RIB LAKE BASEBALL - Conference baseball title can be claimed today by Rib Lake

RIB LAKE BASEBALL

It was a quiet week with just one game played by the Rib Lake baseball team, but that game represented one more key step for the Redmen toward a Marawood North championship.

A 5-0 home win over Phillips Monday allowed Rib Lake to keep pace with Abbotsford-Colby atop the conference standings as league play hopefully reaches its end point tonight, Thursday, assuming rain doesn’t throw any more curveballs at area teams.

Rib Lake is 7-1 in the North and 11-3 overall.

With the game being postponed Thursday by rain, both Rib Lake and Phillips had their ace pitchers available in Monday’s game and, just like Rib Lake’s 4-0 win on April 30, Jackson Blomberg and the Redmen were a little better than the Loggers and their solid left-hander Drew Hauschild.

Blomberg needed just 72 pitches in his complete-game, two-hit shutout as he walked only one batter and struck out seven. JJ Heikkinen and Ty Henderson singled for Phillips’ only hits.

Rib Lake, meanwhile, didn’t really break out of its recent offensive funk, but it did enough to back up Blomberg’s pitching and the solid defense behind him.

The Redmen got their first run, and the only one they’d wind up needing, in the bottom of the third inning. Blomberg singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on Ethan Cook’s base hit.

Rib Lake widened its lead to 3-0 in the fifth. Cook walked and scored on Dominic Quednow’s triple. Brady Heiser’s sacrifice fly to centerfield scored Quednow.

A two-run sixth inning put it away. Donovan Sutherland drag bunted for a hit. He stole second and scored on Talon Scheithauer’s double. Blomberg capped a two for three day at the plate by singling in Scheithauer.

Blomberg was the game’s only hitter with multiple hits. Rib Lake finished with six hits, including one apiece from Scheithauer, Cook, Quednow and Sutherland.

Hauschild went 4.1 innings for the Loggers, who fell to 4-4 in league play and 4-5 overall. He struck out six, walked five and allowed two hits. Daniel Adomaitis finished up, allowing four hits and striking out one.

Now the stage is set for the Redmen as they host Chequamegon (1-7, 2-11) today, Thursday, in a 4 p.m. doubleheader, following Tuesday’s rainout in Park Falls.

With a sweep, Rib Lake would clinch at least a share of the conference title. Phillips can play spoiler as it travels to Abbotsford-Colby for a doubleheader at the same time today.

Rib Lake head coach Dick Iverson said Scheithauer will get the ball in game one. By staying under 75 pitches Monday, Blomberg is eligible to pitch, so, it could be all hands on deck and ready for the Redmen to nail down their first league title since 2021.

Following today’s doubleheader, Rib Lake is scheduled to host Stratford Friday in a Marawood crossover at 4:45 p.m. The Redmen will be at Marathon Monday for another non-conference crossover game before hosting Spencer on May 17.