May 11, 2026 – West Bend, Wi — On a beautiful Mother’s Day Sunday afternoon at Carl M. Kuss Memorial Field, the West Bend Spirits never quite found solid footing against the Brookfield Bulldogs, dropping a 7–3 decision that was never truly in doubt after the middle innings.
The perennial power Brookfield Bulldogs delivered 12 hits, punished two costly Spirits errors, and watched starter James Severson navigate five innings of work before handing it off to Danny Llanas in a shutdown relief effort that sealed the win.
“Beating this Bulldogs team is difficult enough when you have everyone available, but to beat them when still missing key players to college is a tough hill to climb. Love how we fought,” said West Bend Spirits manager Willie Mueller.
It was the top of the first that set the tone. After Ross Krist singled and West Bend native Jack Thelen followed him aboard, T.J. Roberts laced a run-scoring double to center field to spot Brookfield an early 1–0 lead. It was a warning sign the Spirits would spend the rest of the afternoon trying, and failing, to adequately answer.
West Bend starter Easton Oliver kept the damage limited through two frames. But the third inning cracked him open. Krist tripled to lead off, scored on a Thelen single, and then Roberts grounded into a double play that pushed across the third Bulldogs run as Thelen came home.
Just like that, Brookfield led 3–0.
The Spirits finally answered in the bottom half of the third. Newcomer Hunter Herbst reached on an error, a Luke Heinkel triple and a Caleb Horvath single made it a 3–2 game, and for a moment there was reason to believe. But the rally stalled. Brookfield’s defense snuffed out the next two hitters with great plays, and the lead held.
“We were one hit away from really putting the pressure on them. We got aggressive there twice, it worked once, and the other time they made a great play. Credit them and their situational awareness. Not surprising when it’s Jack [Thelen] and Parker [Sniatynski] making those plays,” Mueller said.
The fourth inning was the kill shot. Krist doubled home a run, Thelen singled to plate another, and Parker Sniatynski added yet another RBI single before West Bend could escape the frame. By the time the dust settled, Brookfield had piled on three runs in the inning and led 6–2.
Oliver, working on just three days’ rest from his last college season outing, was ultimately tagged for six earned runs on 11 hits over his five innings of work, taking the loss. Severson, who earned the win, was steady if not dominant.
The right-hander scattered seven hits over five innings, allowing three runs, only two earned, and struck out four while issuing no walks. Llanas came on in relief and was immaculate: four innings, two hits, no runs, turning an uncomfortable margin into a comfortable final. “It’s why I love Easton [Oliver]! We knew Gavin Hinkley was out of town, and we’re still waiting on a few more arms. Easton wanted the baseball despite throwing 60 pitches Wednesday night. He might have taken the loss, but it shows you the type of guys we have on this roster. Team first mentality,” Mueller said.
Offensively, West Bend simply could not sustain any momentum. Alex Pluta went 2-for-4 and newcomer Gabe Lee added a pair of hits of his own, but the duo, batting back to back, never had enough company to push across significant runs at important times.
Colyn Lessila, Heinkel, and Horvath each drove in a run, accounting for all of West Bend’s scoring. Brookfield, meanwhile, was relentless at the plate. Krist and Thelen each went 3-for-5 to lead the attack, with Thelen driving in two and Krist doing damage from the leadoff spot throughout. Roberts also notched two RBIs, and Sniatynski did what Sniatynski always does, delivering a pair of hits in five at-bats.
The Bulldogs collected a total of 12 hits. Johnny Nieskes came on in relief for the Spirits in the sixth and promptly shut the door, striking out five over four one-hit innings to keep it close.
“We’ll start to see where we’re at over the next couple of weeks,” Mueller said. “I think the pieces are there for this to be a really good season for us.”
The loss sets up the Spirits for a Sunday matchup next week against the “other” Brookfield team, the Blue Sox, right back at Carl M. Kuss Memorial Field. West Bend will need to clean up the mistakes and find a way to get key hits if they hope to reverse course.
Notes: After the game, West Bend Spirits manager and West Bend Baseball Association President Willie Mueller announced Brookfield Bulldogs player Parker Sniatynski would receive the 2026 West Bend Baseball Association’s Friend of Baseball Award, given to someone who puts team above self. Sniatynski joins former Land O’ Lakes player Johnny Arnold, who was announced this past Wednesday as the 2026 Prudence Pick Hway Philanthropic Award recipient prior to the Sussex Hamilton vs. West Bend West game.
The Diamond of Honor Banquet will be held Saturday, November 14, 2026, where both Sniatynski and Arnold will be honored along with many others.
