Big innings part of three Rib Lake wins; Athens sweeps DH

RIB LAKE SOFTBALL

The Rib Lake softball team started slowly, but a 10-run third inning warmed things up on a cold afternoon Tuesday and propelled the Redmen to a 16-6 win over Colby-Abbotsford.

The non-conference game was moved to Colby due to wet conditions on Rib Lake’s field. The Redmen played as the home team and, once they started to feel at home, they scored 14 runs in their last three at-bats to improve to 10-3 overall.

“It took us a little while to get going,” head coach Craig Scheithauer said. “I know it was cold, but it was cold for the other team too. We said the team that gets most bothered by the cold is going to struggle more. We didn’t play with a lot of energy early. We didn’t find it until the start of the third inning, but then the effort was there defensively, offensively and running the bases.”

Josie Scheithauer pitched all five innings to get the win, striking out six and allowing just three hits. Several Redmen contributed to the offensive success. Rib Lake collected 11 hits, drew eight walks and stole eight bases.

Rib Lake took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Addison Gumz and Tahlia Scheithauer drew walks. Scheithauer was eliminated on an Avery Niemi fielder’s choice but Gumz eventually scored on a passed ball and Josie Scheithauer’s base hit scored courtesy runner Olivia Butler.

A rough top of the third inning defensively gave Colby-Abbotsford three runs on just one hit and put Rib Lake in a 4-2 hole, but it was one they quickly dug out of.

Tahlia Scheithauer led off by singling and stealing second base. She scored on Niemi’s triple. Leah Chmielowiec was hit by a pitch and stole second. Josie Scheithauer reached on a third-strike passed ball. Kiana Dallmann walked to drive in the tying run, Lily Butler grounded out but drove in the go-ahead run and Kara Kennedy, Madilyn Blomberg and Tahlia Scheitauer hit consecutive run-scoring singles.

After Niemi walked, Chmielowiec singled in a run, an error on a ball hit by Josie Scheithauer scored another and Dallmann drove in the 10th run of the inning with another bases-loaded walk.

The Redmen got a shutdown top of the fourth and then tacked on another run on Niemi’s sacrifice fly to go up 134. Colby-Abbotsford, though, scored two runs in the top of the fifth and threatened to extend the game, but Rib Lake got the three runs it needed in the bottom half to put the 10-run rule into effect. Dallmann singled and stole second and Olivia Butler reached on an error. Cassandra Cano grounded out to drive in Dallmann. Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer singled in Bulter. Later, with the bases loaded, Chmielowiec ended with a drive to the gap that would’ve gone for extra bases had the first run it drove in not ended the game.

Tahlia Scheithauer was two for two and Chmielowiec was two for three to lead the offense.

The buildup to the post-season will pick up steam in the next week. Rib Lake will now host Northland Pines in a nonconference game Friday at 4:45 p.m. and then finish North play with a pair of games against Phillips next week. The Loggers visit Monday, while Rib Lake goes to Phillips on May 11. Rib Lake goes to Stratford May 12, hosts Newman Catholic on May 15 and then closes the regular season May 16 at Owen-Withee.

Athens sweeps

On Friday, Rib Lake faced its toughest opponent so far in Marawood North contender Athens and was swept in a pair of five-inning games.

Athens pitchers Danica Diethelm and Paige Westaby combined for a shortened no-hitter in a 12-0 win over the Redmen in game one. Both teams hit the ball well in game two with the Blue Jays scoring nine runs in the last two innings to pull away for a 16-5 victory.

The losses dropped Rib Lake’s Marawood North record to 4-2. Athens is 5-0 after beating Phillips Tuesday 6-1.

“I told the girls that maybe we need to send Athens a thank you because they exposed the things we need to work on,” Craig Scheithauer said. “There were a lot of little things that you can’t get away with when you play better teams.”

Diethelm struck out six batters in four innings pitched in game one. The only Rib Lake batter to reach was Niemi with a two-out walk in the top of the fourth inning. Westaby pitched a 1-2-3 fifth with a strikeout to complete the no-hitter.

Offensively Athens, built a 4-0 lead in the first two innings and then put the game away with an eight-run rally in the bottom of the fourth.

A two-run triple by Elle Gauerke was the key hit in a three-run first inning. Gauerke hit a sacrifice fly in the second. Athens loaded the bases with one out in the fourth and then kept the line moving to build its large lead.

Celina Ellenbecker’s sacrifice fly scored the first run of the inning and also got Rib Lake one out away from getting out of the inning. However, Sydney Coker singled in two runs. An error on a stolen base attempt brought in a run to make it 8-0. After Jenna Handschke doubled, Abby Diethelm singled her in. A collision on an infield pop-up by Westaby kept the inning going and Addison Lavicka cashed in on the mistake by banging a two-run double and Jazelle Hartwig drove in the final run by singling.

Hartwig was three for four for Athens while Lavicka and Sydney Coker had two hits apiece.

Josie Scheithauer took the loss for Rib Lake. She allowed 10 hits while striking out six, walking six and hitting one.

While the slow start offensively was frustrating, Craig Scheithauer said it was good to see the girls adjust at the plate in game two.

Playing as the home team, Rib Lake got out of a first-inning jam with a double play and then made sure there wouldn’t be another no-hitter by getting leadoff hits from Gumz and Tahlia Scheithauer in the bottom of the first. They both scored on a booming double to deep right-center by Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer to give Rib Lake a 2-1 lead.

The lead didn’t last long as Athens got a two-run double by Hartwig and a runscoring single from Gauerke in the top of the second. Athens tacked on three more runs on three hits, a hit batter and a walk in the top of the third to go up 7-2, but the Redmen got out of the inning when Josie Scheithauer, playing shortstop, speared a line drive hit by Sophia Coker and doubled a runner off third base.

The Redmen then got back into the game with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third. Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer, Josie Scheithauer and Chmielowiec all drew walks from Danica Diethelm to load the bases with no outs. After a strikeout, Lily Butler drove in one with a groundout. Kennedy walked to re-load the bases then Gumz got a big two-out hit, lining a single up the middle to score two runs. Westaby relieved Diethelm and got Tahlia Scheithauer to fly out to center to end the inning at 7-5.

Unfortunately for Rib Lake, that was the end of its momentum. The Blue Jays turned three Rib Lake errors and five hits into a 13-5 lead in the top of the fourth. Three hits and three errors led to a threerun fifth that ended the game early.

Gumz and Tahlia Scheithauer each went two for three at the top of the batting order to lead Rib Lake’s six-hit attack. Rhonnie Jo and Josie Scheithauer each had a hit.

Tahlia Scheithauer pitched all five innings for Rib Lake. She struck out two, walked five and hit two while allowing 15 hits. Gauerke was four for four to lead Athens’ attack. She drove in three runs.

Prentice swept

On Thursday, Rib Lake had no trouble with conference rival Prentice, sweeping the Buccaneers 26-1 and 15-0 in a doubleheader played at Rib Lake.

The Redmen were the visitors in game one and scored three runs in each of the first two innings, added four in the top of the third to go up 10-1 and then batted around twice in the fourth while scoring 16 runs.

Josie Scheithauer pitched the first three innings and Gumz finished up in the fourth. They combined to strike out six batters and walked three while allowing two hits. Kennedy and Lily Butler each scored runs from the bottom of the batting order.

Tahlia Scheithauer threw a three-inunearned ning perfect game in the nightcap with four strikeouts.

“Offensively we kept on going from where we left off in the first game,” coach Scheithauer said.

Rib Lake sent 13 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first and scored seven runs. They did the same in the second and got the run they needed in the bottom of the third to end it by 15-run rule.

Niemi hit a single and a triple in the win. Chmielowiec hit a double and a single and Kennedy had two RBIs.

Catcher Avery Niemi threatens to challenge a Colby-Abbotsford base runner during Tuesday’s 16-6 win.NATHANIELUNDERWOOD/TRIBUNE-PHONOGRAPH