Sam Treffert's single send Pius XI to the state baseball semifinals in an 'incredible' finish

BROOKFIELD - It wasn’t enough for Pius XI to get back to the state tournament for the first time in 17 years, the Popes had to do in storybook fashion.

First the Woodland Conference champions escaped with one-run victories in their first two postseason games to reach the sectional final.

Reaching state for the first time since winning it all in 2001, however, required a seventh-inning comeback that set the stage for eighth-inning heroics at the plate from a player better known for his work getting guys out.

Sam Treffert, a left-hander who leads the team’s talented pitching staff, singled to center with one out in the eighth inning Monday to lift the Popes to a 3-2 victory over Kettle Moraine in a summer baseball sectional final at Brookfield Central.

Life doesn’t get much better for a senior trying to extend his season.

“It’s incredible,” he said. “I didn’t want to do too much. I was just up there looking to get a hit. I found a pitch I could drive and put it into left center. The rush was unbelievable and we’re having a blast.”

Pius (29-3) will face Menomonee Falls in a state semifinal at 11:35 a.m. Friday at Kapco Park on the campus of Concordia University. Kettle Moraine, which beat Greater Metro champion Sussex Hamilton, 4-2, in the sectional semifinal earlier Monday, finished 23-9.

Treffert’s hit capped a showdown between conference champions – Kettle Moraine won the Classic 8 – that featured strong pitching on both sides and outfield assists at the plate by both squads. There were also enough missed chances or mistakes on each side to make Kettle Moraine think what might have been and to make Pius breathe a sigh of relief.

“All year long we talked about setting goals,” Pius coach Kevin Kehoss said. “First was the conference championship,  then the conference tournament, then the regional, then the sectional, and now it’s on to state. We set goals for ourselves and they want to accomplish them together.”

In addition to getting the winning hit, Treffert pitched eight innings. He allowed six hits and struck out five. 

At the plate, he was due. Hitting in the No. 2 spot, Treffert went down unimpressively in his first four at bats. In the bottom of the sixth, he grounded out to end the inning with a runner on second and his team down a run.

On his last chance, he broke the hearts of the Kettle Moraine players.

“A couple of times we thought we had them,” Lasers coach Jim Wilkinson said. “One team was going to go home disappointed today. It was both teams competing at the height of their abilities, I think and really that’s the best of high school baseball.”

Pius struck first thanks to a single by senior first baseman TJ Driver that scored senior catcher Gino D’Alessio in the third.

Kettle Moraine responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior Nathan Strelka opened the inning with a double and scored the tying run on a double by the next man up, senior Max Herro. Herro moved to third when Treffert couldn’t cleanly field a bunt by senior Kyle Abatto and scored on a squeeze play by senior Teig Chase.

The 2-1 lead stood until the seventh thanks to a great play from senior Will Martinez in the sixth. The rightfielder caught Herro’s fly ball and threw a laser that reached home on the fly to prevent Kettle Moraine from adding an insurance run.

The play kept Pius within striking distance and finally in the seventh its players strung together some timely hits.

D’Alessio, Pius’ top hitter, opened the seventh by pulling a double down the left-field line and later scored when the Lasers couldn’t cleanly get the ball to first on a potential double-play ball. Kettle Moraine got the out at second, but the throw to first was off the mark and unable to be handled by the first baseman.

The Popes nearly won the game right there, but Kettle Moraine senior Josh Kolb gunned out senior Brandon Heller at the plate on a potential run-scoring single by freshman Josh Treffert.

Kettle Moraine avoided elimination, but only for an inning.

“We’ve been working for this for four years,” Pius catcher Gino D’Alessio said. “We had a couple of tough outs. Freshman year we lost in the sectional championship up, 6-0. Sophomore year we lost on a walk-off. Last year we had an early exit, so we understood how hard it was to make it to state.

“Just doing it is unreal. I don’t think it has even set in yet."