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Entering Thursday night, only a game-and-a-half separated Bay Conference leading Seymour over New London and Shawano. That lead became even tighter following a 9-4 Shawano win over Seymour on the road to give the Hawks the season sweep over the Thunder.
Saige Henning went 3-for-4 with a home run to lead the Shawano lineup. Leading 4-2 in the sixth inning, Brandi Gueths cracked a home run for a little cushion. Then in the seventh inning with two outs, Tatum DePerry knocked in three runs with a bases-clearing double to put the game out of reach.
With the win Shawano inches closer to Seymour and New London in the standings, but head coach Brian Johnson knows his team will need some help in order to win the conference.
“We felt good about this year coming in,” Johnson said of the team. “We had a little blip in the road with some pitching issues, but we’re on track right now. We’re hitting the ball up and down the lineup as well as anybody. Our pitching is coming together, so it’s all about peaking at the right time.”
With the win, the Hawks also keep pace with New London in the standings, who Shawano will welcome in next week. They’ll be out for revenge against the Bulldogs after 10-0 loss in five innings on April 25.
“We had an ugly loss up there,” Johnson said of the team’s first meeting in New London. “No excuses. We had everybody healthy and we just took a beat-down. We’re anxious for them to come over and hopefully give them a better game.”
Shawano will have an opportunity to move by New London in the standings with a win, but entering the final week of the regular season will need some help from West De Pere, who will host the Thunder in the season finale to earn a share of the title.
The game between Shawano and New London can be heard Tuesday live on WTCH AM 960 & 96.1 FM.