The Portage Junior Legion team may have went 1-3 at the Baraboo Tournament over the weekend, but the local squad was close to going a perfect 4-0 in the Circus City, as Portage's three losses came by a combined four runs.

On Saturday, Baraboo opened with a five-run first inning on the way to a 9-7 win over Portage. In the second game on Saturday, Portage gave up four runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose to Stoughton, 7-6. Portage got its only win of the tournament on Sunday with a 9-8 win over the Madison Lakers, and then completed the tournament with a 5-4 loss to Beaver Dam.

The games played at Baraboo's Mary Rountree Field over the weekend completed a stretch of six games in four days for Portage. Portage coach Jim Walker said that was a lot of baseball for his team, considering two pitchers are out of action with injury and there is another game on the schedule for tonight.

"We could have very easily won this tournament and been 4-0," Walker said. "I honestly believe that if we were healthy with our pitchers and didn't have to extend kids, I think that would have happened."

In Portage's lone victory of the tournament, it scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning on successful squeeze bunt by Adam Walz, as Portage held on to beat the Madison Lakers.

"Our pitchers kept us in every ballgame. Our defense, outside of that one inning, really played well. We did a lot of good things," Walker said. "We had timely hitting. We played small ball. We squeezed home three runs on Sunday. We made some really head's up plays. Solid base running. We did everything right but win baseball games."

BARABOO 9, PORTAGE 7

Portage ..............200 003 2 - 7 9 4

Baraboo ..............530 100 X - 9 8 1

Pitchers (ip-h-r-bb-k) - Ma. Bortz (L; 2-6-8-1-2), Walz (3-3-1-1-2), A. Bortz (1-0-0-0-2); Ebright (W; 7-9-7-2-6).

Leading hitters - Walz (P) 2x4, A. Bortz 2x3, Zeihen (P) 2x4, Labeots (B) 3x3, Traxler (B) 2x3. 2B - Walz 2, A. Bortz, Mitchell (P), Labeots, Traxler, Hacker (B). 3B - Labeots.

STOUGHTON 7, PORTAGE 6

Portage ..................020 300 1 - 6 11 1

Stoughton ..............012 000 4 - 7 11 0

Pitchers (ip-h-r-bb-k) - Dobbins (6-7-3-3-5), Ma. Bortz (L; 1-4-4-1-1); Moe (W; 7-11-6-4-2).

Leading hitters - Greene (P) 2x4, Walz (P) 2x4, Ma. Bortz (P) 2x4, Dobbins (P) 3x3, Fuller (S) 2x4, Madsen (S) 2x3, Mael (S) 2x4. 2B - Walz, Mael, Moe (S), Wendt (S), Lynch (S).

PORTAGE 9, MADISON LAKERS 8

Madison Lakers ...............304 001 0 - 8 11 0

Portage ............................430 101 X - 9 10 1

Portage pitchers (ip-h-r-bb-k) - Donovan (3-8-7-0-2), Walz (W; 4-3-1-1-2).

Leading Portage hitters - Walz 3x4, Zeihen 2x3. 2B - Mitchell, Donovan.

BEAVER DAM 5, PORTAGE 4

Portage ..................000 040 0 - 4 8 0

Beaver Dam ...........110 003 X - 5 8 1

Portage pitchers (ip-h-r-bb-k) - Zeihen (3-3-2-5-2), A. Bortz (1-1-0-1-0), Greene (L; 2-4-3-0-2).

Leading Portage hitters - Greene 3x4, Dobbins 2x3.