Big innings hurt in two losses; Mann no-hits Prentice in four

For the second straight night, a big inning by the opposition Tuesday was too much to overcome for the Rib Lake softball team, who dropped a 12-6 nonconference decision to visiting Butternut- Mercer. On Monday at Columbus Catholic it was the first inning that did the Lady Redmen in. On Tuesday, it was the fifth, where seven runs scored on six hits, a walk, a hit batter and a late outfield error that added one more run after most of the damage had been done.

The big inning broke what had been a 3-3 tie through four innings. Rib Lake battled back to get within 10-6 before the Pioneers tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh on two hits and an outfield error.

Rib Lake head coach Craig Scheithauer said credit certainly should go to Butternut-Mercer for the hitting the ball well and finding the holes. But the Redmen need to make those plays that can limit the damage.

“You don’t want the errors ever,” he said. “You can weather them when the other team is not stringing together three, four or five hits and you mix a walk in there. You can have a walk and an error in an inning without all those hits. But if they’re stringing together a pile of hits in one string of at-bats, you can’t have any other mistakes. You have to make every play you can make. For whatever reason we didn’t.”

Rib Lake fell to 2-5 overall with the loss.

Josie Scheithauer started in the pitching circle for the first time this spring and was tagged with a couple of first-inning runs and another in the second. Rib Lake fought back getting an RBI single from Tessa Krause in the second and two more runs in the third. Leadoff hitter Addison Gumz started that rally with a bunt single and scored on Kyla Kennedy’s double. Danielle Mann singled to score Kennedy.

Neither team scored in the fourth, but the Pioneers broke out in the fifth, getting four singles and a walk before Scheithauer got the first out of the inning on a strikeout. A two-run single by Butternut-Mercer’s pesky leadoff hitter, knocked her from the circle.

Mann hit an RBI double in the fifth and Scheithauer nailed a two-run double in the sixth to temporarily close the gap.

Rib Lake continued to show progress offensively, collecting nine hits, four of which were doubles. The team had four stolen bases and had a sacrifice bunt but walked only once and struck out six times with most of those coming early.

Mann and Heiser had two hits apiece. Each hit a double.

“I do like that we’re putting the ball in play,” Craig Scheithauer said. “Our small ball has been good. My two young girls at the top (Gumz) and bottom (Kiana Dallmann) of the lineup, they struggle a little bit sometimes because they’re seeing better pitchers at times but they’re there because I know they can do it. They’re a tough out. If they get the ball on the ground, they’re getting down the line. We’re getting better at it than we were last year.”

In 4.1 innings, Scheithauer struck out five hitters, walked four and allowed 11 hits and nine runs, six of which were earned. Gumz finished the last 2.2 innings, striking out four, walking one and allowing four hits and three runs, two of which were earned.

Butternut-Mercer, who beat Rib Lake in WIAA Division 4 regional play last spring, improved to 4-3. The teams could meet in the regional rounds this year too and coach Scheithauer thinks the Redmen would be ready for the Pioneers if that happens.

Rib Lake will be at Newman Catholic Friday for a Marawood Conference crossover at 4:45 p.m. The Redmen will get their toughest Marawood North tests of the spring next week when they visit Phillips Monday and then host the Loggers on May 12. The team is also planning to finish a suspended game from April 12 at Chequamegon Monday after the Phillips game. Rib Lake leads that game 6-1 heading into the third inning.

“We’re competitive,” Scheithauer said. “We just have to get over that hump and that only comes with playing in those situations. You’re not just going to win games because you want to win them. You have to experience being in a tight game and being able to step up and make a play. It’s coming. We’re making some nice plays, we’re improved, we’re getting some small ball going, we’re stealing more bases than we have. We just haven’t put it all together yet.”

Columbus 12, Rib Lake 7

At Marshfield Monday, Rib Lake hit Columbus Catholic with a three-run top of the first, but the Lady Dons struck harder, scoring nine in the bottom half and then coasting the rest of the way for a 12-7 non-conference win.

Josie Scheithauer and Mann walked with one out in the top of the first, Kennedy doubled in a run, Heiser grounded out to drive in another and Leah Chmielowiec’s two-out single drove in Kennedy to make it 3-0.

But Columbus went single, walk, double, bunt single to start the first and kept rolling from there. The rally ended when Rib Lake committed two throwing errors following an RBI double to allow the last two runs to score.

“They found green when they swung and hit it,” coach Scheithauer said.

Rib Lake got two runs back in the third when Kennedy reached on an error, Heiser singled and Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer walked to load the bases. Chmieloweic singled in one, while Emily Rodman knocked in the other with a groundout.

But the Dons widened the lead to 12-5 in the fourth. Rib Lake got its last two runs in the last inning when Kennedy walked, Heiser singled, Chmielowiec singled with one out, Rodman hit an RBI single and a run scored on Dallmann’s infield hit.

The Redmen finished with seven hits. Heiser and Chmielowiec had multi-hit games. Rodman got off to a tough start in the circle but settled down after the first inning. She struck out two and walked four.

Rib Lake 15, Prentice 0

Mann threw a four-inning no-hitter Thursday as Rib Lake completed a regular- season sweep of Prentice with a 15-0 win in Marawood North play.

Mann, a sophomore, faced 15 batters, walked two and hit one while striking out five.

Rib Lake, meanwhile, needed just seven hits to get its 15 runs and was aided by 13 walks from Prentice pitching. The Redmen beat Prentice 16-1 in three innings three

NO-HITTER on page 12 days earlier.

The Redmen scored two runs in the first, one in the second and two in the third. They broke it open with a 10-run fourth. Kennedy led off by getting hit with a pitch, Heiser walked and the runners moved up on a groundout by Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer. Chmielowiec doubled both runners in. Dallmann walked and Gumz singled in a run. Then Josie Scheithauer, Mann and Kennedy walked in runs and Heiser laced a two-run single. After two more walks, Rodman hit a two-run single and Krause added an RBI pinch-hit single.

“Danielle did a pretty nice job throwing strikes and we played decent defense behind her when they did hit the ball,” coach Scheithauer said. “They had one hard-hit ball to rightfield.”