The battle of Main Avenue

DE PERE – The De Pere Redbirds (5-1) battled the West De Pere Phantoms (2-3) in an intense rivalry baseball game. The Phantoms entered hoping to defend their home turf after a rough start to the season, while the Redbirds looked to extend their back‑to‑back winning streak. 

Both teams’ fan bases packed Westwood Elementary Park, and the rivalry’s tension was palpable. “West De Pere games are always good, and I was just looking to pitch well and let my defense play well behind me,” said Redbirds’ starting pitcher Lucas Koskey. The Redbirds wasted no time, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning, while Phantoms’ starting pitcher Holden Mulley couldn’t find his rhythm as De Pere’s batters piled on extra‑base hit after extra‑base hit.

The Phantoms struck back when third baseman Sammy Berg hit a deep line drive that scored Brody Duquaine. However, the play that stole the spotlight came one play before; left fielder Mason Sequin made a spectacular catch. Fully outstretched and covered in mud, Sequin held the ball up to stop Duquaine’s run. “I always love saving outs for my pitchers—it means they work less, and plays like that feel great,” Sequin said after the game.

The next few innings turned into a pitching and defensive showcase, with both teams retiring sides in consecutive frames. In the top of the fourth, Redbirds’ Brett Weckwerth walked on five pitches and then stole second, third and finally home, extending the lead to 5-1.

In the bottom half, the Phantoms answered with a bases‑clearing double that trimmed the De Pere lead to 5-3. After Koskey struck out the next two batters, the Redbirds’ offense returned in the fifth inning. Designated hitter Isaac Pohelman and Will Nikolay each had hits that produced two runs, expanding the score to 7-3.

The Phantoms put on their rally caps as the game neared its close. With fans in orange behind them and with Koskey showing signs of fatigue, the West De Pere offense began to heat up in the bottom of the sixth. After giving up a two‑run triple to catcher Laliwa Delgado, head coach Bob Van Rens called a timeout to speak with his senior pitcher. “He told me to bear down, trust my defense and try to throw strikes,” Koskey said.

“It was interesting— with a runner on third and no outs, he still managed to get out of the inning. He shut them down and preserved the two‑run lead,” coach Van Rens said.

After the sixth, the Redbirds added two more runs on a Ryan Wettstein double to open up a 9-5 advantage. Koskey started the seventh inning but reached his 100‑pitch limit and was replaced by closing pitcher Cullen Pennings, who retired the side to secure him a save and the Redbirds’ victory.

“The future looks bright, but we can never take anyone lightly. We take it one game and one practice at a time, and we’re already looking ahead to Monday’s game against Appleton North,” coach Van Rens said.