West Allis NATIONALS Baseball

Crisp it was not.   A victory it was, nonetheless.

Let by Curt Pryal's 4 hits and 7 RBI, including a grand slam and Johnny Keane's 3 hits, 4 runs, and 2 run homer, the West Allis Nationals defeated the Kewaskum A's 15-11 Wednesday night at Carl Kuss Field in Regner Park in West Bend.

The game was delayed by rain for 45 minutes in the first inning and the rain finally won the day in the seventh, but there was an interesting facsimile of baseball played in between.   The Nats rapped out 15 hits and reached base 8 additional times - 5 HBP's and 3 BB's - in what one would have expected to be a laugher. 

The game was anything but that.   After jumping to a 3-0 first inning lead, Nats pitchers and the plate umpire had differing opinions of the strike zone and Kewaskum was rewarded for their patience, plating 6 runs in the first inning and 2 more in the third. The Nats came back and retook the lead 9-8 on Pryal's blast.  

After 6 innings Kewaskum had regained the lead at 11-10, but the Nationals broke the game open with a 5 run 7th.  Mike Merritt led off with his second single of the night and Johnny Keane hit a line drive homer to left center to give the club a 12-11 advantage.  After Jonah Meidl was thrown out at the plate trying to score on Matt Richer's double, Will Johnson walked, Brian Huntzinger lined his second double, and Pryal drove home two more to close the scoring.

Next up for the Nationals are the Menasha Macs on Friday night in Menasha at 730pm.   The game is the first of a four game weekend that is capped off with a three game set in Marinette on Sat (1pm DH) and Sun (noon)    Tickets are still available.