Thorp-Gilman erases early deficit with clutch, two-out hitting

THORP-GILMAN 6, RIB LAKE 3

No baseball rally is ever dead until the third out is recorded, which the Thorp-Gilman co-op proved Monday in a 6-3 non-conference win at Rib Lake.

All six of the visitors’ runs came with two outs and two of their three rallies started with two outs and nobody on. The game-winning rally in the top of the sixth got going with two down and just one runner on.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been involved with anything like that,” Thorp-Gilman co-head coach Cory Drost said of the two-out success.

“Give them credit for their clutch hitting,” Rib Lake head coach Dick Iverson said. “Their two pitchers threw well too.”

The win pushed Thorp-Gilman’s win streak to five and put the team at 6-3 overall at the time. Rib Lake’s three-game winning streak was snapped as the Redmen fell to 5-5 at the time.

“We’re hitting the ball, seeing the ball better,” Thorp-Gilman co-head coach Dave Kroeplin said. “The kids are working hard, and defensively, mentally, we’re better than we were in the first week.”

Rib Lake jumped ahead with a threerun third-inning rally that had a chance to be even bigger.

Sam Gumz started it with a walk issued by Thorp-Gilman starter Logan Kroeplin, who was on a 50-pitch limit in his return to the mound from injury. Gumz stole second and went to third on Brock Thiede’s base hit to left. Logan Blomberg sliced a liner that just stayed inside the rightfield line and went for a two-run triple.

Gavin Boie relieved Kroeplin at that point and got a big strikeout on Carter Scheithauer and retired Jordan Yanko on a comebacker. Michael Borchardt walked. Blomberg scored on a doublesteal play, but Borchardt wound up getting tagged out at second to end the inning.

Thorp-Gilman’s comeback started in the fourth with Logan Kroeplin’s two-out double to the gap in right-center and an RBI single by Ashton Kroeplin.

In the fifth, Kade Kroeplin and Aiden Rosemeyer singled with two down. Brayden Boie’s booming double to deep centerfield brought home both runners to tie it.

In the sixth, Ashton Kroeplin drew a leadoff walk from Rib Lake reliever Jake Matyka and an errant pickoff throw moved Kroeplin to second. Matyka and the Redmen had a shot to get out of the inning when Jack Syryczuk grounded out and Grady Kroeplin popped out on the field but, after Charlie Hauser was hit by a pitch, Kade Kroeplin hit a liner that hit the chalk in leftfield for an RBI double. Rosemeyer followed with a tworun double.

Gavin Boie and his defense held from there, allowing just one Rib Lake base runner in the sixth and seventh innings. Boie picked up the win. In five scoreless innings, he struck out four, walked three and hit one. He gave up just one hit. In his two-plus innings, Kroeplin allowed three runs, two of which were earned, four hits, two walks and a hit batter.

Scheithauer pitched 4.2 innings for Rib Lake and took a no-decision. He allowed three earned runs and seven hits while striking out two and walking none. Matyka was charged with the loss but threw strikes in his 1.1 innings. Jackson Blomberg struck out two and walked one in the seventh.

Kade Kroeplin and Rosemeyer each went two for four for Thorp-Gilman. Blomberg was two for four for the Redmen.

“They got some clutch hits and we didn’t,” Iverson said. “It really just came down to that. Carter threw well. We just didn’t put the ball in play enough with runners on base. That’s something we’ve talked about all year. But they have a nice team. It was a good high school game.”

“Rib Lake’s a good team,” Drost said. “Coach Iverson always has these kids ready to play.”