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With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, the Chiefs locked in a 2-2 tie with the Wanamingo Jacks, in to the batter’s box stepped Trocinski. Trocinski, the Chiefs starting pitcher, was batting in the No. 9 hole.
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Winona's Lee Trocinski pitches Saturday afternoon during their game against Wanamingo at Gabrych Park in Winona. The Chiefs beat the Jacks 6-4. (Photo by Fred Schulze/Winona Daily News) |
In just his fifth plate appearance of the season, Trocinski smacked a base-clearing, three-run double to left-center field to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game, 5-2, on his first hit of the season.
After the Chiefs tacked on an insurance run, Trocinski finished off a complete game in the top of the ninth to seal a 6-4 Winona victory at Gabrych Park.
“Lee isn’t a very bad hitter,” Chiefs manager Ryan Buhler said, “we just don’t use him that way. It’s rare for him to get that opportunity.
“He usually chooses not to even have the opportunity when it arises, but today he didn’t have a whole lot of choice.”
The Chiefs listed 12 available players on their lineup card, which included Buhler, for Saturday’s game. All three reserves were nursing injuries and mostly available on an emergency basis. David Todd, recovering from a broken hand, wore a cast.
“There was nobody else here,” Trocinski said. “The other two guys (besides Buhler) had broken hands, they can’t swing. So it was up to me.
“I knew I had a slow bat, so I just tried to hit it to left. Thankfully, I hit it hard.”
Trocinski saw one pitch in his only at-bat prior to Saturday. He was 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts against Wanamingo before his double.
“I just told Lee he was going to have the opportunity,” Buhler said, “just poke one through. But hey, I’ll take the double to deep left center, that’s nice, too.
“He definitely came up big for us, both on the mound and in the eighth inning there with the bat.”
Winners of four in a row, the Chiefs (11-9, 9-4) can clinch the Twin Rivers League East division championship with a win today in their regular season finale against Plainview at 2 p.m. at Gabrych Park.
“Every win we can get at this point in the season is big for us,” Buhler said.
As for Trocinski: “I’ll stick to pitching,” he said.
Winona’s Matt Barrie went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base, Scott Weifenbach finished 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI and Travis Hengel had a double and a run.
Trocinski scattered nine hits over nine innings and finished with eight strikeouts in his third win and second complete game of the season. From the fourth to the eighth inning, Trocinski faced the minimum 15 Wanamingo batters.
