DAIRYLAND LEAGUE SMALL DIVISION - After busy weekend in Small Division, Woodticks still in lead

Carter Scheithauer drew a basesloaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning Sunday afternoon to drive in the game-winning run of Interwald’s 6-5 win over the Tony Hayshakers.

The win in the back-and-forth contest moved the Woodticks one step closer to the Dairyland League Small Division’s 2025 title as they improved to 5-0 with two games left this coming weekend. Looking to force a logjam at the top of the standings with a big road win, Tony instead fell to 3-2 and dropped into fourth place with Sunday’s loss.

When one team scored, the other always had an answer.

Logan Blomberg put Interwald in the lead first with a two-run, two-out single in the bottom of the first inning. Tony’s Spencer Hautamaki put his team ahead with a three-run homer in the top of the second inning. That was countered by Matt Mohr’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom half, making it a 3-3 game.

Ben Kopacz singled in a run for Tony in the fifth. Interwald answered that in the seventh. Nick Gerstberger and Blomberg both walked. David Fliehs laid down a bunt and beat out the throw from catcher Jackson Summerfield, which sailed into rightfield, allowing both runners to score, giving the Woodticks a 5-4 lead.

Logan Blomberg relieved starter Jackson Blomberg to start the eighth and ran into immediate trouble with a double, hit batter and a single loading the bases with no outs. A pop-up and soft liner gave the Woodticks a chance to get out of the inning, but Hautamaki walked to drive in the tying run. That’s all Tony got as Interwald catcher Dalton Strebig picked Kevin Brockman off second base to end the inning.

Strebig started the bottom half by singling off reliever Giles Groothausen. Jackson Blomberg, Mohr and Scheithauer all walked to force in the go-ahead run.

Mason Carter doubled for Tony with one out in the ninth, but after an intentional walk to Kopacz, Bryce Meverden hit into a game-ending double play.

Jackson Blomberg struck out 10, walked five and allowed five hits in seven innings of work. Strebig had two of Interwald’s seven hits. The Woodticks drew 12 walks.

Interwald finishes the regular seaosn by going to Tomahawk for a 6 p.m. game Saturday and then hosting Pittsville at noon on Sunday.

Rib Lake rolls

The Rib Lake Osprey kept pace just behind Interwald with two lopsided wins. The Osprey beat visiting Westboro 12- 2 in eight innings on Friday night and then took the short trip to Spirit Sunday and won 15-5.

Against Westboro, the Osprey drew 18 walks from Trojans’ pitching and added seven hits while gradually pulling away for the 10-run win.

Connor Westfall’s two-run single in the top of the first gave the Trojans an early 20 lead. Jeff Ziembo’s first-inning groundout and Levi Ewan’s second-inning bases-loaded walk tied the game. Austin Edwards and Ziembo drew bases-loaded walks in the fourth to give the Osprey a 4-2 lead.

Two walks, two hits and an error fueled a four-run sixth. Rib Lake tacked on a run in the seventh and ended it with three runs in the eighth, capped by hits from Ewan and Edwards.

Edwards was two for four for Rib Lake and he was the winning pitcher. Westboro had runners in the third, fourth and fifth innings but couldn’t push any of them home. The Trojans had 10 hits, including two apiece from Marshall Westfall and Braxton Weissmiller. Dominic Quednow took the loss on the mound.

Rib Lake is 5-1 in the Small Division and will play Pittsville after the River Bandits are done playing Interwald on Sunday. At that point, Rib Lake will know if it has any shot yet at first place.

Pittsville escaped an upset bid from Spirit on Saturday with a 1-0 home win and then beat visiting Tomahawk Sunday 13-5.

Medford wins

The Medford Moon Dogs assured themselves they will finish with a winning record in the Small Division, once again riding the pitching of Brett Paul to a 4-0 win over visiting Westboro Saturday night.

Paul struck out 12, walked three and allowed just one first-inning single to Weissmiller while earning the shutout win. Two of the walks came to start the seventh inning, representing Westboro’s only real scoring threat. Paul got a strikeout and two pop-ups to strand the runners.

Dawson Grunseth was quite good for the Trojans as well. It was a 1-0 game going into the bottom of the eighth. Medford’s lone run up to that point came in the fourth when Bryce Connor singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and sent to third on a balk. He scored on Trent Klemm’s single.

In the eighth, David Hecker singled and Ryan Paul was hit by a pitch. The Trojans got a forceout at second but Klemm’s tapper was misplayed, allowing Hecker to score. Brett Paul singled in a run and Gavin Fuchs beat out a potential double play, allowing the last run to score.

Grunseth went 7.1 innings, allowing four runs, three earned and three walks with six strikeouts. Butch Wiegel got the last two outs, striking out one.

Medford improved to 4-2 in the division and sits in third place heading into its regular-season finale at Tony at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Westboro fell to 1-4. The Trojans will host Spirit at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday before hosting Tomahawk at noon on Sunday to make up an earlier postponement.