Westboro beats Spirit in 10 to reclaim top spot

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL

One week after falling out of sole possession of first place in the Dairyland League’s Small Division, the Westboro Trojans got it right back on Sunday but not without a fight.

The Spirit Twins took Sunday’s league matchup into extra innings where Westboro, for the second time in six weeks, scored six runs in the top of 10th inning to secure the win.

The 10-4 victory pushed Westboro to 4-1 in the Small Divsion, a half-game ahead of 3-1 Interwald, who took down Tomahawk 15-5 on Saturday night. Interwald hosts Westboro in the regular-season finale July 30.

Tomahawk’s loss, plus Pittsville’s 8-5 win over Abbotsford left all three of those teams at 3-2 and Rib Lake isn’t out of the hunt yet at 2-2.

Spirit, who fell to 0-5, fought back from an early 4-1 deficit to tie Sunday’s game on Dalen Gebauer’s two-run double in the bottom of the eighth. Spirit had two men on with no outs and the bases loaded with one out, but couldn’t tack any more runs on, thanks to two strikeouts recorded by Westboro reliever Marshall Westfall.

Spirit’s Tyler Zocher went the distance in a game that was delayed by rain for about a half-hour in the top of the seventh. He got out a jam as well in the top of the ninth that started with two on and no outs. Westfall struck out three while working around two walks, one intentional, in the bottom half.

Starting the 10th with Westfall on second base, the Trojans immediately went to work. Brant Johnson reached on an error to drive in Westfall. Dayne Marlenga was hit by a pitch and James Holiday bunted for a hit to load the bases. Colter Weinke hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run, Hraby singled in one and with two outs, Dustin Freeman knocked in another with a base hit. An error on a ball hit by Willy Johnson scored one and Westfall capped the rally with an RBI single.

Hraby’s single preceded Freeman’s two-run homer in the top of the first inning. Matt Jensen countered with an RBI single for the Twins in the bottom half. Westboro scored twice again in the second on a two-out, two-run single by Tucker Kraemer.

Jensen added an RBI double in the fifth for Spirit, who went three for four, explaining why the Trojans intentionally walked him in the ninth. Freeman, Hraby, Kraemer, Westfall and Marlenga had two hits apiece for Westboro, who had to work through injuries to starting pitcher Dakota Willemssen and starting catcher Connor Westfall during the game.

On July 1, Westboro scored six runs in the 10th to win 10-5 at Medford.

Westboro hosts Tomahawk in a key divisional matchup Sunday at 1:30 p.m., while Spirit faces Interwald at Rib Lake at the same time.

Rib Lake 10, Medford 2

Bryant Koniecnzy allowed just three hits and struck out seven in eight innings and the offense had big innings to start and finish the game to give the Rib Lake Osprey a 10-2 win at Medford Saturday night.

Rib Lake’s three-run first inning wound up being enough to win the game, but leading 5-2 going into the ninth, a five-run rally put the game away and boosted the Osprey’s divisional record to 2-2, while the host Moondogs slid to 1-4.

Konieczny did not walk a batter and neither of Medford’s runs were earned in his impressive outing.

Medford’s Gavin Fuchs pitched better than his line showed. He settled in after a rocky start and came within an out of going the distance. Rib Lake’s five-run rally in the ninth was all accomplished after Fuchs had retired the first two batters in the inning. The recent Medford grad struck out five, walked three, hit two batters and allowed 11 hits and eight runs, four of which were earned, in 8.2 innings.

Rib Lake didn’t hit anything particularly hard in the top of the first, but the Osprey dropped those hits where they needed to grab a quick 3-0 lead. Konieczny drew a leadoff walk and Jeff Ziembo lined a single to right to move Konieczny to third. Austin Ewan drove in a run with a groundout and Austin Edwards bounced an RBI single through the left side of the infield. After Joe Frombach’s fielder’s choice, Drew Hauschild dumped an RBI single into shallow center.

Ewan added an RBI single in the second to make it 4-0, but Fuchs and the Moondogs kept the damage to a minimum after the Osprey loaded the bases with one out.

Trenton Woebbeking got Medford’s first hit with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth and later scored on an errant throw on a bouncer hit by Trent Klemm. Rib Lake got that run back on a double steal in the sixth. Medford answered in the bottom half with a runscoring groundout by Mike Delzer, driving in David Hecker who had reached on an error.

Dawson Hauschild started the clinching rally in the ninth with a two-out single. Tucker Phillips walked and Hauschild raced home on Austin Zondlo’s infield single up the middle. Roy Stinson relieved Fuchs and got Koniecnzy to hit a fly ball, but it was misplayed, allowing two runs to score. Ziembo’s infield hit scored a run and the last run of the inning scored on a wild pitch.

Ziembo pitched a scoreless ninth, hitting a batter and striking out one.

Fuchs had two of Medford’s three hits. Ziembo, Ewan, Edwards and Phillips had two hits apiece for Rib Lake.

The Osprey hosts Pittsville at 7:30 p.m. this Friday, while Medford heads to Abbotsford for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch on Sunday.

As part of the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce Night at the Ballgame festivities, Wyatt Hartwig joins mayor Mike Wellner in throwing out the first pitch.

Rib Lake’s Joe Frombach steals second base ahead of the throw from Medford catcher Brady Wisniewski and the tag from shortstop Trenton Woebbeking during the first inning of the Osprey’s 10-2 win over the Moondogs Saturday. Medford second baseman Trent Klemm backs up the throw.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS