Kings Take Two in Trippleheader

The Kenosha Kings couldn’t complete the hat trick.

Playing a rare Wisconsin State League tripleheader against the Addison Braves, the Kenosha Kings won the first two seven-inning games — 6-0 and 8-6 — before dropping the finale in 15 innings, 2-1, on Saturday at Simmons Field.

Kings pick up one victory in Eau Claire“It was a full day of baseball,” Kings manager Tim Pulizzano said after the eight-hour marathon. “It was a tough way to end it, though. Maybe we just ran out of gas.”

The Kings (24-12, 12-6 WSL) allowed only one earned run in 281/3 innings on the day.

“My hat’s off to the pitchers,” Pulizzano said. “They did a great job.”

In the first game, Randy Johnson (5-2) pitched a three-hit shutout with two walks and six strikouts.

The Kings scored five of their runs in the first inning as Mark Cibrario had a two-run double and Billy Johnson added an RBI single. Joe Ferro also plated a run with a sacrifice fly.

Paul Pulera went 3-for-4 with two runs scored to lead a 12-hit attack. John Lequia went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Cibrario and John Hasser also had two hits.

In the second game, Jack Olson (2-1) gave up five runs — all unearned — on six hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Chris Wolcott surrendered one run in the seventh and notched his seventh save.

Kenosha scored five runs in the fourth inning to make the score 8-1. Addison cut into the deficit with four runs in the sixth.

Robert Bellish went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Ferro and Jason Dennis also had two hits for the Kings. Ryan Cowhey drove in two runs.

In the 15-inning finale, the Kings left 21 runners on base, spoiling some solid pitching by Jon Kleinmeyer and Wolcott.

Kleinmeyer worked 10 innings, allowing one unearned run on four hits. He walked one and struck out five in his 110-pitch outing. In a 3-2 victory in 11 innings over the Sheboygan A’s on July 9, Kleinmeyer threw 134 pitches in a complete-game victory.

Wolcott (2-2) gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 15th on a walk, sacrifice and base hit. Wolcott gave up five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one.

The Kings took a 1-0 lead in the top of the ninth on a suicide squeeze by Dennis to score Jeff Spencer. The Braves tied it in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of an error.

Hasser finished 3-for-4 with a double and Billy Johnson went 3-for-6.

The second-place Kings host the first-place Lombard Orioles in a State League doubleheader today at Simmons Field. The first game gets under way at 5 p.m.

Jon Olson and Dave Foss are the scheduled starters for Kenosha.