DAIRYLAND LEAGUE BASEBALL - Osprey survive late flurry; Reds sweep with shutouts

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE BASEBALL

Already leading 8-2 going into the ninth inning Sunday, the three runs the Rib Lake Osprey scored in the top half just felt like icing on the cake at the time.

As it turned out, Rib Lake needed just about every one of those runs to hold off a two-out rally from host Westboro in the bottom half that fell just short in an 11-9 final.

With the win, the Osprey held on to the top spot in the Dairyland League’s Small Division at 4-0, while the Trojans, last year’s regular-season division champions, fell to 1-1. The Osprey were set to meet 3-0 Interwald Wednesday night in a midseason clash for first place.

Rib Lake outhit Westboro 15-9 and did most of its damage in the first four innings, where it built its 8-2 lead. The pitching and defense for both teams settled in from the fifth through eighth innings before things got crazy in the ninth.

In the top half, Luke Blomberg and Scott Hueckman were hit by pitches from Westboro’s Klay Ellenbecker. After a Bryant Konieczny groundout, Levi Ewan’s single drove in Blomberg and Jeff Ziembo’s third base hit of the game scored Hueckman. With two outs, Austin Ewan added an RBI single for a seeminglycomfortable 11-2 lead. Tanner Hraby drew a one-out walk from Rib Lake’s Drew Hauschild, who then got a strikeout to put the Osprey an out away from victory. But an error and a walk loaded the bases for Javon Penney , who was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Marcus Klemm cleared the bases with a three-run double and Connor Westfall singled to knock in Klemm. Just like that, it was 11-7. James Holliday was hit by a pitch and Ellenbecker walked to load the bases for Hraby. After playing in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Games the previous two days, Hraby’s two-run single made it a two-run game and brought the tying run to the plate, but the Osprey got Brant Johnson to ground out to finally seal the win.

Rib Lake scored an unearned run in the top of the first that was answered by Braxton Weissmiller’s RBI double in the bottom half. The Osprey took the lead for good with Joe Frombach’s RBI single in the second. They stretched the lead to 5-1 in the third. Levi Ewan drew a leadoff walk from Westboro starter Jesus Ontiveros. Ziembo singled and Steve Mann was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Austin Ewan, who singled to center to knock in Ewan and Ziembo, who just beat the throw home. Austin Edwards singled, scoring Mann, but Ewan was thrown out on another close play at the plate.

Rib Lake got three more in the top of the fourth. Konieczny drew a one-out walk and Levi Ewan doubled to set up Ziembo’s RBI single and Mann’s two-run double. Westboro’s Dustin Freeman singled in the bottom half and scored on Westfall’s hit.

Ziembo and Mann both went three for five for Rib Lake, while Levi Ewan, Austin Ewan and Edwards had two hits apiece. Freeman and Westfall had two hits each for the Trojans, who are at Tomahawk Saturday for a 6 p.m. first pitch, making up a June 22 rainout. On Friday, July 12, Rib Lake hosts Tomahawk at 7:30 p.m., while Westboro is at Abbotsford for a 7 p.m. start.

Also in the Small Division Sunday, Interwald stayed unbeaten with a 14-3 rout of the Medford Moondogs and Pittsville rolled past Spirit 13-1. Abbotsford won in Tomahawk Saturday 95.

Abbotsford is at Medford Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Reds sweep

In Large Division play Sunday, the Whittlesey Reds added a make-up date from their May 12 postponement with Merrill and swept the Rangers in a doubleheader at Mike Roiger Stadium.

Pitchers Brandon Loertscher, Spike Alexander and Logan Baumgartner combined for 14 shutout innings of baseball as the Reds won the seven-inning contests 4-0 and 5-0.

Loertscher covered the first four innings of the opener, working around three hits, a walk and a hit batter. He struck out one. He was in a bit of a jam in the third, giving up hits to Ray Reimann and Alex Osness, but a double play killed the Rangers’ threat. Alexander went the rest of the way, striking out four while allowing a hit.

The Reds got the only run they’d need in the bottom of the second inning. Parker Lissner singled, but was eliminated on Ben Meyer’s fielder’s choice. Cade Alexander dumped a single into shallow right and a dropped fly ball hit by Blaine Seidl loaded the bases for Nick Meyer, who drove in his brother with a groundout to deep short.

The Reds finally got to crafty veteran Shawn Schultz in the sixth, stringing together enough hits to score three runs and put the game away.

Alexander logged three more scoreless frames in game two before Baumgartner breezed through the final four innings to complete the shutout sweep.

This time, the Reds did the majority of their damage early with three runs in the top of the first inning.

Nick Meyer walked and was bunted to second by Zach Haynes. Loertscher’s double scored Meyer. After Cody Loertscher singled and stole second, Baumgartner’s groundout scored a run and Spike Alexander singled up the middle to make it 3-0. Lissner followed with a double, but Merrill pitcher Spencer Schneider stranded the runners at second and third.

Nick Meyer belted a solo homer in the second and Lissner’s RBI single scored Baumgartner in the top of the sixth.

Whittlesey improved to 4-4 in league play, while Merrill dropped to 0-6. The Reds’ next Dairyland game is at Marshfield on Sunday, July 14.

Whittlesey’s Cade Alexander gets just enough of this Shawn Schultz pitch to dump it into rightfield for a base hit during the second inning of the Reds’ 4-0 win over Merrill in game one of their doubleheader Sunday afternoon. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Whittlesey second baseman Parker Lissner lunges to catch a sinking liner hit on the infield by Merrill’s Clay Schultz during the first inning of game one. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS