GRAND CHUTE - Dominic Utrie's single to center in the bottom of the seventh, just after midnight Wednesday, brought home Brad Klimek with the winning run as the Bay Port Pirates defeated Middleton 3-2 in a WIAA Division 1 state baseball semifinal at Fox Cities Stadium.
The victory puts the Pirates in Thursday's championship game against Wilmot. That contest is scheduled for 6:00 PM. It will mark the first time in Bay Port history, in any team sport, that a Pirate squad will play in a state title game.
AJ Gaura went the distance for Bay Port, allowing two runs, walking none, and striking out nine.
Earlier in the day, Sean Grabig went the distance on the mound as the Pirates beat Sun Prairie 8-1 in the quarterfinals.
"I didn't want to come out, that's for sure," said the senior lefty, who struck out eight and scattered four hits in 93 pitches.
Grabig benefited from a defense which didn't commit an error and tallied a 4-6-3 double play in the third and a 6-3 double play to close out the game.
"These guys have been making plays for me all year," Grabig said.
The Pirates may have been thinking about saving their breaking ball ace, but decided to ride him out.
"Once he went five, six innings, he was going the whole way because he was done," said Bay Port coach Mike Simoens, noting that Grabig had used up his maximum-allowed innings for the tournament.
