By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Playoff time arrived for the Plover Badger Amateur Baseball Association team last Sunday, but the normally hard-hitting home team found another way to win.
Hosting New London at Memorial Park in a divisional semifinal, Plover advanced with a 3-0 win behind a complete game shutout by Brett Dickey.
Catcher Tom Drohner provided the clutch offense for Plover with a pair of two out, run scoring singles while the defense played errorless baseball.
"Defense, pitching and clutch hits. That's the name of the game," player-manager Mark Mattmiller said.
Offense wasn't the story Sunday as Dickey and New London pitcher Cory Everts kept the bats extremely quiet. Amazingly, neither team had an extra base hit.
Through his nine innings of work, Dickey allowed seven hits, struck out nine and walked only one New London batter.
"We got enough out of Dickey to win the game. We needed someone to get five or six innings. He did more than what was expected," Mattmiller said.
Plover knew what it was getting into against Everts, who has turned into a familiar foe over the years.
"We faced him for five or six years. In playoff games, he's tough," Mattmiller said. "It's not going to be a 10-9 game with him on the mound."
Plover will now take on Waupaca in the division final Sunday at 1:30 p.m., at Memorial Park. The two teams split their two meetings this season.
Plover cracked the scoreless tie with New London in the third on Drohner's first clutch hit of the game. After reaching on a line drive just off the glove of first baseman Andy Brooker, Sam Crueger scored on Drohner's single up the middle.
The score would remain 1-0 until the fifth, when Sam Molski reached on a leadoff walk. Crueger followed with a single, then Molski scored on an infield error by second baseman Marv Demers. Demers bobbled John Jasenovsky's ground ball and all three runners were safe.
Plover made it 3-0 in the seventh on Drohner's second two out base hit. Everts walked Jasenovsky with one out in the inning and the Plover rightfielder promptly stole second. After a Todd Huebner flyout, Drohner slapped a single to score Jasenovsky.
"We got a couple of clutch hits with two outs and that was the difference in the ballgame," Mattmiller said.
New London stranded eight baserunners, including three in the third and two in the sixth. The visitor actually had a chance to tie the game in the ninth following singles from Michael Dreier and Everts. But with runners at first and second and nobody out, Dickey retired three in a row to seal the game.