Kings Close Out WSL Schedule With Sweep Of Giants

The Kenosha Kings closed the regular season with a sweep of the last-place Oshkosh Giants — 6-3 and 6-2 — in a Wisconsin State League doubleheader Sunday at Simmons Field.

Jason Bunton (1-4) pitched a complete-game seven-hitter for Kenosha in the opener. He allowed three earned runs with no walks and four strikeouts.

The third-place Kings trailed 2-0 before erupting for a six-run sixth highlighted by Brad Medina’s three-run home run.

The Giants got RBIs from Blake Berger and Troy Mrkvicka.

Oshkosh West graduate Eric Stenson pitched his first game for the Giants in Game 1 and was rolling until Kenosha’s 6-run sixth inning.

“He pitched well, but in the sixth inning he just started to get behind in the count, and they were sitting on fastballs,” Giants coach Brad Demmin said. 

Jason Acevedo finished 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Kenosha’s Jack Olson (3-2) was the winner in Game 2. He worked six innings and allowed five hits and two earned runs with four walks and three strikeouts.

In Game 2, Kenosha got off to a hot start scoring two runs off four hits in the first inning, before Blake Berger blasted a home run in the second inning to the cut deficit in half. Kenosha stayed hot throughout the game however, while the Giants cooled off considerably. 

“It’s been kind of the same way with most of our other games, we get an early lead and sit around and wait,” Demmin said. “By the end of the game the other team is responding and we don’t.

“You have to try to find a way to win, you can’t be happy with being ahead, you have to keep trying to win, instead of letting the game play out.”

The Kings (30-18, 16-11 WSL) never trailed. Their leading hitters included Kyle Frye (2-for-3, RBI), Billy Johnson (two hits), Acevedo (two hits), Joe Ferro (two hits), Mark Cibrario (single, two RBI) and J.T. Epperson (1-for-3, two RBI).

Second-seeded Kenosha will begin its best-of-3 Langsdorf League Championship Series against the top-seeded West Allis Nationals 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at McCarty Park’s Zirkel Field in West Allis.

Game 2 will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Simmons Field, and if necessary, Game 3 is slated for 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Beaumont Park in Burlington.

Story by: Kenosha News and the Oshkosh Northwestern

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