GRAND CHUTE – Reaching the sectional semifinals and finals year after year can be rewarding for only so long. Just ask the Madison Edgewood baseball team.

After reaching the sectional finals the last two seasons, the Crusaders finally pulled through to the WIAA Division 2 state tournament and Thursday afternoon made the trip worth every minute.

Edgewood got production up and down its order on its way to claiming a 13-3 victory over Bloomer in the Division 2 state championship game at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium.

“A few of these guys have played in sectional championship games the last two years and experienced that and having their hearts broken,” Edgewood coach Richard Newton, II said. “The guys were talking and wanted to show they could win it offensively like we’ve done all year.”

The title is the first since 2004 and a goal the senior class had been pushing for since and making it complete, as it is for al the members of the team, is sweet.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamt about with this team, but to think we actually did it, I don’t know what to say,” Crusaders senior left fielder Zach Scherschel said.

The Crusaders (25-4) got offense from almost everyone in the lineup. The usual suspects, Chris Ritter and Robert Parman delivered, but it was the added production of No. 9 hitter, Scherschel that helped keep rallies going.

Scherschel went 3 for 3 with three runs scored and two RBI, including a single that brought the final run of the game in.

“I just get out there and do my job,” Scherschel said. “That’s my job every game. Sometimes my job is getting the big hit, sometimes it is catching the ball. You have to do whatever your coach tells you to do.”

Added Newton: “That’s what helped us all year, that we had a quality lineup one through nine that if one guy was struggling the next two guys in the order were able to pick him up.”

Bloomer (27-4) did make it a 4-3 game after the top of the fourth inning, but just as the Crusaders did in their semifinal game against Fox Valley Lutheran Wednesday night they took advantage of walks and errors.

“Against a team that has that many quality bats in the lineup, you can’t give them extra free bases like that,” Bloomer coach A.J.Gerhmrann said. “We knew we were going to have to throw strikes and make the earn it and we gave them too many free bases via base on balls or on miscues and they took advantage of those opportunities.”

Having Chris Ritter hit his second home run of the season, just the third of the state tournament, doesn’t hurt matters, either.

FULL GAME STATS