A classic pitchers’ duel turned into a classic nail-biter last Friday. And in the end, a play at the plate helped seal a 5-4, extra-inning win for RRC/ WWG over the Panthers.
“Kind of like a playofff game, which at this time of year is good,” TMB manager James Fultz said. “This was two of the better pitchers in the section going at each other.”
Opposing starters Trevor Smith and Hudson Jenniges were locked in battle that lasted through seven innings. It appeared Jenniges would earn a 1-0 shutout win until the sixth inning when the Panthers showed their mettle by tying the game at 1.
Connor Lanoue led off the inning with his second base hit of the game and was retired at second base on a fielder’s choice that put Smith at first base.
After a strikeout, the red-hot Griffin Zick doubled over the right fielder’s head to score Smith with the tying run. Zick was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple.
“That was a big at-bat by Grif in clutch time,” Fultz said.
After hitting leadoff batter Jackson Jenniges to start the eighth, Smith was replaced by Alex Munson, who struck out the first batter he faced. But then the proverbial wheels came off for TMB.
Jenniges, who had doubles in each of his first two at-bats, was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second with one out. Backto- back singles by Austin Imker and Jake Erickson and a TMB error broke the tie, and another base hit by Trenton Blomgarten scored Erickson with the Falcons’ fourth run.
TMB (9-9, 6-4) didn’t go away quietly, however.
Taylor Squires walked to lead off the inning and was forced out at second on a Connor Lanoue fielder’s choice. Smith then doubled, and Noah Knakmuhs singled in Lanoue. Zick came up big again with a single — his fourth hit of the game — to make it 5-3.
Knakmuhs later scored to make it 5-4 when David Schuh reached on an error, and got into a rundown between first and second, at which time Zick tried to sneak home. However, he was thrown out on a 8-6-43-2 play.
“The catcher dove and made the catch in the exact spot he could,” Fultz said. “Three inches one way and it’s a tie game. Dave did a perfect job getting in a rundown. (Grif) kind of went on his own, but it was right when I was going to send him. It’s kind of an instinctive thing.”
Jenniges then got Brody Hauger looking to end the game; it was Jenniges’ ninth strikeout of the game for the Falcons’ ace.
“Couple of those outs, we were being super aggressive; my philosophy is you try and make high school kids make throws, and they made them,” Fultz said. “It’s tough, but a game overall I thought.”
Working quickly all game, Smith struck out nine RRC/ WWG hitters and seemed to get stronger in the later innings, retiring the Falcons (12-6) in order in the sixth and seventh innings thanks in part to four strikeouts. The cool weather obviously didn’t bother either him or Jenniges.
“That was a joke the other day how I was saying he’s a warm-weather pitcher and it was 45 and windy — he came in the dugout in the fifth and said, ‘Yah, I’m a cold-weather pitcher today,” said Fultz. “I wasn’t worried about it. He was dialed in today. He gave up the one run in the first inning, but after that you really can’t complain.”
RRC/WWG 100 000 04 — 5 8 1 TMB 000 001 03 — 4 8 1 Smith, Munson (L, 8) and Squires.
2B: Zick. SACB: Schuh, Smith.
MAY 15: TMB 8, RRC/WWG
A big six-run fourth inning was the difference in an 8-2 Panther win last Thursday over RRC/WWG.
The offense was led by Aiden Sanow (3-for-3), Connor Lanoue (2-for-3 with two RBI and two stolen bases), Jackson Kruse (2-for-3 with a run and RBI), Taylor Squires (2-for-5, two runs) and David Schuh (24, one run). Noah Knakmuhs and Griffin Zick both had one hit, and Zick drove in two runs.
“The lineup did its job, putting good at bats together all game long,” manager James Fultz said. I’d really like to stretch out those six runs over more innings, but I will never complain about runs. The defense was pretty clean; two of the three errors we had were wind-aided but didn’t impact the game much.”
Knakmuhs earned the win, scattering three hits and striking out four over four solid innings David Schuh threw three innings and struck out five.
“Noah and Dave pitched great today,” Fultz said.
TMB 001 600 1 — 8 13 3 RRC/WWG 001 000 1 — 2 4 2 Knakmuhs (W), Schuh (S, 5) and Squires. 2B: Zick.
