RIB LAKE TO FINALS - Late offense pushes Osprey past Bullfrogs, TimberJaxx

RIB LAKE TO FINALS

Needing just two pitchers to get through the weekend and using an offensive attack that wore the opponents down late, the Rib Lake Osprey went 2-0 in the Wisconsin Baseball Association regional and backed up the number-one seed in their pod while advancing to the next level of post-season play.

Their 7-2 win over the Tri-County TimberJaxx Friday and 13-3 victory over the Beef River Bullfrogs Sunday in front of the home crowds at Tannery Creek Park put the Osprey into this weekend’s WBA Finals, which will also be played in home territory at Whittlesey and Rib Lake.

The Osprey drew the top seed in the Finals and will open the eight-team, singleelimination tournament Friday night at 7 p.m. in Rib Lake against Bay City.

In both games this past weekend, Rib Lake had some early struggles offensively, but the Osprey kept grinding and it paid off.

The state berth was clinched Sunday afternoon with the Osprey scoring 11 runs over their last four offensive innings against third-seeded Beef River. The game ended in the bottom of the eighth with Rib Lake scoring six runs to reach the 10-run mercy rule.

Down 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Rib Lake took the lead for good, striking against Beef River reliever Ethan Bartels. Levi Ewan pulled a single down the leftfield line and stole second. He scored on Steve Mann’s single. Pinch-runner Dawson Hauschild moved to second on a passed ball and to third on Austin Ewan’s flyout to deep rightfield. After Austin Edwards walked, Seth Mudgett put a perfect bunt down the third-base line. The throw to first was late and wide, allowing both runners to score, putting the Osprey up 5-3.

Four hits led to two more runs in the sixth.

Joe Frombach led off with a hit and Bryant Konieczny doubled. Jeff Ziembo’s one-out single scored Frombach, though Konieczny was thrown out while also trying to score. But, after Mann walked, Austin Ewan belted a drive to deep center that got under the fence for an RBI ground-rule double.

The floodgates opened in the bottom of the eighth against Beef River reliever George Munson. Ziembo walked, stole second and scored on Mann’s third hit of the game. Edwards reached on a one-out error, Mudgett bunted for another hit to load the bases, then Luke Blomberg and Konieczny drew basesloaded walks. Will Thibodeau took over on the mound but walked Levi Ewan to drive in a run, threw a wild pitch to score another and Ziembo ended it with an RBI single to left.

Konieczny got stronger as the game went on and threw all eight innings for the Osprey. He allowed just five hits and four walks while striking out five. All three runs were earned.

Rib Lake outhit the Bullfrogs 16-5. Konieczny, Ziembo and Mann had three hits apiece, while Mudgett and Frombach added two apiece.

Thibodeau was two for four for the Bullfrogs, who gave themselves a chance at reaching the Finals by beating Tri-County 6-2 on Saturday afternoon. Mason Bauer started for Beef River and went four solid innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk while striking out four.

Rib Lake 7, Tri-County 2

Tri-County’s Peyton Solberg was one of the best pitchers to take the mound over the weekend in Rib Lake, but the hometown Osprey got to him with a huge five-run eighth inning that broke a 2-2 tie and sent Rib Lake to a 7-2 win in a chilly Friday night contest.

Edwards won the pitching duel for Rib Lake, going all nine innings. He allowed eight hits and six walks while striking out seven. Both of Tri-County’s runs were earned.

It took a controversial call for Rib Lake to finally break the ice against Solberg and the second-seeded TimberJaxx in the bottom of the sixth.

Down 1-0, Rib Lake got a one-out single from Ziembo. Mann then got a hold of one, sending off the fence in left-center. Ziembo was thrown out by plenty trying to score on the play, but after discussion, the umpires ruled his path to the plate was blocked by catcher Brayden Bender. That took away the run and put Rib Lake’s first run of the game on the board. Mann advanced to third on Austin Ewan’s groundout and then hustled home to score on a wild pitch, putting the Osprey up 2-1.

Caden Willis smacked his second RBI double of the game in the top of the seventh, which was followed by a Kaz Mount’s single. Edwards came up with a big defensive play, knocking down a bouncer up the middle hit by Solberg, scrambling to recover the ball and then throwing out Solberg from his knees for the second out. A walk to Derek Ransanici loaded the bases, but Edwards struck out Nolan Hemmesch to keep it tie.

Tri-County stranded two more runners in the top of the eighth. In the bottom half, Levi Ewan hit an 0-2 pitch down the leftfield line for a leadoff double, went to third on a passed ball and scored when Ziembo’s grounder was booted. Mann walked and Austin Ewan drove in Ziembo with a base hit. Edwards singled to score Hauschild and, with two down, Jon Dallmann bounced a pinch-hit single into rightfield to knock in the game’s last two runs.

Rib Lake finished with 12 hits, 11 against Solberg who was lifted after Dallmann’s hit. Solberg struck out six and walked two.

Ziembo, Mann, Austin Ewan and Edwards had two hits each. Willis and Dylan Devine had two hits apiece for Tri-County.