Moondogs get a split in Rib Lake; Woodticks coast to win
DAIRYLAND LEAGUE DIVISION A
An extra-inning loss in game one Friday hurt Rib Lake’s chances of sticking with Everest atop Division A of the Dairyland Baseball League, but the Osprey rebounded to take game two 5-3 and split a doubleheader with the Medford Moondogs.
The teams played two seven-inning games on Friday in Rib Lake, rather than playing their originally scheduled single nine-inning games on Friday and Saturday.
Medford pulled off the 4-3 game-one win with some late-inning heroics, taking the lead in the top of the seventh, holding off Rib Lake’s attempts to win it in the bottom half and then scoring the winning run in the top of the eighth. Playing by the new Major League Baseball extra-inning rules, Medford started with a runner on second. Austin Davies grounded out, but Trent Klemm then knocked in Justin Janikowski to break the tie. Rib Lake then went down in order in the bottom half.
The Osprey took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Steve Mann reached and scored on a triple by Austin Edwards. Jon Dallmann then hit a sacrifice fly. The Moondogs got one in the sixth with Austin Davies doubling and scoring on a hit by Klemm. In the seventh, Mike Delzer and Brett Paul drove in runs to push Medford into the lead.
Rib Lake went to work in the bottom half, getting a walk from Gavin Phillips and a big two-out hit from Levi Ewan to drive him in. Jeff Ziembo nearly won it, but his liner was caught in centerfield to keep the game tied at 3-3.
In game two, a two-run rally in the bottom of the fourth broke a 2-2 tie and propelled the Osprey to the win.
The teams traded two-run innings to account for the game’s first six runs. Rib Lake got the first two in the bottom of the second on a clutch, two-out hit to left by Austin Ewan that drove in Jon Dallmann and Brett Hueckman, who scored a controversial second run on the play on an errant throw to the plate. At first, Hueckman was ruled out for interference by running with raised arms, but the call was overturned and the run counted.
Medford tied the game in the top of the fourth when Delzer reached on an error, stole second and scored on a Janikowski double. Davies then singled him in.
Rib Lake countered in the bottom half with singles by Dallmann and Austin Zondlo and a two-out, two-run triple to the gap in right-center.
An errant pickoff throw led to Medford’s last run in the fifth, while a dropped fly ball allowed Rib Lake’s last run to score in the bottom half.
Levi Ewan was the winning pitcher, going five innings, allowing three hits, striking out four and walking four. None of Medford’s runs were earned. Ziembo covered the last two innings, striking out three, walking one and allowing a hit. Davies was two for three for Medford.
Grady Kroeplin pitched the first inning-plus for Medford, walking four and getting charged for two runs, one of which was earned. Paul went five innings, struck out eight, issued no walks and allowed seven hits. Two of the three runs against him were earned.
Austin Ewan and Dallmann had two hits apiece for Rib Lake.
The Osprey sit at 4-2 in the divisional standings and in fourth place behind Everest (6-0), Wausau (3-1) and Interwald. They will face Interwald in a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday.
Medford, now 2-5, is at winless Spirit for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch on Saturday.
Interwald 19, Spirit 4
David Fliehs had five hits in the first four innings and Carter Scheithauer had four in that span when the Interwald Woodticks did all of their damage in a 19-4 rout of Spirit Sunday afternoon in Rib Lake.
By the end of the fourth, the Woodticks had a 19-1 lead and had easily assured themselves of improving to 5-2 in Division A. Spirit fell to 0-8.
The Woodticks trailed 1-0 early but collected 23 hits in the first four innings off Spirit starter Joe Zocher. They scored five runs in the bottom of the first, three in the second, four in the third and seven in the fourth.
Spirit took the lead with four straight singles in the top of the first off Interwald starter Peter Devine, who only pitched two innings. Evan Seal got an infield hit, Tyler Zocher and Matt Jensen followed with singles and Mike Hake hit a single to center to score Seal, but Zocher was thrown out at the plate on a perfect relay throw from Interwald second baseman Nick Gerstberger to catcher Dalton Strebig.
From there, Interwald’s offense dominated. Craig Scheithauer drew a basesloaded walk, Carter Scheithauer hit a two-run single and Jeff Borman and Luke Blomberg added RBI base knocks in the first. Carter Scheithauer dropped an RBI single inside the rightfield line, Logan Blomberg hit a sacrifice fly and Jeff Borman singled in another run to make it 8-1 in the second.
Craig Scheithauer, Carter Scheithauer, Gerstberger and Logan Blomberg hit consecutive RBI singles in the third. Matt Mohr’s two-run double got the fourth-inning rally started. It included run-scoring singles by Logan Blomberg, Luke Blomberg and Strebig, while Jake Borman drove in one with a fielder’s choice.
Medford’s Brett Paul catches a foul ball in front of the fence during the first inning of Friday’s second game. Paul caught all three outs in the inning.
Rib Lake first baseman Austin Edwardssqueezes a pop-up hit in foul territory during game two Friday night.
Spirit second baseman Jason Polacek makes the throw to first over the sliding Logan Blomberg to complete a third-inning play against Interwald Sunday.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
