Five-game run puts Raiders at 9-2 with big stretch ahead
RIB LAKE BASEBALL
Three wins against Marawood Conference opponents, including two in North Division play, have the Rib Lake Redmen in position to make a run at the divisional title in the final three weeks of the regular season.
The Redmen improved to 4-1 in the North and 6-5 overall Tuesday with a 20-0 beating of last-place Prentice at Tannery Creek Park. Rib Lake is tied with Athens for first place in the Marawood North at the teams’ halfway points of the league schedule.
Rib Lake and Athens meet in the last two games of the conference season June 1 and 3. In between Rib Lake plays Phillips on the road on May 25 and at home on May 27, while Athens plays Chequamegon on those dates.
The Redmen will have their rematch at Prentice tonight, Thursday, at 4:45 p.m. Wisconsin Rapids Assumption is in town for the final Marawood Conference crossover of the spring on Friday. Rib Lake hosts Columbus Catholic in non-conference play on Monday.
Rib Lake 4, Marathon 0
Two weeks after Carter Scheithauer no-hit Auburndale, Rib Lake’s Michael Borchardt and Logan Blomberg nearly combined for another one Friday in Rib Lake’s 4-0 win at Marathon.
Borchardt worked around four walks and two hit batters in his four innings, while Blomberg struck out one, walked two and gave up the only hit, a leadoff single to Marathon’s number-nine hitter, Daniel LaQua, in the seventh. Borchardt stranded two Red Raiders in the second and fourth innings.
“That was one of the best games we’ve played in years,” Rib Lake head coach Dick Iverson said. We made some great defensive plays and got some clutch hitting.”
The clutch hitting started in the top of the second inning. Jordan Yanko led off with a base hit and stole second. With one out, Ty Annala and Ryan Patrick walked to load the bases, but Marathon pitcher Grant Warren speared a line drive hit by Jackson Blomberg to give himself a chance to get out of the jam.
Sam Gumz, however, had other ideas, beating out an infield hit to drive in a run. Brock Thiede drew a walk to score another one.
In the third, Scheithauer hit a leadoff single. With two down, Annala walked and Marathon misplayed a hard-hit ball by Patrick to drive in Rib Lake’s third run. Gumz led off the seventh with a single and was sacrificed to second by Thiede. After Logan Blomberg walked, Scheithauer singled to score Gumz.
Gumz and Scheithauer both went two for four at the plate. Thiede and Yanko added a hit apiece.
“Our defense was phenomenal,” Iverson said. “Sam made a nice catch out in right-center, Ty made a great catch in rightfield, Jackson Blomberg made two nice plays at second. We played really good defense.”
Warren struck out three and walked four in three innings while taking the loss. Tyler Underwood pitched the last four innings for Marathon and struck out four while walking one.
10-run win
On Thursday, Rib Lake had no trouble earning its second win over Chequamegon in four days, scoring in every inning to earn an 11-1, five-inning home win.
Logan Blomberg was three for four with three runs scored and two driven in. Thiede had two extra-base hits, three runs scored and one run driven in to lead the offense.
Scheithauer cruised through five innings on the mound, striking out seven, walking two and allowing three hits and an earned run. Scheithauer’s two-run double in the first put Rib Lake ahead 2-1. It followed a Thiede double and Logan Blomberg single.
A three-run second included an unearned run, an RBI single by Logan Blomberg and a sacrifice fly from Scheithauer. Thiede hit an RBI triple with two down in the third and he scored on Scheithauer’s base hit. Scheithauer later scored on an error to make it 8-1.
Errors and walks led to three more runs in the fourth. Ryan Patrick and Andrew Wudi got RBIs with their free passes with the bases loaded.
