Black Sox finish hot, win CWC tournament The Plover Legion Post 543 baseball team (Black Sox) finished off its regular season with a bang by winning the Central Wisconsin Classic at Memorial Park last weekend. The Black Sox and Portage teams both had 3-1 records in the tournament, but the Black Sox won because of their head-to-head victory over Portage. Plover finished the season with 18-16 overall record, 10-5 in the Valley Conference. The tournament win had extra significance for the team, as it was the last home game for eight players who won't return next year. "Winning their last game at home means a lot for those guys. That's something they'll remember," Black Sox manager Wayne Sankey said. Adam Pezewski, Jim Schmit, Kyle Bohm, Matt Barden, Craig Miller, Casey Neuville, Jaron Firkus and Luke Aubut all played their final game for the Black Sox at Memorial Park on Sunday, July 22. Sankey said the tournament win will also help the Black Sox in the regional tournament, Thursday through Sunday, July 26-29, in Wisconsin Rapids. "It gives us momentum going into the regional. We're playing our best baseball of the year right now and the guys are feeling confident after the tournament win," Sankey said. Though Sankey added that the team will need more than just momentum to do well at the regional. "We've got to play well defensively. We can't make mistakes and let other teams capitalize on that," he said. Recent Games Sunday, July 22, the Black Sox avenged an earlier tournament loss to Appleton by beating them 14-4 in the championship game. The Plover bats were extremely active during the game. Kyle Bohm was 4-5 from the plate with four doubles. Adam Evanoff chipped in with three hits, including a three run homerun. Matt Barden, Craig Miller, Casey Neuville and Matt Mehne all had two hits each. On Saturday, July 21, the Black Sox dominated their opponents beating Manitowoc, 6-1, and Portage, 10-0. Mehne had a strong performance pitching for the Sox against Portage. He gave up only four hits, while striking out five and allowing no walks. The Black Sox endured their only loss in the Central Wisconsin Classic on Friday, July 20, losing to Appleton, 8-4. Adam Evanoff provided a bright spot in the game, going 2-3 from the plate, including a two-run homer. Upcoming Games The Black Sox will play in the upcoming regional tournament, Thursday, July 26, through Sunday, July 29. Plover will face off against Rothschild-Schofield-Weston in game one of the tournament at 3 p.m. on Thursday.