Pitching and defense continue to carry Redmen in three North wins

Neither high winds nor the Prentice Buccaneers could stop Rib Lake’s baseball team, who remained undefeated Tuesday with a 10-0, six-inning win over the home team.

Talon Scheithauer had his second straight extremely efficient pitching outing in Marawood North play, allowing just two hits while striking out five and walking three in the shutout. He also went two for four at the plate and scored twice. He was one of four Redmen with two hits as the team improved to 4-0 in the North and 7-0 overall.

With 30-plus mph winds blowing straight in from leftfield, the Redmen made the most out of just putting the ball in play while building an 8-0 lead in the first two innings.

Scheithauer led off the game with a base hit off Prentice starter Heston Hueckman, moved to second on a wild pitch, got to third on Andrew Wudi’s ground ball and scored on a balk. Jackson Blomberg walked and scored on Dominic Quednow’s two-out single for a quick 2-0 lead.

Little went right for Prentice in the second. Tyler Matyka singled, Donovan Sutherland bunted for a hit and Scheithauer’s liner went off the glove of shortstop Eliah Harding for an RBI single. An error on Wudi’s bunt was followed by another error on a ball hit by Blomberg that scored two runs. Ethan Cook lined an RBI single to center, Brady Heiser drove in a run with a groundout and the sixth run of the inning scored on another balk.

Blomberg hit a sacrifice fly in the third and the 10th run scored on a wild pitch in the sixth.

Cook, Quednow and Heiser all went two for four in Rib Lake’s 10-hit attack.

Prentice fell to 0-4 in league play and 1-5 overall with the loss. Heston Hueckman and Jonas Staroba had the Buccaneers’ only hits.

Rib Lake will look to keep things rolling when it heads to Wisconsin Rapids Friday to face Assumption at 4:45 p.m. The Redmen will head south again Monday, taking on a tough Columbus Catholic squad in Marshfield at 5 p.m.

Then the Marawood North title could be on the line as Rib Lake hosts fellow league unbeaten Abbotsford-Colby at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday and then goes to Abbotsford for the 4:45 p.m. rematch on April 25.

Rib Lake 7, Prentice 1

Blomberg came one out away from a complete game and lost his shutout right at the end too, but the Redmen were in command from start to finish in a 7-1 home win over Prentice Monday afternoon.

Blomberg struck out 12 Buccaneers, walked four and allowed just four hits to earn his second conference win of the spring. Two walks and a hit gave Prentice its only run in the seventh and got Blomberg to his 100-pitch limit with two outs. Wudi faced just one batter and got the game’s last out.

Offensively, Rib Lake pounced on the Bucs with four first-inning runs to take command right away.

Scheithauer walked and Wudi put down a perfect drag bunt for a hit. Blomberg’s double scored Scheithauer, then Cook singled to knock in Wudi and Blomberg. Walks to Quednow and Heiser loaded the bases and Matyka got one of those runners in with a sacrifice fly.

Blomberg was hit by a pitch in the second, stole second and scored on Cook’s second hit of the game. Rib Lake left the bases loaded for the second straight inning but led 5-0.

Cook walked to start a fourth-inning rally. Quednow and Heiser singled with Heiser’s hit scoring a run. An error allowed Rib Lake’s last run of the game to score.

Cook was two for three with a walk and three runs batted in to lead Rib Lake’s offense.

Rib Lake 5, Athens 1

On Friday, Scheithauer pitched a complete- game gem, needing just 72 pitches to get through seven innings and the offense did all of its damage in the fifth and sixth innings as Rib Lake earned its second 5-1 win of the week over Athens.

This one took place in Athens. Scheithauer struck out five, walked one intentionally and allowed just two hits. The Blue Jays’ lone run was unearned and scored on an errant throw to first on a strikeout in the bottom of the fourth.

“Overall we played very well,” Rib Lake head coach Dick Iverson said. “Talon was outstanding with his pitching. He was pretty much in control the whole game.”

The home team’s 1-0 lead did not last long.

In the top of the fifth, Heiser led off with a double and Seth Borchardt walked. Athens nearly got out of it when Matyka popped out and pinch hitter Aiden Stapleton grounded out to move the runners up 90 feet. Scheithauer and Wudi then came up with clutch two-out hits as each drove in a run to make 2-1.

In the sixth, Heiser and Borchardt started another rally as both walked. Matyka drove in a run with a fielder’s choice and Donovan Sutherland came up with his biggest hit of the young season, singling to knock in two runs.

Wudi went two for four. Scheithauer, Heiser and Sutherland had a hit apiece in the win.

Talon Scheithauer