RIB LAKE BASEBALL - Big 4th-inning lifts Athens in North opener; Redmen win Monday

RIB LAKE BASEBALL

Already down 1-0, the Rib Lake baseball team gave up five runs in a tough bottom of the fourth inning Tuesday and that was too much to overcome in a 6-3 loss in cold, blustery conditions at Athens.

Kaleb Cracraft threw 5.2 solid inning for the Blue Jays and Talon Scheithauer threw well himself, striking out eight, walking two and allowing five hits. But Athens strung together four of those hits in the fourth. That, three errors and a hit batter in the inning didn’t help the Redmen in the Marawood North opener.

“They put the ball in play and we didn’t come up with the plays when we needed to,” Rib Lake head coach Dick Iverson said. “We really didn’t hit the ball until the last three innings.”

Rib Lake started its comeback attempt with two outs in the top of the fifth. Slade Scheithauer doubled and scored on Ethan Cook’s single. Talon Scheithauer was hit by a pitch, but that potential rally went no further.

In the sixth, Brevin Brahmer led off with a hit. Seth Borchardt got an infield hit and a wild pitch put the runners on second and third. Blake Henderson’s flyout scored one run. After a walk to Ty Niemi, Slade Scheithauer doubled in a second run in the inning, but a strikeout ended the rally.

Rib Lake threatened again in the seventh against reliever Dax Diethelm, putting runners on second and third with one out, but a strikeout and Henderson’s lineout ended the game.

Cracraft struck out seven and walked six while allowing four hits. Diethlem got the last four outs, striking out three, walking one and allowing one hit. Slade Scheithauer’s two doubles led Rib Lake’s offense. Alex Belter was two for three for Athens (2-2).

“It was cold,” Iverson said. “We told the kids before the game whoever plays defense is going to win. Their guy threw well. Talon threw an outstanding game. He threw really well. Both pitchers threw well. We didn’t make the plays and it cost us the game.”

If the weather allows, the two teams will meet again this afternoon, Thursday, at 4:45 p.m. in Rib Lake. Prentice is next week’s Marawood North opponent for the Redmen. Rib Lake will play in Prentice Monday and then host the Buccaneers on April 24. The next day, Lake Holcombe-Cornell visits for a non-conference game.

Rib Lake 9, TL-P 2

In a frigid and blustery home opener Monday, Rib Lake scored three runs in the second and then finally broke away from Three Lakes-Phelps with a six-run sixthinning rally that capped a 9-2 win over the visiting Blue Jays in non-conference play.

Ethan Cook pitched the first four innings and allowed just one run to pick up the win. Niemi got a three-inning save, allowing a seventh-inning run after the issue had been decided. Cook allowed three hits and three walks while striking out five. Niemi allowed five hits, but he struck out seven hitters and walked two.

Brady Heiser continued his strong offensive start to the season, leading the Redmen by going two for four. He started the second-inning rally with a single and advanced to second on a misplay by the leftfielder. Brahmer’s hit put runners on the corners and Tyler Matyka walked to load the bases with no outs. Cruz Melton took over for Three Lakes-Phelps starter Carter Flannery and was greeted by an opposite-field single to right by Henderson that scored Heiser and Brahmer. Lucas Cook’s sacrifice fly to left scored Matyka.

Sawyer Szews got the visitors on the board with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly. It stayed 3-1 until Rib Lake’s big sixthinning rally.

It started with an error on a ball hit by Brahmer. He stole second and went to third on Matyka’s hit. Matyka then stole second. Lucas Cook drew a one-out walk to load the bases for Niemi, the numbernine hitter in the order. Niemi singled to right to drive in one run, but Three Lakes-Phelps threw out Brahmer at the plate for the second out of the inning.

Slade Scheithauer, though, kept the inning going with a two-run single. After Ethan Cook walked, Talon Scheithauer lined a two-run double to left-center and Heiser added an RBI double.

Rib Lake outhit their guests 9-8. Ethan added a hit to that total. The Blue Jays used four different pitchers. Reece Bollman had the tough luck in the sixth, giving up the six unearned runs on six hits. He went 2.2 innings before Charlie Liebscher finally got the last out.

Melton was three for four atop the batting order for Three Lakes-Phelps and scored a run. He doubled in the seventh and scored on Trace Cotrill’s two-out double. Niemi got all three seventh-inning outs by strikeout.

Marathon 6, Rib Lake 3

On Friday, Heiser was two for three and drove in three runs, including a tworun homer, but there wasn’t much offense outside of that in a 6-3 non-conference loss at Marawood South rival Marathon.

Heiser’s two-run blast over the leftfield fence gave the Redmen a 3-2 lead in the top of the third inning. Talon Scheithauer was hit by a two-out pitcher ahead of the homer. Heiser added an RBI single in the top of the first, driving in Slade Scheithauer, who had walked, gone to second on an error and moved to third on Talon Scheithauer’s fielder’s choice.

Marathon pitcher True Thurs retired 12 Rib Lake batters in a row after Heiser’s homer and the Red Raiders took the lead by scoring twice in the fourth and twice in the fifth.

With two down in the seventh, Lucas Cook finally broke Thurs’ streak by drawing a walk. He scooted all the way to third on Briley Leonhard’s infield single to bring the tying run to the plate. But reliever Blake Underwood struck out Slade Scheithauer to end it.

Rib Lake finished with just four hits against Thurs, who struck out seven, walked two and hit. Blake Henderson singled in the second inning.

Marathon took a 2-1 lead on Cody Ratke’s two-out, two-run single in the second and regained the lead when it loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth. Fielder’s choice ground balls by Thurs and Cale Quaintance drove in the runs to make it 4-3. Marathon got insurance in the fifth with an RBI groundout by Underwood and a run on a wild pitch.

Talon Scheithauer pitched the first four innings for Rib Lake. He allowed four earned runs on nine hits and two walks allowed. He struck out five. Lucas Cook’s sliding catch in centerfield snuffed out a Marathon rally in the first inning. Slade Scheithauer went 1.2 innings. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks. Niemi got the last out in the sixth.

Rib Lake’s Brevin Brahmer dives safely into home plate, scoring the second run on Blake Henderson’s two-run single in the second inning of the Redmen’s 9-2 win over Three Lakes-Phelps Monday. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS