Lakers advance to LOL title game

New Berlin — The New Berlin Lakers are in a position to erase the memories of their last visit to the Land O' Lakes Grand Championship.

In 2004, the Lakers lost their final two games of the tournament to the champion Lannon Stonemen. Those two teams will meet at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, at Malone Park in the season finale.

To reach the decisive game, the Lakers needed clutch hitting by Eric Martwick and a complete-game pitching effort by Mike Jacobson in a 4-3 win at Waterford on Sunday.

Martwick, a former New Berlin West star, hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning that put New Berlin ahead, 3-1. Waterford answered with solo runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth to tie it, 3-3.

In the ninth, Martwick led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Danny Sayles and scored on Alex McRae's RBI single to left. McRae is a junior at New Berlin Eisenhower.

Jacobson retired the Waterford side in order in the bottom of the ninth on a strikeout and two pop-outs. He allowed two earned runs on 10 hits and three walks with five strikeouts. He picked two runners off first base, the leadoff hitters in both the second and fourth innings.

The Lakers are looking for their first Grand Championship since 1977. New Berlin lost to Lannon, 3-0, earlier in the Grand Championship tournament Sept. 5, but the Stonemen pitcher who shut them out, Eric Rowe, is back at college and likely will not play in the title game.

- David Cotey