Last run wins a back-and-forth game in Athens

RIB LAKE BASEBALL

The Rib Lake Redmen had the last at-bat in a back-and-forth Marawood North battle Monday afternoon and they took advantage of it, small balling their way to the gamewinning run in a 5-4 win at Athens.

In game one of what was supposed to be a conference doubleheader, the Redmen played as the home team and got the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning on a throwing error by Athens on a sacrifice bunt laid down by Andrew Wudi. Talon Scheithauer got a single to start the inning, stole second base and scored on the Wudi bunt and ensuing error.

Game two of the doubleheader did not happen due to a burst of snow that hit hard between games and is now scheduled to be played in Athens Friday at 4:45 p.m., wiping out Rib Lake’s originally scheduled game at Auburndale.

“I give the kids credit,” Rib Lake head coach Dick Iverson said. “They hung in there and didn’t fold because the momentum definitely shifted away from us.”

Rib Lake took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning and then, starting in the top of the fifth, the game took some twists and turns. Michael Borchardt gave Rib Lake the early lead with a two-out, two-run double to deep leftfield off Athens’ left-handed starter Kyler Ellenbecker. Borchardt’s hit drove in Seth Borchardt, who had bunted for a hit, and Jackson Blomberg, who beat out an infield hit.

Rib Lake got three of its four hits for the game in that inning.

Borchardt threw four scoreless innings for the Redmen before things went haywire in the top of the fifth inning. A walk and two hit batters loaded the bases with two outs and another walk to Nick Pittman scored a run. Ty Johnson was hit by a pitch to tie the game and a squibber down the third-base line turning into a run-scoring infield hit for Hunter Haehlke and a 3-2 lead for the Blue Jays before Scheithauer took over and got the final out of the inning.

Seth Borchardt led off the bottom of the fifth for Rib Lake by walking. He moved up two bases on two groundouts and scored on an Athens error to tie it at 3-3. He came up with another big play from rightfield a half-inning later, throwing out the potential go-ahead run at the plate after a double and a single by the Blue Jays.

Ethan Cook walked and an error on a ball hit by Dalen Gebauer put them on the corners in the bottom of the sixth and a successful double steal scored Cook to make it 4-3, but Athens tied it right back up in the top of the seventh on two hits and a wild pitch.

“Talon came in and threw strikes,” Iverson said. “He did a nice job. Seth made a big play defensively. We picked a guy off in the first inning, (catcher) Jackson Blomberg threw him out at first base, and Michael picked a guy off second in the second inning. That was huge. Defensively we played fine. Michael didn’t have his best control but he managed to get out of some jams until the wheels kind of fell off in the fifth.”

Borchardt went 4.2 innings, walking four, hitting three and allowing three hits while striking out three. Scheithauer got the win in relief. In 2.1 innings, he gave up five hits, but no walks and just the one earned run in the seventh.

Scheithauer, Seth Borchardt, Blomberg and Michael Borchardt had one hit apiece.

“We didn’t hit the ball extremely well,” Iverson said. “Their pitcher did a nice job for them. He didn’t give up too many free passes.”

Today, Thursday, Rib Lake is planning to host a doubleheader with Prentice for the first home games of the season. After the return trip to Athens planned for Friday, Rib Lake is scheduled to be at Columbus Catholic Monday for a non-conference game and then has a big series with defending Marawood North champion and current leader Abbotsford- Colby. The home game is Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. and the game in Abbotsford follows on May 4.