Westboro upends Rib Lake; Reds and Moondogs also win

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE BASEBALL

The Westboro Trojans took a midgame lead for the second week in a row, but this time, they didn’t let that lead get away in a 7-5 Dairyland League win at Rib Lake Friday night.

Matt Krueger went two for four with a pair of two-run singles and had five runs batted in to lead the Trojans, who shook off their 10-8 loss at Whittlesey where they once led 8-3 and improved to 1-1 in league play. The Osprey fell to 0-2 with Friday’s loss.

Brothers Trace and Taylor Brayton kept Rib Lake’s offense in check after a four-run second-inning rally gave the Osprey a 4-1 lead. Trace went seven innings for Westboro and racked up 11 strikeouts, while walking two and hitting one. He allowed all five runs, all of which were earned, and eight hits. Taylor picked up a two-inning save, striking out four and allowing a hit.

Westboro got on the board right away in the first when Marcus Klemm walked and eventually scored on BJ Wiegel’s fielder’s choice.

Rib Lake’s big second inning started with Bryant Konieczny’s leadoff double. Austin Edwards hit a one-out single to score Konieczny and he went to third on a base hit by Austin Zondlo. A throwing error scored Edwards and, after Levi Ewan walked, Austin Ewan crushed a two-run double deep into the gap in right-center.

Westboro answered with two in the third off Edwards, Rib Lake’s starter. Klemm drew his second walk of the night and Cameron Diedrich bunted for a hit. With one out, Wiegel and Krueger walked to force in a run. Trace Brayton added a two-out RBI single.

The Trojans took a short-lived lead in the fourth when Krueger bounced a clutch, two-out, two-strike single up the middle to score a pair. Rib Lake tied it in the fifth when singles by Austin Ewan and Jeff Ziembo led to a run-scoring fielder’s choice from Steve Mann.

But Westboro came right back in the sixth to take the lead for good. Klemm hit an infield single and Diedrich doubled to start the inning. Edwards struck out Dustin Freeman and got Wiegel to pop up to Mann behind the plate to give Rib Lake a chance to get out of it. But when first base was left uncovered when Krueger hit a bouncer toward rightfield that was cut off by the sliding Ziembo, both runners scored the game’s final runs.

Rib Lake stranded two runners in the seventh and one in the eighth.

Diedrich was three for five at the plate for Westboro, while Austin Ewan and Edwards both went two for four for the Osprey.

Westboro hosts the 1-0 Marshfield Chaparrals in its home opener Sunday at the Westboro diamond. Rib Lake is at Medford, also on Sunday. Both games start at 1:30 p.m.

In other action featuring local teams this weekend, the Whittlesey Reds got a key victory, winning 7-4 at annual contender Wausau. The win puts Whittlesey at 2-0 in the early going. Whittlesey has another big one this Sunday when it hosts Everest at 2:30 p.m. It will be Everest’s first game of the league season. The Interwald/Everest game scheduled for Friday was postponed. Interwald hosts Wausau Sunday in Rib Lake at 1:30 p.m.

Medford improved to 1-1 with a 5-4 at Pittsville Sunday, Kole Karaba and Brady Wisniewski both went two for three for the Moondogs. Wisniewski had two RBIs, one on a base hit in Medford’s two-run second inning and another on a base hit in the eighth that drove in Matt Drost, who had hit a leadoff double. That insurance run was key after Pittsville got two runs in the seventh to shave a 4-1 Medford lead to 4-3.

Karaba got the win with six solid innings on the mound. He allowed seven hits and three runs while walking three and striking out two. Trenton Woebbeking got the save. In three innings, he struck out four, walked two and allowed a run on four hits.