Jay's Take
Local journalist Jay Giebel, assigned to cover Fighting Fish baseball, will provide timely first-hand accounts of the Fish in action, as well as his own thoughts and musings about all things Fighting Fish.
On To Tomahawk
Filed by: JGiebel, Wednesday, August 18, 07:17 CST
The Fish traveled to Rib Lake, WI last weekend hoping to extend their season for one more week with a pair of wins. The Fish played against the four seed Merrill on Saturday at 12:00. Merrill jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but the Fish battled back to win 7-5. The Fish would face Eau Claire, who won the previous night in a rain shortened game against host team Rib Lake. Eau Claire had won the previous two years, so the Fish had their work cut out for them if they were going to advance to the final weekend tournament in Tomahawk, WI.
The Fish lost the opening coin toss and came into the game as the away team. Nathan Brom got the first inning started with a one out line drive that found a hole past the diving short stop. Brom advanced to second base after a wild pitch, and then to third after a ground out to second base by Giebel. With two outs, Ryan Gilbertson hit a shallow fly ball toward left field. The fielder nearly made a great diving catch, but the ball squirted out of his glove, giving the Fish a 1-0 lead.
The Fish sent Rick Wells out to pitch against a very talented Eau Claire team. Wells looked to improve his record to a perfect 6-0 on the season with a victory. He started out quickly, retiring the first three batters with a pair of fly outs and a ground out.
The Fish loaded the bases in the top of the second inning with singles by Paatalo, Kretovics, and Eidem. Unfortunately, the Fish couldn’t get Paatalo in after two strong throws from the Eau Claire outfielders. The inning ended with bases loaded after Kretovics was caught in a run down while leading off at second base.
The Fighting Fish had a few miscues in the bottom of the second inning. Eau Claire reached base on a bobbled ball to the Fish short stop and again on a ground ball to Wells that wasn’t handled at second base during an attempted double play. Eau Claire scored their first run on a tough grounder to third base that squirted into the outfield. Herum alertly backed up on the play, but his throw home was a little behind the base runner. Wells pitched very well to give up only one run to Eau Claire that inning.
Giebel got into scoring position in the third inning after being hit by a pitch and advancing to second on a wild pitch. He reached third with an infield groundout, but another groundout stranded him at third base.
Eau Claire took their first lead in the third inning. They got a leadoff walk, followed by a line drive hit right at short stop that wasn’t handled, allowing the runner to advance to third base on the play. The next batter hit a first pitch fastball to left field that was easily deep enough for the Eau Claire runner to tag up and score from third base. Eau Claire got one more hit with a line drive past Wells, which put runners on first and second, before a pair of fly outs ended the inning.
The top of the fourth started with a Marty Herum lined shot that fell in front of the charging right fielder. The ball got past the right fielder and Herum tried for third on the play. He was thrown out on a perfect relay play just as he was sliding into third base. Joe Paatalo continued his great hitting day with a drive to the left center field gap that put him at second base with only one out. Paatalo reached third base on a wild pitch, but the inning came to an end for the Fish after a strike out, looking, and a line drive that was run down by the right fielder. The Fighting Fish missed a great chance to break the game opened that inning.
Rick Wells retired each of the three batters that he faced in the fourth with a pair of fly outs and a strikeout, looking.
The Fish continued to get runners into scoring position in the top half of the fifth inning. Eidem reached first base with no outs after Eau Claire’s third baseman dropped a ground ball and threw late to first base. Brom followed with a sharp line drive to second base that resulted in a force out for Eidem, but Brom reached first base safely after a low throw that one hopped the first baseman. Giebel hit a single that fell in front of the right fielder putting runners on first and second with one out for the Fish. The Fish couldn’t get that big hit to break the game opened, and the inning ended with a pair of fly outs, stranding the runners at first and second.
Wells pitched another 1, 2, 3 inning in the fifth. Joe Paatalo reached first on an infield single in the top of the sixth inning, but the Fish’s inning ended with a pair of hard line drives hit right at the Eau Claire defenders. Eau Claire reached base on a two out double down the right field line, but Wells pitched out of the inning with no other trouble.
The seventh inning went quickly for both teams. Brom reached first with a drive that nearly cleared the top of the fence in left center, but the ball was hit so hard that Brom couldn’t get to second base on the play. Wells gave up a walk in the bottom of the seventh. He made a great diving play on a bunt and didn’t allow a runner to get into scoring position.
The score was 1-2 with Eau Claire leading going into the eighth inning. Clint Kempf led off with a drive that fell in front of the right fielder. Herum followed with a fielder’s choice that retired Kempf at second base. The Fish caught a break when Hunter’s ground ball to third was thrown short of first base allowing the Fish runners to safely reach first and second. After a Kretovics fly out, Stuessel came up to the plate. He had hit the ball well all day, and this at bat was no different. Stuessel jumped on a fast ball and drove it right at the Eau Claire center fielder. The fielder came in on the play, but the hit looked to be traveling over his head and just as the fielder came to a stop, his feet went out from under him. The ball traveled all the way to the fence and two runs scored giving the Fish a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning.
Rick Wells got a little help from Gilbertson in left field when he made a great diving catch to retire the leadoff hitter for Eau Claire. Wells ended the inning by getting the next two batters to fly out to first and strike out swinging.
Nathan Brom hit safely to start the top of the ninth. He was retired on a fielder’s choice and the top of the ninth ended with a double play.
Rick Wells came out in the bottom of the ninth inning hoping to get another complete game victory for the Fish. He got the first Eau Claire batter to ground out to the short stop. The next batter hit a ball to shallow right field that looked like it was going to drop in safely for a hit, but was run down by Stuessel who was playing second base. Eau Claire got a runner on base with a single to left center field, but Rick Wells shut the door on Eau Claire’s season by striking out the final batter that he faced.
The Fish have made it to their first final weekend in team history. Congrats to Osceola and Plum City, who have also advanced as one of the final eight teams in the state next weekend in Tomahawk, WI. Come support your Fish as they get started with a game against the Everest Merchants at 9:00 on Friday night.
Rats Tail
Filed by: JGiebel, Monday, August 2, 2010, 16:16 CT
The Fighting Fish hosted a game last Sunday against the Hudson River Rats. The River Rats came into the game with a six- game winning streak. With a three way tie for the league’s best record between River Falls, Osceola, and Hudson, the game was essentially for the league championship.
Rick Wells took the mound for the Fish. He quickly retired the River Rats in the top of the first inning. Sparstad for Hudson got out of his half of the inning without allowing a Fish runner to reach base.
The River Rats got a lead off walk and reached base on an infield single to the Fish short stop. Wells got out of trouble by striking out the side, bringing his strike out total to four.
Gilbertson and Kempf reached base to begin the bottom of the second inning with a pair of errors on the River Rats’ short stop. Joe Paatalo followed with a slow ground ball that got past the Rats’ third baseman. The bases were loaded for the Fish with no outs. Unfortunately, the next batters struck out and flew out to end the inning. The Fish missed a great opportunity to break the game open against the River Rats that inning.
The Rats reached base in the third inning with a one out error on a ball hit to the Fish's second baseman. That runner was caught stealing second shortly after by Fighting Fish catcher Josh Eidem. Wells picked up another strikeout to bring the inning to a close. The top of the Fish’s lineup went down in order for the second time in the game to keep the score tied at 0-0.
Wells retired the Rats in order in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the inning, the Fish got a runner into scoring position with one out when Clint Kempf singled to center field. On the play, the Rats center fielder came in for the diving catch, but the ball got past him and Kempf came in safely to third base. Paatalo followed Kempf with a sharp line drive to the Rats short stop. Kempf broke for home on the play and was thrown out at the plate on the fielder’s choice. Kretovics hit a line drive over the first baseman’s head that moved Paatalo to second base. With two outs Hunter came up to bat. He hit a ground ball that found the hole between the third baseman and the short stop. Paatalo took off on contact, and plopped in safely at home plate, sliding under a high throw by the River Rat left fielder. Kretovics took third base on the play, but the inning ended on a fly ball to right field. The Fish took a 1-0 lead into the top of the fifth inning.
The Rats got another leadoff single on a line drive just out of the reach of Stuessel at second base. A sacrifice bunt and a ground out to second base moved the Rat runner to third base. Just as Wells had done before, he struck out the River Rats for the third out of the inning. Brian Giebel tried to start a two out rally with a double to the left- center field gap, but the Fish didn’t get a run across in the fifth inning.
Wells worked quickly in the sixth getting a fly out back to himself and a pair of strike outs to end the inning. The Fish got two runners on base with a hit-by-pitch, and a single up the middle by Paatalo. The Fishs’ threat came to an end with a failed sacrifice bunt attempt (that resulted in a force out at third base), a fly out, and a ground out.
The River Rats got another base runner into scoring position in the seventh after a leadoff walk and a one out single over the Fish third baseman that moved the runner over to third base. Wells got ahead of the next two batters getting each to strike out. The Fish went down in order in the seventh inning.
Wells began the eighth inning with another strike out, followed by a ground out to second base. The Rats reached base on a single that fell between the Fish’s second baseman and right fielder, but Wells added another strikeout to get the Fish to within three outs of their first league championship.
The Fish reached base on a Gilbertson single to shallow right- center field. Kempf sacrifice bunted Gilbertson over to second base. The following Fish batters ground out and flew out to end the eighth inning. The Fish couldn’t give Wells any more run support, but if he kept pitching the way he was, he wouldn’t need it.
Wells got the Rat’s leadoff batter to hit a ground ball to the short stop for the first out. The next batter fell behind in the count and hit a weak fly ball to second base. With one more out to go, the Rats got a base runner on a well hit ball that was knocked down by Giebel at short stop and thrown late to first base. The play would have been a great way to end the game, but it just gave Wells a chance to pick up his 15th and final strikeout, which he did.
The Fish swam away with a 1-0 score on a great pitching battle from each of the starters. Sparstad and Wells each pitched great games allowing 13 total hits and only one run between the two of them. River Falls edged out the Osceola Braves, who also finished with a 12-4 record for the 2010 St. Croix Valley Baseball League Championship! The River Falls Fighting Fish have won their first league title; now we’ll see what’s next for the Fish with the playoffs starting in less than two weeks!
Weekend Round Up
Filed by: JGiebel, Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 14:23 CST
The River Falls Fighting Fish had a pair of League games last weekend. The first game was in St. Croix Falls, while the second game was a home game against the Hager City Skeeters. The Fish could hold onto a division lead with a weekend sweep of the River Bandits and the Skeeters.
The Fish scored two quick runs in the top of the first inning for Rick Wells, who pitched on Saturday. Wells worked quickly, getting out of the bottom of the first in order. The top of the second began with two hit- by- pitches for Hunter and Gutting. Peterson was then asked to lay down a sacrifice bunt, which he did successfully. Josh Eidem followed Peterson with a solid drive to the right- center field gap that scored each of the base runners and brought Eidem safely into second. Eidem would be thrown out at home on a very close play after a wild pitch, but the Fighting Fish put up two more runs to increase their lead to 4-0.
Wells continued to pitch very well in the top of the third inning. He gave up a one out single up the middle, but finished off the River Bandits with a pair of strikeouts.
The Fish stayed hot in the bottom of the third. Kempf led off with a hit-by pitch (the third in two innings by the River Bandits’ pitching staff). Joe Paatalo crushed a ball past the third baseman and Kretovics followed with a walk. The Fish had bases loaded with no outs when Tyler Hunter came to the plate. Hunter hit a ground ball that found the hole between third and short, scoring Kempf on the play. After a pitching change, Gutting hit a fly ball to right field just deep enough to score Paatalo, who dove in safely around the attempted tag by the catcher. The Fishs’scoring threat came quickly to an end when a line drive off of Peterson’s bat was caught by the Bandit’s second baseman and thrown on to first base to double up Hunter.
Wells only allowed a single base runner in the third, preserving the Fish’s 6-0 lead. The Fish continued to put runners into scoring position in the fourth. Eidem was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Stuessel followed with a single just past the diving third baseman. Giebel hit a deep fly ball that carried to the warning track in center field but was caught. Kempf followed with a sharp hit to the short stop. Kempf reached safely on the play, which loaded the bases for the Fish yet again. The top half of the inning came to a close with a pair of infield fly outs and the score stayed at 6-0 Fish.
The River Bandits needed to get some runs on the board before the Fish got too much of a lead; and that’s just what they did. The Bandits got a pair of walks off of Wells and were aided by an error on the Fish’s third baseman that loaded up the bases with 1 out. The Bandits scored their first run of the game on a soft grounder to second base, that resulted in an out and the inning ended with a ground ball to Rick Wells that was fielded cleanly and thrown on to first base. The Fish did well to hold the River Bandits to only a single run.
The Fighting Fish got that run back in the top of the fifth inning. Hunter led off the inning with a single that fell in front of the center fielder and he made it safely into second base with a delayed steal. Eidem continued his clutch hitting by going with an outside corner pitch and hitting it into right field for a two out R.B.I. single.
Wells got out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth after a fly ball to right field was misplayed allowing the base runner to advance to second base. He got a pair of ground balls and a strikeout that ended the Bandit’s hopes of cutting into the Fish’s lead.
Giebel led off the sixth inning with a walk and a stolen base. He was unable to advance any further as the next three Fish batters were retired in order. Rick Wells continued his strong pitching performance allowing only one base runner in the bottom half of the sixth inning.
The seventh inning went even faster with each team going down 1,2,3. With a thunderstorm approaching, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The Fish looked to add to their sixth run lead in the top of the eighth. Adam Stuessel came up to bat with one out and hit a line drive just over the glove of the Bandit’s shortstop. Stuessel made it into scoring position after a wild pitch during Giebel’s at bat. Giebel hit the ball sharply over the third baseman’s head, scoring Stuessel on the play. Two of the next three Fish batters got out, but not before the Fighting Fish had increased their lead to seven.
In the bottom of the eighth inning Wells got himself out of a jam. He gave up a leadoff double to the left center field gap. The following batter hit a slow roller between first and second base. Paatalo fielded the ball and flipped it to Wells, who beat the runner to the bag on a close play. Meanwhile, the runner from second had taken off at the crack of the bat and was half way between third and home when Wells caught the ball at first. Wells alertly whirled around and threw a strike to Gutting, beating the runner for a great double play.
The Fish got a pair of well- placed singles by Hunter and Gutting to begin the ninth inning. After a pair of strikeouts and a wild pitch, Giebel stepped to the plate. Giebel hit a shallow fly ball that dropped in front of the left fielder and scored both Fish base runners. Giebel advanced to second on a throw to the plate. A fly ball ended the inning with the Fighting Fish up 10-1 and only three outs from victory.
Rick Wells came out to close the game in the ninth inning. He gave up a homerun that easily cleared the scoreboard in left field and a line drive double to the left center field gap shortly after. That was all the Bandits could get as Wells struck out each of the next three batters to get another complete game win for the Fish. The 10-2 final was the ninth league victory for the Fish, who would be looking for their tenth on Sunday afternoon.
The Fighting Fish played against the Skeeters on Sunday afternoon. The Fish sent Dan Morgan out to face Brenner of Hager City.
Dan Morgan got out of the first inning by picking off a Skeeter base runner at second base. That play kept the Skeeters off the scoreboard and gave the Fish a chance to strike first. The Fish got a pair of walks by Giebel and Eidem to begin the bottom of the first. Giebel and Eidem both advanced into scoring position during Herum’s at bat after a wild pitch. Herum hit a sac fly that scored Giebel for the first run of the game. The Fish couldn’t keep their rally going after a fly out and an infield ground out.
The Skeeters struck back in the top half of the second inning. They got a leadoff single up the middle. That was followed by a well- place sacrifice bunt down the first base line. The next batter hit a ball just out of the reach of Herum at short stop and brought in the first run for the Skeeters. Dan Morgan kept challenging the Skeeter batters, getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the top of the first.
The Fish didn’t score in the bottom of the second inning. In the top of the third, the Skeeters got a runner in scoring position after a hit batter and an error at short. Dan Morgan continued to pound the strike zone and got out of the third without giving the Skeeters the lead.
The Fighting Fish took the lead back in the third inning. Herum hit a one out single down the left field line and Gilbertson followed with a solid double that easily cleared the right fielder’s head. With the Fish runners in scoring position, Kempf hit a ball that found the hole between third and short. Both runners scored on the play. Kempf advanced to second on a hit- and- run that retired Joe Paatalo at first base. Kempf advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored off of a double to left center by Kretovics. The inning ended with a Hunter ground out, but not before the Fish put up three more runs to make the score 4-1.
Morgan retired the Skeeters in order in the fourth inning. Stuessel began the bottom of the fourth with a walk. After a Giebel fly out, Eidem hit a deep drive to right center and scored Stuessel without a throw. Eidem made it to second on the play. Gilbertson got walked after a Herum fly out to center and Kempf followed with a fly ball of his own to center. Kempf’s ball carried to the warning track and was dropped by the center fielder. With two outs, Eidem and Gilbertson both scored easily on the play.
The Skeeters got a run back in the top of the fifth inning. Dan Morgan made a good pitch to the Skeeter’s leadoff hitter, who got enough of the pitch to clear Herum’s glove at short. With one out the Skeeter batter hit a deep drive to right center field. Kempf nearly made a great running catch, but the ball hit his glove and fell to the ground for a double. A run scored on the play, but Morgan pitched out of trouble once again.
The Fighting Fish kept the pressure on the Skeeters in the bottom of the fifth. Hunter hit a one out single to left to get the rally started for the Fish. Stuessel reached base off of catcher’s interference. Stuessel was followed by Giebel who drove the pitch deep to the left center field gap. Hunter scored on the play and Stuessel and Giebel advanced into scoring position. Josh Eidem added an R.B.I. with a fly ball that was just deep enough to score Stuessel from third. Next for the Fish, Herum walked and Gilbertson reached on a catcher’s interference call that loaded the bases. Clint Kempf came up to bat and hit a full count single past the third baseman. While running toward third, Herum leaped over the ball to avoid the automatic out and scored along with Giebel. Ryan Gilbertson scored the fifth and final run of the inning off of a wild pitch to Paatalo, who grounded out to end the inning shortly after.
The Skeeters were down ten runs at that point, but they kept battling against Morgan. They got a leadoff walk and a single that fell in front of Kempf in center to begin the inning. After a fly out to center field, the Skeeters got a single over Paatalo at first base that loaded the bases. The Skeeters proceeded to get two runs off of a wild throw to first base by Hunter. With two outs, the inning was extended on another wild throw to first base after a strikeout. The next batter hit the ball sharply down the left field line and scored two more runs for the Skeeters. The top half of the sixth inning brought the score to 12-6 in favor of the Fish.
The Fish began the sixth inning with a walk by Kretovics. After a Hunter fly out, Stuessel hit a solid line drive to right field, which brought Kretovics to third on the hit- and- run attempt. Brian Giebel came up to bat and hit a ball out of the reach of the third baseman to score Kretovics. The Fish then loaded the bases after a Josh Eidem walk. Next for the Fish, Herum hit a solid line drive right at the center fielder. Stuessel scored easily on the tag from third base. Ryan Gilbertson stayed hot, hitting a ball deep to the right center field gap that scored Giebel. Clint Kempf followed Gilbertson with a triple to the right center field gap that scored the fourth and fifth runs for the Fighting Fish in the sixth inning. Kempf was stranded at third and the Fish took their 17-6 lead into the top of the seventh.
Morgan struck out the side in the seventh inning, but after a pair of walks, an infield single, and a wild throw past second on a botched pick off play, the Skeeters had scored two runs. The Fish led by nine and needed only one more run to get the ten run rule against the Skeeters. Peterson began the inning with a walk. He was substituted for Brathol, who stole second and advanced to third on a wild throw. Stuessel hit a ground ball, which resulted in a throw to home plate that retired Brathol. The Skeeters opted to intentionally walk Giebel and load the bases for Gutting. Gutting waited for his pitch and hit a single that fell in front of the left fielder. Hunter scored from third on the throw and the game ended with a score of 18-8.
The Fish got a couple of much needed wins this past weekend. Tonight they have a tough league game against the Osceola Braves in Osceola. The Fish hope to get one step closer to their first league championship tonight, so come cheer on your Fighting Fish!
Fish Sing the Blues
Filed by: JGiebel, Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 13:54 CST
The Fighting Fish traveled to Plum City, WI last Sunday to face the Blues. The park was packed with Blues and Fish fans on a nice sunny day. The Fish sent Bugar to the mound to face Nelson.
Nelson started a little shaky, giving up a leadoff homerun to Josh Eidem. Nelson then settled down, getting the next three Fish batters out to end the top of the first. Bugar had a little trouble of his own in the bottom half of the inning. He gave up a two out double to the left center field gap, followed by a hit batter, before forcing a groundout to the shortstop, Giebel, who threw the ball to Brom for the force out at third base.
Kempf led off for the Fish in the top of the second inning. He hit a sharp ground ball to third. The ball was fielded cleanly, but the throw one-hopped the first baseman, allowing Kempf to take second base on the play. Joe Paatalo wasted no time adding to his R.B.I total with a solid single to center field that easily scored Kempf. Nelson of the Blues was injured after a pitch that retired Kretovics, forcing the Blues to call on Watkins who came in and finished off the Fish in the second inning.
Bugar got the Fish out of a jam in the bottom of the second. He gave up an infield single, and overcame an error on a failed double play. Bugar forced a grounder to himself, a strikeout, and a pop fly to the catcher to strand the Blues runners at first and third.
The Fighting Fish kept the pressure on the Blues in the top of the third inning. With one out, Giebel singled sharply past the third baseman. He successfully stole second during Gilbertson’s at bat. Gilbertson walked after taking a 3 ball, 2 strike pitch and Kempf followed with a hit-by-pitch that loaded the bases. After a Joe Paatalo strikeout, Kretovics came to the plate. He fell behind early, but with a 0-2 count, Kretovics crushed the ball deep to the right-center field gap. Giebel, Gilbertson, and Kempf all scored on the play and the Fish took their 5-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
The Blues continued their scoring threat by hitting a leadoff single and drawing a one out walk before the inning came to an end. The Fish went down 1, 2, 3, in the top of the fourth and the Blues followed by bringing only three batters to the plate in the bottom half of the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Gilbertson laced a one out single that fell in front of the right fielder. Gilbertson advanced to second base on a failed pick off play at first. Next for the Fish was Clint Kempf. He flew out to right center, but managed to advance Gilbertson to third base. The Fish got some more clutch hitting from Paatalo, who hit a ball to the wall in left center. Gilbertson scored the Fish’s sixth run of the game, but Paatalo was stranded at first to end the inning after a Kretovics strikeout.
The Blues began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning. The bottom half of the inning began with a walk, which was followed by a pair of sharp singles to left and center field. The second hit scored the first run of the game for the Blues. Another run scored on the following play after a Giebel error at short stop. The next batter hit the ball to Giebel who took the sure out at first base. After a walk that loaded the bases and a force out at second that scored the Blues’ third run of the inning, the Blues got a solid single to right center field that scored two more runs. The Fish were left with only a 1 run lead going into the sixth inning.
The Fish floated in the sixth, going down in order. The Fish looked to keep the Blues behind them, but the Blues pitcher took Bugar deep to right field. That scored two runs, giving the Blues a 7-6 lead going into the seventh inning.
The Fish bats stayed cold in the seventh going 1,2,3 again. Ryan Gilbertson came in to pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Fish. Gilbertson had some trouble finding the zone, walking the first two batters that he faced. The Blues then opted to lay down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. The Fish chose to intentionally walk the next batter, who hit a two-run homerun his previous at bat. Gilbertson got ahead of each of the next two hitters, getting each to strike out swinging to end the inning.
Clint Kempf led off the eighth inning with a deep line drive that found its way just over the 330 sign in center field. The shot brought the score back to even at 7-7. The Fish tried their best to start a two out rally, but with a runner on second, Stuessel hit a shallow fly to right field, which was caught on a great diving play.
Ryan Gilbertson pitched great in the bottom of the eighth, striking out the side in order. The momentum seemed to be in the Fish’s favor going into the ninth and final inning.
The ninth inning began with an Eidem fly out to right field. Brom followed with a groundball to the short stop. The ball was bobbled and Brom reached base safely on the play. Brian Giebel stepped up to the plate, looking for his second hit of the day. Giebel waited for his pitch and drove it deep over the wall in left field, giving the Fish a 9-7 lead. The Fish did their best to keep the inning going with a pair of hits by Gilbertson and Kempf, but the inning came to an end with a Paatalo double play.
Gilbertson added to his strikeout total by striking out the Blues leadoff batter. He then gave up an infield single on a ball fielded by Giebel. Gilbertson walked the following two batters and stuck out yet another batter after that. On a 3-2 count with bases loaded, the Blues got a single down the third base line. Two runners scored on the play which tied the game at 9-9. Unfortunately for the Fish, the Blues weren’t finished. The last batter hit a hard line drive through the hole between third and short, scoring the runner from second on a high throw from the Fish left fielder.
It was a tough loss for the Fish, but they will look to get back on track tonight in New Richmond. The Fish are playing the Millers for the second and final time this year. So come support your Fighting Fish.
Eagles Sore
Filed by: JGiebel, Sunday, July 4, 2010, 7:45 CST
Yesterday the River Falls Fighting Fish hosted a pivotal conference game against the Menomonie Eagles. The Fish looked to improve their conference record to 7-1 with pitcher Rick Wells on the mound. It would be no easy task getting past the Eagles with Anderson on the mound.
Wells worked quickly in the top of the first retiring each of the Eagles first three batters. Anderson had a much harder time getting out of the bottom of the first inning. He gave up a pair of singles up the middle by Eidem and Brom. Giebel, returning from a back injury, laced a ball sharply between first and second base. Eidem smartly stayed at third base on the play. Ryan Gilbertson followed with an infield fly caught by the catcher. Next, Clint Kempf got an inside pitch that he turned on, hitting the ball over the third baseman for the first Fish run of the ball game. Joe Paatalo then came up looking to add to his R.B.I. total for the season. Paatalo got his pitch and hit a single that fell between the center fielder and the left fielder. Brom and Giebel scored on the play advancing the Fish’s lead to 3-0. The Fish weren’t through yet with Hunter hitting a ball off of Anderson’s leg, which resulted in their second out, but scored Kempf from third and advanced Paatalo to second base. After a Peterson walk, Stuessel hit a pop fly to shallow center field. Unfortunately for the Eagles, their short stop lost the ball in the sun, and Paatalo scored from second base. The inning came to an end with an Eidem strike out and the Fighting Fish on top 5-0.
The Eagles got a leadoff walk in the top of the second inning. Wells did a good job with the following two batters, who each fell behind in the count and flew out in the infield. The next batter for the Eagles crushed a ball just past Wells for a single, but the top half of the second inning ended with a strikeout.
The Fish continued their hot hitting with a single by Brom that landed in front of the left fielder. Giebel followed with a line drive shot to the right of the third baseman. The Fish’s inning came to an abrupt end with a fly out by Gilbertson and a lined shot to the second baseman off the bat of Clint Kempf that doubled up Brom on the catch.
The Eagles did their best to mount a comeback in the third with a leadoff single to shallow center just out of the reach of a diving Clint Kempf. The next batter was hit by a Rick Wells fastball, which had to hurt very badly! The Eagles followed that up with a sacrifice bunt down the first baseline that advanced both runners into scoring position. The tactic worked when Vavra hit a ball that fell in front of Gilbertson in right field and scored both of the Eagle’s base runners. The Fish took a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
Anderson shut the Fish down in the bottom of the third. Wells answered with a 1, 2, 3 inning of his own in the top of the fourth. Eidem reached base with one out in the bottom of the fourth on an error by the Eagle’s shortstop. He advanced into scoring position on a Brom grounder to first base. Giebel came up next and crushed a ball down the third base line. Unfortunately for Giebel and the Fish, the Eagles third baseman jumped and caught the ball at its highest point to end the Fish’s chances of scoring.
Wells came out in the fifth and retired the Eagles in order. The Fish put a rally together with two outs in the fifth inning. Paatalo and Hunter each singled to left field. Peterson kept the inning going with a single up the middle that scored Paatalo on a wild throw to the plate. Stuessel singled in front of the diving center fielder, which scored two more Fish runs and brought Stuessel safely to second. Next, Josh Eidem hit a ball past the pitcher. The ball was fielded by the second baseman and thrown short of first base. Unable to make the play, Stuessel scored the fourth and final run of the inning, adding to the Fighting Fish lead of 9-2.
The Eagles were able to get a runner on in the sixth inning with a solid single to center field. Wells worked his way out of the inning with three pop flies. The Fish also got a single by Kempf in the bottom of the sixth, but after three fly outs of their own, the inning came to an end with the score of 9-2.
After a leadoff walk in the seventh, the Fish made several great plays behind Rick Wells. The first was by Giebel at short. With the ball hit sharply to Giebel he knocked the ball down and quickly flipped the ball to Stuessel at second for the force out. The next play was by Kempf who tracked down a deep drive to center field. The final play was on a ball hit weakly past Wells that Stuessel barehanded and threw quickly to first to beat the runner and end the inning.
The Eagles center fielder made a great diving catch off the bat of Hunter to start the bottom of the seventh. With his speed Hunter surely would have had a leadoff triple. The Fish were held scoreless once again by the Eagle’s pitching.
After a scoreless eighth inning, Ryan Gilbertson came in to close out the game in the top of the ninth. He shut down the Eagles with a fly out to the first baseman, a strikeout, and a ground ball to Stuessel that ended the game.
The Fish got a great pitching performance from Wells who threw eight complete innings, giving up only two runs on four hits, with five strikeouts. The Fish solidified their hold on first place in the division with this crucial win over the Menomonie Eagles. I hope to see you on Wednesday, July 7th when the Fish take on the Millers in New Richmond, WI.
Fish Escape With Win Over Tilden
Filed by: JGiebel, Sunday, August 9, 2009, 7:45 CST
The River Falls Fighting Fish traveled to
Ellsworth yesterday to face off against the Tilden Tigers. This is the Fish’s
second playoff appearance in two years. The winner of the contest is slated to
play the first place Haugen Knights at noon today.
The Tilden Tigers won the coin flip and chose to
be the home team for yesterday’s game. That brought Josh Eidem and the rest of
the Fighting Fish up to bat. Eidem promptly singled past the pitcher, into
center field. Nathan Brom was then asked to lay a bunt down in hopes of
advancing the runner into scoring position. He placed the ball perfectly down
the first base line, giving the pitcher only one option, which was to throw on
to first base. Then, Giebel came up next looking to do some damage. He crushed
a ball that easily got past the diving third baseman. This brought Ryan
Gilbertson to the dish. He hit a single just over the second baseman’s head
that scored Eidem from third. With two outs, Scott Warrington came up to bat.
After working the count in his favor, Warrington hit a solid line drive over the
outstretched glove of the short stop that scored Giebel from second. The top of
the first ended with the Fish striking first, putting up a pair of runs.
Rick Wells came in to pitch for the Fish, hoping
to duplicate his performance of two weeks earlier against the New Richmond
Millers. Wells got into a little trouble early, giving up a pair of singles to
the first two batters. It looked like Wells was going to get out of the jam
after retiring the next two batters. But a walk, followed by an infield single
and an errant throw, gave the Tigers their first two runs.
The top of the second inning began with a Clint
Kempf single that fell short of the center fielder. He stole second, sliding
under a high throw by the Tiger’s catcher. With a walk by Eidem, Brom came up
to bat. He hit a hard line drive at the third-baseman’s feet. The ball was
picked cleanly and followed by a force out at third. The inning could have
ended right there with a throw to first completing the double play. However,
the throw was rushed and up the line, allowing Brian Giebel to bat. Giebel got
a pitch on the outer half of the plate and went with it, hitting the ball deep
into the right center field gap. The hit scored Eidem and Brom, who occupied
first and second at the time. Giebel reached second with a standup double. The
inning ended with a popup in the infield, but not before the Fish tacked on two
more runs against the Tigers.
The Tilden Tigers came up to bat in the bottom of
the second facing a 2-4 deficit. They battled back getting base runners on with
a leadoff walk and an infield error. The error, which would have ended the
inning proved to be costly, as the next hitter crushed a ball over the left
center field fence with several feet to spare. The disappointing second half of
the inning came to an end with the Tilden Tigers on top 5-4.
The top of the third began with a Joe Paatalo
single past the pitcher. Joe was out shortly after from a fielder’s choice by
Scott Warrington. Scott reached second on a passed ball and scored off of a
clutch two out hit to right center by Clint Kempf.
The Fish continued to put runners on the base
paths in the top of the fourth. Eidem coaxed a walk after falling behind early
in the count. For the second time this game, Brom was asked to lay down a
sacrifice bunt. Again, Brom did the job, forcing the pitcher to make a good
play just to get him out at first. The inning continued with a single to center
by Brian Giebel. Eidem couldn’t score with a strong throw by the outfielder.
Gilbertson again scored Eidem; this time on a sacrifice fly down the right field
line that nearly fell for a hit. The Fish took the lead back from the Tigers
once again gaining a 6-5 advantage.
It seemed that every time the Tigers were in a
hole, they found a way to get back out. They got a leadoff walk, and two
batters later they took the lead back with a deep fly ball that cleared the wall
in left field. The 7-6 lead was the Tiger’s second one run lead of the game.
After a scoreless fifth, Brian Giebel and the
Fighting Fish came up in the top of the sixth inning. Giebel hit a 2-1 pitch
off the base of the wall in center field that resulted in Giebel’s second double
of the game. Next, Ryan Gilbertson came up looking to add to his R.B.I total.
He crushed a ball that fell in front of the right fielder. Giebel advanced to
third on the play. The next batter for the Fish was Paatalo. He tried to take
the ball past the pitcher, as he did in his previous at bat. This time the
Tiger’s pitcher fielded the ball, but as he went to first, the ball came out of
his hand. This actually helped the Tigers as Giebel was caught breaking for
home on the play. The ensuing play resulted in Giebel’s out and moved the base
runners to second and third. Gilbertson later scored on a passed ball to
Warrington, who on the next pitch hit a hard line drive that the third baseman
couldn’t get in front of. The Fish bounced back yet again, taking their 8-7
lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Dan Morgan pitched well during the second half of
the game yesterday. He consistently threw strikes, challenging the Tiger’s
hitters. Morgan got into minor jams over the innings, but got out of them
without too much damage being done.
Ryan Gilbertson blasted a solo homerun to leadoff
the top of the eighth. The hit gave the Fish a 9-7 lead and looked to propel
the Fighting Fish to their first playoff victory, but the Tilden Tigers had
other plans.
The Tigers tried to mount their comeback in the
bottom of the eighth inning. They got a pair of walks with Morgan struggling to
find the zone. The Tiger’s next batter beat out an infield single that was
fielded in the hole by Morgan. With the Tigers roaring, it didn’t look good for
the Fish. But Morgan got himself out of trouble by inducing two pop flies to
Paatalo at first base, and taking the last batter himself with a much needed
strikeout.
With a quick top of the ninth, the Tigers came up
in the bottom of the inning. Morgan gave up a weak single and a walk to begin
the inning. This prompted the Fish to call on Gilbertson in an attempt to close
the door on the Tiger’s season. Gilbertson got a fly out to center field for
the first out of the inning. The next batter hit a single that fell between
Giliuson at second and Kempf in center. The hit left the bases loaded for the
Tilden Tigers. The Tiger’s next hitter jumped on a Ryan Gilbertson fastball,
one-hopping the fence in left center. The hit scored two, tying the game at
9-9, and leaving runners on second and third. The Fish opted to walk Tilden’s
best hitter to load the bases for a potential double play. The double play
never came as the following batters flew out in the infield and grounded out to
the shortstop. The game continued on into the tenth inning.
Ryan Gilbertson resumed his great day at the
plate, placing a single just out of the reach of the Tiger’s second baseman.
After a Joe Paatalo fly out, Scott Warrington came up to bat. Scott was also
having a great hitting day, hitting the ball solidly throughout the game. He
didn’t disappoint. Scott hit a deep line drive that cleared the Hubbers sign,
landing somewhere in the field behind the fence. The hit boosted the Fish once
again to a two run lead of 11-9.
Gilbertson allowed a walk and two singles to the Tigers in the bottom of the tenth inning. He struggled at times, but got the Tigers on a lined shot and two strikeouts to end the game. The Fish escaped with an 11-9 win over the Tilden Tigers. The Fighting Fish will take on the Haugen Knights today for a spot in the final eight. GO FISH!
Fish Don't Disappoint, Take North Division Crown
Filed by: JGiebel, Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 16:44 CST
The Fighting Fish completed their regular season
with a pair of games against the New Richmond Millers and the Plum City Blues.
The Fish came into the weekend on a hot streak hoping to take the North Division
Crown.
The highlights for the first game against the
Miller’s were all Fish. Rick Wells pitched a great game, giving up only one
hit, striking out ten batters, and not allowing a single walk. The Miller’s
failed to get a runner past second base during the entire game!
The Fish jumped on The Millers early and often
during the game. The bottom of the first began with a pair of singles by Brom
and Giebel and a walk by Gilbertson. This brought Joe Paatalo to the plate. He
continued his clutch hitting by lacing a ball past the third-baseman down the
baseline, which easily scored Brom and Giebel. The inning continued with a walk
that put Gilbertson on third base, and brought Trevor Gutting up to bat. Gutting
got behind in the count, but he continued to battle, hitting a ball far enough
down the right field line to score Gilbertson without an attempted throw. The
first inning ended with a score of 3-0 in favor of the Fish.
The Fighting Fish put up more runs in the third,
fourth, and fifth innings. The Millers pitcher struggled in the bottom of the
third, walking Gilbertson and Warrington, and hitting Gutting. The Fish then
continued their clutch bases loaded hitting as Kempf hit a ball short of the
center-fielder that scored Gilbertson and Warrington. River Falls continued to
pad their lead in the fourth inning. Eidem reached base on a single to right,
which nearly resulted in a great catch by the right fielder. Eidem would reach
third base on a pair of passed balls, and score on a Nathan Brom single to the
right center field gap. After a costly error on a Gilbertson pop fly, Joe
Paatalo stepped up looking to add some more RBI’s to his already impressive
day. He came through, with a drive to deep left center field that scored two
more runs for the Fish. The Fish took their 8-0 lead with them into the fifth
inning, with hopes of a quick day at the park. Giliuson and Eidem reached base
on a hit by pitch and an error. After a Brom fly out, Brian Giebel came up to
bat. He got ahead in the count, and when he got his pitch, he smashed it deep
into center field. The ball looked like a homerun off the bat, but ended up
hitting the top of the fence in the air and ricocheting back past the center
fielder. Giebel hustled around the bases, coming into third with a stand-up
triple.
The hit by Giebel would be all that the Fish
needed to complete the 10 run victory over the New Richmond Millers. However,
the weekend was far from over with the Plum City Blues coming to town on
Sunday. The game put Morgan against Garner; who is amongst the best pitchers in
the conference, and in a must-win game for the Blues who were on the verge of
the playoffs.
The Fish got down early to the Blues, with several key hits, by the Blues, and shutdown pitching by Garner. In the middle of the fourth, The Fish found themselves down 5-0 to the surging Blues. The Fighting Fish have rarely found themselves down by that many runs this season. We all waited to see how they would respond.
The Fish didn’t disappoint; taking it to Garner
and the Blues. The fourth inning brought thirteen batters to the plate for the
Fish, who put up eight runs! The inning was highlighted by a Ryan Gilbertson
3-run homerun, the first of many runs for the Fish.
Gilbertson wasn’t the only Fish player to have a
great hitting game. Brom, Kretovics, Giebel, Kempf, and Eidem, along with
others, did their parts to lead the Fish to victory. After the first three
innings, the Fish took over, putting up 13 total runs and giving up only five
runs to the Blues.
Dan Morgan pitched a complete game for the Fish,
giving up only three earned runs. Morgan also matched Wells’ strikeout total of
the previous day fanning ten batters. This was a very impressive win for Morgan
and the River Falls Fighting Fish. Next for the Fish are the playoffs. The
Fighting Fish are the second seed and travel to Ellsworth to face the third
seeded Tilden Tigers at 12:00 on Saturday. Hope to see you there!
Fish Extend Conference Win Streak
Filed by: JGiebel, Saturday, July 25, 2009, 06:16 CST
The Fish traveled to Hager City yesterday to
battle the Bay City Bombers. It was a great game, with comebacks, big hits, and
some controversy. This was a great chance for the Fighting Fish to extend their
conference win streak to four games.
The first inning began with a walk to Brian
Giebel. Giebel was hit with a curveball and immediately called back to home
plate as he didn’t make an effort to get out of the way. He walked on the next
pitch. On the first pitch to Kretovics, Giebel stole second successfully on a
very close play. The call was heavily disputed by the Bombers. Dan Kretovics
then came through with a hit to right center that easily scored Giebel. Off of
a Trevor Gutting single, Kretovics was called out on a very close play at the
plate. The Fish enjoyed a one run lead going into the bottom of the first.
However, that lead was taken away with one pitch by Luke Meier and one swing of
the bat by the Bombers leadoff hitter. The ball was crushed, easily eclipsing
the Hager City Liquor sign in left field.
Hunter and Kempf each singled in the top of the
second inning. Next, Sam Giliuson layed down an excellent bunt, advancing the
runners to second and third. Then Eidem hit the ball sharply to third, with
Hunter breaking for home on the play. That choice proved to be costly, as he
was out easily at home on the fielder’s choice.
The Bombers would take their first and only lead
in the bottom of the second. The first batter had a softy hit but well placed
ball down the right field line that put him on second. Then the following
batter hit one through the right side of the infield, bringing the runner home.
The score was 2-1 in favor of the Bay City Bombers.
That brought Brian Giebel to the plate again in
the top of the third. On the second pitch, Giebel smashed the ball deep into
center field. The ball cleared the outfielder and one- hopped the Power Alley
sign in deep left center. Giebel was in for a stand-up double. He later took
third on a fly out by Kretovics and scored on a passed ball.
The Fighting Fish were able to increase their
lead with the help of Meier throwing scoreless third and fourth innings. Kempf
began the fourth with a single, followed by a stolen base. Giliuson then hit a
ball slowly to short that snuck under the shortstops glove. Next, Eidem brought
Kempf in with a sharply hit ball that the second baseman couldn’t handle. Brom
came up and laced a ball to third, which was booted, bringing Eidem and Giliuson
into scoring position. That brought Brian Giebel up to bat for the third time
in four innings. With a full count, and an outside pitch, Brian took the ball
to the right side of the field, barely clearing the outstretched glove of the
second baseman. Giliuson scored on the play. Eidem and Brom would later score
off of an error on third base, from the bat of Trevor Gutting. The outburst
gave the Fish a 6-2 advantage over the Bombers.
The Fish continued to pile it on in the top of
the fifth inning. With Kempf reaching base for the second straight inning, he
advanced to second on a Giliuson single. Eidem then singled sharply past the
shortstop easily scoring Kempf. Then it was Giebel’s turn to try to do some
more damage. He blasted an inside fastball deep over the left field fence,
clearing the C.M.C.C. board with several feet to spare. Brian added three
R.B.I.’s with that swing of the bat, adding to his impressive night.
The game seemed to be all but over, with the Fish
leading 10-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. But the Bombers were far from
finished. Bay City loaded the bases on a pair of walks and an infield error.
With one out, Meier gave up an R.B.I. single that dropped in front of the left
fielder. That hit was immediately followed by a deep shot over the center
fielder’s head that scored two more runs and resulted in a stand-up double.
Meier got out of his jam with a pop fly, followed by a groundout. I was
surprised that the Bombers weren’t more aggressive on the base-paths throughout
the game.
The pace of the game let up, as the hitters from
both teams went cold for a period of time. That was until the bottom of the
eighth. The Fighting Fish were hanging onto a 10-5 lead, with Trevor Gutting
taking the mound. Gutting had a little trouble locating his pitches in the
beginning of the inning. He allowed a double on a solid hit to the right-center
field gap. That was followed by a walk and a single, just over Brom’s head,
which loaded up the bases. Next, Gutting got an infield popup to Giliuson for
the first out of the inning. Gutting would then lose the battle in a lengthy
at-bat with the following Bomber; a loss that resulted in a walk and a run.
Gutting battled the next hitters, continuing to throw strikes. The Bombers got
an unearned run on a hot shot that Brom couldn’t handle. They scored their
eighth and ninth runs on a pair of sharp hits to left. To Gutting’s credit, he
kept focused on the task at hand. He got the next hitters on a shallow popup to
center and the last batter on his own with a strikeout. Gutting got the Fish
into the ninth inning with a 10-9 lead over the Bombers.
Eidem came up with a crucial leadoff walk for the
Fish to begin the ninth inning. He advanced to second and after a Brom single,
Giebel came to the plate. Giebel shot the ball into the hole between first and
second scoring Eidem, with a late throw to third in an attempt to get Brom, who
took the extra base. The hit was Giebel’s fourth on the night, and the R.B.I.
was his fifth. Gutting helped his cause by hitting a deep fly to right that
scored Brom and Hunter later knocked in Giebel with a single to right, which was
the Fighting Fish’s 13th and final run of the game.
Gutting brought his A game into the bottom of the ninth. He shut down the Bombers, allowing only a single base-runner. The Fish took Bay City’s best shot, and came out of Hager City with their fourth straight conference win. The next game brings the much improved New Richmond Millers to town to do battle with the Fish. Hope you’re hungry for chicken!
Fish clinch Playoff Spot - Much Left to Be Done
Filed by: JGiebel, Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 07:39 CST
The Elmwood Expos came to town to battle the Fish
this past Saturday. This was one of only four remaining league games for the
Fighting Fish. A win could clinch a playoff spot for the Fish who are starting
to heat up down the stretch.
The Fish bats wasted little time, scoring two
runs in the first, and two more in the third inning. With the Expos pitcher
struggling to find the plate, the Fish took advantage, getting base-runners on
any way they could. The biggest hit of the night came from Ryan Gilbertson in
the bottom of the fourth inning. With the bases loaded he smashed a lined shot
into the right-center field gap scoring all three base-runners. Gilbertson
would end his day with five RBI’s and one run.
The Fish were helped by strong pitching
performances by Anderson and Gutting. Anderson threw three scoreless innings,
then handed the ball over to Gutting. He would pitch the remainder of the game,
giving up the only two runs that the Expos would score.
The Fish erased those two runs by scoring a pair
of their own in the bottom of the fifth. With a scoreless sixth, the Fish came
up to bat with an 11-2 lead in the seventh. Josh Eidem completed his big
three-for-three night by reaching base in the inning. Later on, with the bases
loaded, Brian Giebel stepped to the plate. On the third pitch of the at bat,
Giebel was struck on the leg, scoring the runner from third. That pitch
effectively ended the game, giving the Fish the 12-2 mercy rule victory over the
Expos.
This was the final win needed to clinch a playoff spot for the Fighting Fish. However, there is still a lot of baseball left to be played. The Fish have the Bay City Bombers, the New Richmond Millers, and the Plum City Blues all in the upcoming week. Should be some great baseball, GO FISH!
Fish Inch Closer to Playoff Berth
Filed by: JGiebel, Wednesday, July 18, 2009, 23:45 CST
On Wednesday, July 15th, the Fish
traveled to Osceola to face the Braves. This was the second of two meetings
between these two teams this year, so the Fighting Fish had the honor of being
the home team. This was slated to be a premier matchup between two of the
better teams in the St. Croix Valley Baseball League.
The Fish were led by Luke Meier, who gave up a
single run in his 5 plus innings of work. He left the game with the score
knotted up at 1. Although The Fighting Fish had a lot of base-runners, they
lacked the big hit that could break the game open. That was, until Dan
Kretovics stepped to the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning.
With Giliuson, Eidem, and Giebel, (who reached on
an intentional walk) filling the bases, the Fish called on Kretovics to come
through. And come through he did, in a big
way, driving the ball deep into the
right-center field gap. Giliuson and Eidem scored easily on the play,
but
the ball came to the cut-off man just as Giebel rounded third for home. The
throw took the catcher slightly up the first baseline, just as Giebel slid to
the outside part of home plate, swiping his hand across home before the tag
could be applied. Kretovics took third on the play and later scored, making the
score 5-1 going into the eighth inning.
The Braves were down, but not out as they quickly
loaded up the bases off of Gutting. This prompted the Fish to call on closer
Rick Wells to come in early for the extended save opportunity. The Osceola
batters worked the count very well, fouling off pitch after pitch, earning a
walk which led to a run. With the help of an error and a bunt-single, the
Braves tied the score at 5-5 going into the middle of the eighth.
Clint Kempf had another big game reaching base in
the eighth with his third hit of the night. He reached second base later in the
inning as Brom stepped up to the plate. Brom singled to left, narrowly scoring
Kempf, and giving The Fish a 6-5 lead. Brom advanced to second on a passed ball
to Giebel, after a lengthy debate about the call at the plate for Kempf’s play.
With two outs, Giebel singled sharply to right center field which brought Brom
to the plate just as the throw arrived. This time the Fish didn’t come out
ahead as Brom was called out on a perfect play by the defense.
Rick Wells came back in the top of the ninth with his great fastball. He blew the loincloths off the Braves, giving The Fish their second straight one-run victory. The Fish can thank timely hitting, solid pitching, and aggressive base-running for this win, which inches the Fighting Fish one step closer to their second playoff berth in two years.
Argh! Shiver Me Timbers, Fishy!
Filed by: JGiebel, Sunday, July 15, 2009, 16:21 CST
On Saturday, July, 13th, the Fish traveled to Prescott to face the first place Pirates. The Pirates came in winning 8 of their last 10 games, with the Fish winning 6 of 10. Needless to say, this was a make-or-break game for the Fish, who are fighting for a playoff spot.
The Fish jumped out to a 2-0 lead, the Pirates then answering with a run of their own in the bottom of the third. Dan Morgan’s strong pitching effort allowed only 1 run in 5 of his 6 innings pitched. However, the Pirates’ bats came to life in the bottom of the sixth. With two homeruns and a plethora of other hits, Prescott exploded with 8 runs, giving the Pirates a seemingly insurmountable 9-2 lead! Arrgh!
In the top of the eighth, with good base-running, a few key hits, and patient at-bats, drawing several walks, the Fish put together their own 8 run inning! Shiver me timbers! The Fighting Fish’s lead lasted only until the bottom of the eighth, when Prescott answered with a run of their own off Fish reliever Trevor Gutting. Gutting left after the eighth, allowing only 1 run in 2 plus innings of relief work. With the 10-10 score, Gutting left the game in line for the win.
Sure enough, The Fish came through with a run in the top of the ninth. Ryan Gilbertson came in for the save and overcame The Pirates, retiring 3 of the 4 batters that he faced. The Fish were led by the bats of Sam Giliuson, Ryan Gilbertson, Trevor Gutting, Scott Warrington, Clint Kempf and several other Fish players. This was the most prodigious comeback in Fish Baseball history. The Fish showed a lot of audacity, proving once and for all, why we dub them The “Fighting” Fish.