Close game gets away from Rib Lake in the 6th at Athens

WIAA DIV. 4 SOFTBALL

The scoreboard said the Athens Blue Jays eliminated Rib Lake from the WIAA Division 5 tournament Thursday with their third 10-run victory of the season over the Lady Redmen.

But inside the 14-4, six-inning final was a game that was much tighter than it appears.

Going into the bottom of the sixth inning, Rib Lake was right there, trailing the Marawood North champions 5-4 and holding a chance to tie or win it in the seventh if they could find a way to get through that inning unscathed.

But a couple of early breaks put a couple of runners on, Athens started banging out some extra-base hits and, just like that, a nine-run inning ended Rib Lake’s season at 15-5, while second-seeded Athens (15-8) advanced to a sectional semifinal at top-seeded McDonell Central Tuesday, which it lost 10-0 in five innings.

“The girls did what we needed them to do,” Rib Lake head coach Craig Scheithauer said. “People may look at it and just think we got 10-runned again. It was 5-4 going into the bottom of the sixth. We were down one.”

Third-seeded Rib Lake never led, but the Redmen twice trimmed three-run deficits to one. They got two runs in the top of the sixth and had a runner thrown out at third base being a bit overaggressive on a hit to leftfield for the third out of the inning.

A couple of just what Scheithauer called bad breaks went against Rib Lake earlier in the game. Had balls gone different directions by a few inches either way, who knows what might have happened. But that’s the game of softball.

“When I look back at it, we had one tough call that might have cost us a run or two early,” he said. “We had one spot where the ball got by their catcher, but hit the umpire, otherwise we probably have a run. And, we hit into two lineouts that might have meant four runs.”

Athens outhit Rib Lake 14-8 with much of that damage taking place in the decisive bottom of the sixth inning. The inning started with a Rib Lake error. A sacrifice bunt attempt was popped into the air, but the diving attempt to catch it by third baseman Addison Gumz came up just short and went for a hit. Scheithauer said if Gumz catches it, Rib Lake had a good shot at doubling the runner off first base.

The next hitter dumped a double into shallow rightfield, just fair and just out of reach of Rib Lake’s rightfielder Kara Kennedy. After an RBI single, a threerun homer and back-to-back doubles broke it open.

A couple of defensive miscues did hurt Rib Lake in the bottom of the first, helping Athens take a 2-0 lead. Another unearned run made it 3-0 in the third. Rib Lake loaded the bases in the third, but Avery Niemi hit a bullet that started a 6-4-3 double play, though Scheithauer felt Niemi may have been safe at first on a close call there. In the top of the fourth, Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer walked and Leah Chmielowiec singled and wound up at second and third with one out. Kiana Dallmann hit liner that Craig Scheithauer said would’ve gotten to the gap and scored both runners, but it was snagged by Athens’ shortstop for the second out and the runners wound up stranded in scoring position.

The Lady Redmen did break through in the fifth. Kennedy reached on an error and Gumz double and Tahlia Scheithauer singled. Two runs eventually scored on a passed ball and an error on the throw to the plate from the catcher to make it 3-2. But the inning ended when Niemi lined a rocket right at the centerfielder.

Athens got two earned runs back in the bottom half of the inning on a triple, a walk, a sacrifice fly and two singles.

Rib Lake got within one in the top of the sixth. Josie Scheithauer and Chmieolowiec singled to lead it off. Scheithauer eventually scored on a passed ball and Chmielowiec scored on an error on a ball hit by Gumz.

Josie Scheithauer and Chmielowiec both went two for three and scored a run. Gumz was two for three with a double, a walk and a run. Tahlia Scheithauer was one for two with a run, a stolen base and was hit by a pitch. Kennedy added a hit.

Josie Scheithauer took the loss. In 5.1 innings, she struck out six, walked three and 10 of the 14 runs she allowed were earned.

“Josie pitched great,” Craig Scheithauer said. “She was hitting her spots, changing speeds.”

After going 4-11 in 2022, an infusion of young talent, combined with experience gained over the previous two seasons by the older players turned Rib Lake into a winner in 2023 and, hopefully, a team to watch in 2024. Of Rib Lake’s five losses, three came to a conference champion and sectional qualifier in Athens, the other two were to Division 4 sectional qualifiers Auburndale and Stratford.

“I think that shows we’re a pretty good team and we had a dang good season,” Craig Scheithauer said.

The team loses just one senior, Rhonnie Jo Scheithauer, and is hopeful to get a key piece back, freshman Tessa Weik, who missed the entire season due to a knee injury suffered early in the basketball season and should add pitching and offensive depth when she returns.

“Nothing’s a given,” coach Scheithauer said. “Someone could get hurt, things can happen, but we have such a young group and hopefully now with a year of experience they come into next year, they don’t miss a beat and come in ready to go.”