June 15, 2025 – Lannon, Wi – Under the amber glow of Joecks Field’s lights on a perfect Friday evening for baseball, the West Bend Spirits authored a performance that will echo through summer nights ahead, dismantling the Milwaukee Beavers of Lannon 10-3 in a display of offensive thunder and pitching artistry that quickly erased the bitter taste of the previous week’s setbacks.
Luke Heinkel, the Spirits’ second year right fielder whose bat has been quietly dangerous all season, chose this stage to deliver his opus—a scintillating 4-for-5 masterpiece highlighted by a towering two-run home run that sailed onto the berm beyond right-center field. His three RBIs left no doubt about the evening’s outcome, but it was the complete team performance, orchestrated by manager Willie Mueller’s steady hand, that transformed what could have been merely a victory into something approaching baseball poetry.
“Luke’s been seeing the ball well lately,” Mueller said after watching his right fielder conduct a hitting clinic. “But what I’m most proud of is how we played complete baseball tonight—offense, defense, pitching. That’s the type of baseball we needed after last weekend.”
The Spirits wasted little time establishing their intentions, spraying line drives across the diamond from the opening pitch. Colyn Lessila, the rookie shortstop from Germantown, roped a double down the right-field line just beyond the outstretched glove of Beavers right fielder Zach Schneider. Quinn Zills followed two pitches later with a line drive single that brought Lessila home with the game’s first run.
What followed was a masterclass in situational hitting that would have made Doug Gonring nod in approval. After Zills was thrown out attempting to stretch his single into a double—the kind of aggressive baserunning that defines this Spirits club—Heinkel delivered the first of his four hits. Camden Hoier and newcomer Noah Dreier, making his Spirits debut, followed with consecutive RBI singles, and Ross Olsen capped the three-run rally with a clutch two-out hit that signaled to those in attendance that West Bend was locked in.
“We talked about being aggressive but not anxious against a guy like Smith,” Mueller explained. “Josh Smith has been doing this for more than a decade. If you fall behind or get overly aggressive, he’ll eat you up all night.”
The second inning belonged entirely to Heinkel, who turned on a 1-0 fastball from Smith and launched it into the Wisconsin night—a majestic blast that cleared the right center-field fence and settled on the back side of the berm, sending about 30 Lannon baseball players from adjacent fields scrambling for the prized souvenir. The two-run homer, Heinkel’s first of the season, punctuated a three-run frame that ballooned the Spirits’ lead to 6-0.
While the offense provided fireworks, recent high school graduate Easton Oliver was painting a masterpiece on the mound. The lanky right-hander from Living Word High School in Jackson worked under Ross Olsen’s guidance behind the plate, mixing his four-seam fastball with a devastating curveball and a patient Mueller changeup that kept Beavers hitters off balance throughout seven dominant innings. Oliver scattered just three hits while striking out eight and walking only two in his first adult league start.
“Easton commanded his fastball tonight on both sides of the plate, and his breaking ball was just filthy,” Mueller said, his eyes lighting up as he discussed his young pitcher. “When he’s changing eye levels and hitting spots with that kind of movement, he’s going to be a problem for opposing lineups. High school kids aren’t supposed to do that. We haven’t had a high school kid make this kind of impact since (Nick) Winter was with us.”
The Beavers, to their credit, refused to surrender quietly. They scratched across single runs in the second, eighth, and ninth innings, with Jalani Hudnall providing consistent offense with a 2-for-4 performance. But Milwaukee veteran starter Josh Smith struggled to corral the Spirits’ bats, surrendering seven runs on 12 hits in just four innings of work.
The Spirits’ offensive onslaught testified to their improved approach and the patience at the plate that Mueller had preached about after last weekend’s struggles. They drew nine walks while applying constant pressure on Milwaukee’s pitching staff. Lessila set the table with a 2-for-5 performance, while Hoier and Dreier each collected two hits in a balanced attack from top to bottom.
In the eighth inning, with the outcome long decided, the Spirits provided one final exclamation point. Dreier, who had taken over pitching duties from Oliver, helped his own cause with a two-run double that capped West Bend’s scoring for the evening.
“Every game matters more now,” Mueller said, his voice carrying the weight of expectation. “We’re not taking anything for granted, but nights like this show what we’re capable of when everyone contributes and doesn’t try to do too much.”
The victory improves the Spirits’ record to 5-2 as they continue their march toward the Wisconsin Amateur Baseball Classic in two weeks and the playoffs in six short weeks. The Beavers, meanwhile, face the harsh reality of an 0-5 start and a date with the Brookfield Bulldogs in Kewaskum on Sunday—the beginning of an unforgiving stretch where they’ll face four of the league’s five best records.
For Mueller’s club, this was the kind of complete performance needed after last week’s losses to Hartland and Brookfield. As the lights dimmed on Joecks Field and the faithful made their way to the parking lot, the echoes of this dominant display seemed to linger in the cool summer air.
The Spirits will carry this momentum into Sunday’s crucial road contest against the Sussex Cardinals, armed with the confidence that comes when their best baseball emerges.
In a summer that has already produced its share of memorable moments, Friday’s 10-3 victory will be remembered as the night the West Bend Spirits showed that last weekend’s struggles might have been a fluke, displaying what they’re capable of when playing Mueller’s brand of baseball—with Luke Heinkel’s bat providing the soundtrack and Easton Oliver’s arm setting the tempo.
“We hope this is just the beginning,” Mueller said as he gathered his thoughts in the quiet of the dugout. “I believe we’ve got a special group here, and the best is yet to come. But that’s up to them, bringing this same mindset game after game.”
Next Game: West Bend Spirits (5-2) at Sussex Cardinals (3-2), Sunday, June 15, 12 p.m. at Village Park in Sussex, Wisconsin
Box Score
West Bend Spirits 10, Milwaukee Beavers of Lannon 3
Game Info:
-
Date: Friday, June 13, 2025
-
Location: Joecks Memorial Field – Brookfield, Wisconsin
-
Weather: Overcast – 65 degrees
-
Records: West Bend Spirits (5-2), Brookfield Bulldogs (0-5)
Line Score
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
R |
H |
E |
West Bend |
3 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
10 |
14 |
1 |
Milwaukee |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
6 |
3 |
WP: Easton Oliver (1-0) LP: Josh Smith (0-3)
WEST BEND SPIRITS
# |
Player |
Position |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
25 |
Colyn Lessila |
SS |
5 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
24 |
Quinn Zills |
3B |
4 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
7 |
Luke Heinkel |
RF |
5 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
19 |
Brandon Niedfeldt |
CF |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
20 |
Camden Hoier |
1B |
4 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Noah Dreier |
DH/P |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
15 |
Ross Olsen |
C |
4 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
Nathan Crick |
2B |
4 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
22 |
Blake Church |
LF |
4 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
Brett Cramer |
PH/LF |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
TEAM TOTALS |
39 |
10 |
14 |
9 |
9 |
3 |
-
2B: Camden Hoier, Blake Church, Noah Dreier, Colyn Lessila
-
HR: Luke Heinkel
-
SB: Ross Olsen, Luke Heinkel
-
CS: Quinn Zills, Nathan Crick
# |
Pitcher |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
Decision |
30 |
Easton Oliver |
7.0 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
8 |
W (1-0) |
0 |
Noah Dreier |
2.0 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
– |
TEAM TOTALS |
9.0 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
12 |
-
WP: Noah Dreier
-
HBP: Easton Oliver
-
Pitches-Strikes: Easton Oliver 119-81, Noah Dreier 45-30
-
Batters Faced: Easton Oliver 28, Noah Dreier 10
MILWAUKEE BEAVERS OF LANNON
# |
Player |
Position |
AB |
R |
H |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
28 |
Zach Schneider |
RF |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
27 |
Carlos Wanta |
CF |
4 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
12 |
Brady Schulze |
1B |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
23 |
Matt Burke |
1B |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
Phil Reed |
DH/2B |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
22 |
Justin Barkhurst |
SS |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
Jalani Hudnall |
2B/P |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
16 |
Evan Barbian |
C |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
10 |
Luke Sikorski |
3B |
3 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
Derek Hall |
LF |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
TEAM TOTALS |
34 |
3 |
6 |
2 |
3 |
12 |
-
2B: Justin Barkhurst, Phil Reed
-
HBP: Justin Barkhurst
-
SB: Jalani Hudnall, Carlos Walta
-
E: Luke Sikorski, Jalani Hudnall, Jerome Pawlak
# |
Pitcher |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
SO |
Decision |
17 |
Josh Smith |
4.0 |
11 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
L (0-3) |
20 |
Jerome Pawlak |
1.2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
1 |
– |
4 |
Jalani Hudnall |
3.1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
– |
TEAM TOTALS |
9.0 |
14 |
10 |
7 |
9 |
3 |
-
Pitches-Strikes: Josh Smith 64-43, Jerome Pawlak 51-26, Jalani Hudnall 64-34
-
Batters Faced: Josh Smith 23, Jerome Pawlak 10, Jalani Hudnall 15