The lead lasted only until the bottom of the fourth. That’s when the Lakers erupted for five runs on runscoring singles by Chris Laurischke and Kyle Kichura, Brad Young’s two-run double and a bases-loaded hit by pitch.

The Flames came back in the next half-inning to halve the margin, scoring a pair of runs on a Laker error and Wachter’s run-scoring groundout.

But the Laker bullpen shut the door on the Flames the rest of the way, with Chris Mathis and Jon Deboer each pitching two hitless innings in relief of starter and winner Matt Soderlund. The Flames managed only five hits off Soderlund in the game’s first five innings.

Flames errors helped the Lakers to three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth as Port Washington kept their division title hopes alive.

Wachter started and took the loss for the Flames. The Flames dropped to 5-12 in the LOL Northern Division and 7-17 overall with the loss. They will close out the LOL regular season Saturday with a home game against the division-leading Cedarburg Mercs. Score by Innings Flames……………….001 020 000 – 3 5 6 Port Washington…000 500 03X – 8 7 2

Ryan Wachter, Eric Heidenreiter (5) and Dusty Medved; Matt Soderlund, Chris Mathis (6), Jon Deboer (8) and Tom Lorenzen. W – Soderlund. L – Wachter. 2B – Flames, Ryan Wachter, Medved; Port Washington __________________________________ — Brad Young.