The Ellsworth Hubbers’ newfound pitching depth has completely transformed the franchise’s ability to compete with opposing teams in the St. Croix Valley Baseball League.

In years past, Ellsworth often relied on one starter to pitch all nine innings. Given the Hubbers’ additions this summer, the pitching staff depth helped Ellsworth survive a grueling schedule, which included a 2-1 walk-off win against Osceola at home on Friday, June 30.

With one out and the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning, Ellsworth first baseman Kacey Bass got hit by a pitch. Two batters later, designated hitter Jeremiah Paulson hit a routine flyball to left field that Osceola dropped, which put Ellsworth runners on first and third.

After the ensuing batter struck out, Ellsworth pitcher James Georgakas drew a walk to load the bases. That brought second baseman Tom Hehn to the plate, who ripped an RBI single to right-center to secure Ellsworth’s 2-1 victory over the Osceola Braves.

While Hehn delivered the game-winning base hit in the bottom of the ninth inning, it was Ellsworth’s pitching that truly earned the win. Starter Jaden Schwantz surrendered just one earned run in four innings of work before James Georgakas dealt five frames of shutout ball.

For the aforementioned Paulson, who is a longtime player-manager for the Ellsworth Hubbers, the win against Osceola was a byproduct of pitching depth that Ellsworth hasn’t had in years.

“I think the biggest thing is pitching depth,” Paulson said. “We knew that we had (Jaden) and James (Georgakas) tonight. In a tight ballgame, we thought we could scratch a run across and let James go a little bit deeper and it worked out. Jaden (Schwantz) played great out there.”

Schwantz and Georgakas combined for a six-hitter against Osceola on Friday night and limited the Braves to just one run scored. In years past, Ellsworth’s starters were often asked to deal all nine innings. With the newfound depth, the Hubbers have managed to keep arms fresh and relievers ready, even in pivotal St. Croix Valley Baseball League games.

“I think the biggest thing is the pitching depth,” Paulson said after the win. “You don’t have to hand the ball to a guy and say, ‘Don’t come back until the game is over.’ When you have depth, guys aren’t quite as worn down this time of year.”

Osceola may have entered Friday night’s contest at Ellsworth with just two wins in St. Croix Valley Baseball League play, but that didn’t stop the Braves from pushing the Hubbers to the brink.

The Braves threw Nick Carlson, a young southpaw pitcher who is just a couple of years out of high school. Carlson’s fastball blew by Ellsworth hitters and his offspeed stuff kept the Hubbers off balance during his seven innings of work.

“We’ve seen him a couple of times,” Paulson said. “He’s a couple of years out of high school, but he gets on you and comes from the first base side of the plate. It was a grinder, but that’s what good pitching does. They threw some good arms at us and we threw some good arms at them.”

With the 2-1 victory against Osceola, Ellsworth improved to 6-4 in St. Croix Valley Baseball League action. While Ellsworth was happy about the win, Paulson and the Hubbers acknowledged that the upcoming stretch of games in July is going to be a gauntlet.

Ellsworth still has to face Spring Valley, the Plum City Blues, the defending state champion River Falls Fighting Fish and a litany of other talented area teams. While Paulson is happy about the winning record, he and the Hubbers are ready for the upcoming slate of games.

“We feel pretty good,” Paulson said. “The rest of the season isn’t going to be easy. Next week we’ve got to go against Spring Valley and Hudson, who are right there with us. We’ve still got to go to Plum City and River Falls is coming here. We’re going to have to grind and take as many wins as we can.”

Despite having a tough road of games ahead, the Hubbers are above .500 and essentially control their destiny regarding a Wisconsin Baseball Association playoff berth. Even if the Hubbers played .500 ball the rest of the way in league play, they’d easily qualify for the postseason.

“We have eight games in July and I feel pretty good about where we’re going to sit,” Paulson said. “Even if you play .500, you end up 10-8, which is in the playoffs for sure. If you play better than that, then you get a little bit of a better seed. The plan is to keep guys fresh, rely on depth and then have guys ready to go for the playoffs.”

Ellsworth has spent the last several years often teetering on the edge of postseason contention. However, given the added pitching depth and defensive quality of this year’s team, Paulson is confident in his team’s position.

“We’ve talked a little bit about it being tough sledding for a couple of years,” Paulson said. “But we keep adding pieces and relying on our depth. We’re playing pretty good with everybody and guys are doing their part when called on. We feel good about being 6-4 for sure. You can never complain about a winning record.”

The Ellsworth Hubbers are slated to be back in action on the road against Hudson on Saturday, July 9. The first pitch for that contest is slated for 1 p.m.