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All eyes are on the umpire after Jacob Riddick applied a tag on a Green Lake base runner trying to take second base. The runner was out on the play.
Errors and a lack of hitting plagued the Ripon American Legion Post 43 baseball team last week Saturday in an 11-1, six-inning, season-opening home loss to Green Lake Willis Chapel Post 306.
Ripon committed five errors in the game, which led to eight unearned runs, and collected only two hits. Both hits came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, preventing Green Lake’s Colin Kinas from throwing a no-hitter.
“I think a lot of that was just being rusty from not playing for the last three or four weeks,” Ripon head coach Paul Trochinski said. “We had two practices where the boys were able to hit; one of those practices we were able to take some infield, so I foresee the boys just picking things up the further we get into the season.”
He noted that Kinas pitched “a fantastic game” and threw hard, was accurate and very consistent.
“His pitch count says it all; I think he had 93 pitches through six, so he threw really well,” Trochinski said.
The game was scoreless until the top of the third inning, when Green Lake capitalized on two Ripon errors to score five runs. The inning got off to a good start for Ripon as Jacob Riddick struck out the first two batters and was in position to get out of it with no runs scored after a two-out single, but an error opened the door for Green Lake.
After the next batter reached on a walk, Kinas delivered with a bases-clearing double. He then stole third base and scored on an error. Tait Glassmaker also reached on an error and scored on Ethan Stibb’s double.
Just like the first two innings, Ripon was retired in order in the third and fourth innings. In fact, with the exception of the top of the third inning, neither team recorded a hit or drew a walk in the first four innings. Green Lake had a runner reach on an error in the second inning, but two strikeouts and a caught stealing ended the frame.
Green Lake tacked onto its lead in the fifth, when it scored four runs. Henry Willett relieved Riddick on the mound and struggled to find his command as he walked three of his first four batters. He then got Stibb to hit a fly ball, but his outfielder was unable to catch the ball and the first run scored. Derek Zamzow and Jacob Moore followed with RBI singles, while Stibb came across to score the fourth and final run of the frame on a wild pitch.
After being retired in order again in the bottom half of the fifth, Ripon allowed two more runs in the sixth on a two-run single by Stibb. He plated Sam Sonntag and Maddux Poock, who led off the inning with singles.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth inning that Ripon had its first base runner against Kinas. After a strikeout to begin the frame, Nolan Dragolovich spoiled Kinas’ perfect game by drawing a walk. Ripon then was an out away from being no-hit and shut out following another strikeout, but Willett and Adam Sina delivered with back-to-back singles to prevent that from happening — with Sina’s single driving home Dragolovich.
Kinas bounced back with his 11th and final strikeout to end the game after six innings due to the 10-run rule.
Kinas also finished the day 1 for 2 at the plate with two walks, three RBIs and two runs scored. Stibb added a 2-for-3 day at the plate with three RBIs, while five other Green Lake players recorded one hit apiece.
Riddick was saddled with the hard-luck loss on the mound for Ripon. He allowed five runs — all unearned — on just three hits and a walk in four innings of work. Seven of the 12 outs he recorded in the game were strikeouts.
“Jacob threw a fantastic game; came out with a strong arm,” Trochinski said. “[He] really showed no signs of fatigue at the point I pulled him. I just wanted to keep him under a pitch count, so if I needed him this coming week I would have given him ample rest and be able to throw him again; that’s the only reason I pulled him.”
Up next
Ripon will try to improve defensively and get its bats going Tuesday, when it hosts Markesan to begin a busy week of games. The contest, which is the first of five in a seven-day stretch, starts at 7 p.m.
It also was slated to host Waupaca Wednesday in a game at 7 p.m., before welcoming Tomahawk and Hartford Saturday as part of a round-robin tournament at Ripon College.
Ripon will close out the stretch of five games in seven days Monday, when it hits the road for the first time this season to face Markesan.
The games against Tomahawk and Hartford will begin at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively, while the contest at Markesan is set to get underway at 6 p.m.
