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Janesville Parker’s Kersten delivers

The All-Big Eight Conference baseball team won’t be announced for a few weeks.

Inside information has it that Janesville Parker High School pitcher Andy Kersten is a good bet to make the team.

Beloit Memorial coach Chuck Seils and Kersten’s coach, Brian Martin, agreed that Kersten deserves recognition after the right-hander threw a four-hitter in the Vikings’ 5-1 victory over the Purple Knights at Riverside Park on Tuesday.

“He’s one of the best in the league,” Seils said after Kersten went through Beloit’s lineup three times with just 79 pitches. “He gets ahead of you, and then he throws it where he wants to. He’s a good high school pitcher.”

Beloit scored its only run in the fifth inning. Corey Brunton tripled to right-center for about the only solid hit for Beloit. He then came home on Brent Cox’s single.

Only four other Beloit hitters reached base, and two of those came on errors. Kersten struck out eight and allowed no walks.

“He is one of the top pitchers in the league,” Martin said. “He was on today. He’s getting better every single time out. This was by far his best game.”

Parker’s offense gave Kersten all the support he needed, scoring in four of the six at-bats.

Jake Welch’s RBI double scored Kyle Johnson in the first inning, and Johnson singled home Vernon Franklin in the third.

Singles by Jeff Henke, Brady Brandt and Aric Bobzien, along with a walk and a wild pitch, produced two runs in the fourth.

Henke’s single, a stolen base by pinch-runner Tyler Brooks and Brandt’s single concluded the scoring in the sixth.

Parker had 10 hits, highlighted by Brandt’s 3-for-3 game. Johnson and Henke each added two hits as the Vikings went to 7-5 in the Big Eight and 9-5 overall.

The only flaw in the Vikings’ game came on the base paths, where five runners were thrown out.

“We were a little ragged on the bases,” Martin said. “But we put the ball in play. We drove the ball a little bit.”

Welch and Brandt each had a double.

With the Vikings back at full strength, they might be ready for a good stretch run. Second-place Verona is at Riverside Park on Thursday.

PARKER 5, BELOIT 1

Beloit (ab-r-h-rbi)—Hamilton, ss, 3-0-0-0; Zibert, lf, 3-0-0-0; Diderich, c, 3-0-1-0; Roegner, 3-0-1-0; Brunton, cf, 3-1-1-0; Resch, dh, 3-0-0-0; Oldenburg, 3b, 3-0-0-0; Cox, rf, 3-0-1-1; Gamble, p, 3-0-0-0; Ratch, pr, 0-0-0-0; Metz, 2b, 2-0-0-0. Totals: 26-1-4-1.

Parker (ab-r-h-rbi)—Franklin, rf, 3-1-0-0; Johnson, 1b, 3-1-2-1; Welch, c, 3-0-1-1; Tre. Kobs, cf, 3-0-0-0; Henke, dh, 3-1-2-0; Brooks, pr, 0-1-0-0; Brandt, ss, 3-1-3-1; Ta. Kobs, lf, 1-0-0-0; Bobzien, 3b, 3-0-1-1; Long, 2b, 2-0-1-0; Kersten, p, 0-0-0-0. Totals: 24-5-10-5.

Beloit Memorial 000 010 0—1

Janesville Parker 101 201 x—5

E—Parker 2. LOB—Beloit 3, Parker 3. 2B—Welch, Brandt. 3B—Brunton. SB—Brooks, Franklin, Johnson, Brandt.

Beloit Memorial IP H R ER BB SO

Gamble (L) 6 10 5 5 1 1

Janesville Parker

Kersten (W) 7 4 1 1 0 8