The Platteville Woodchucks advanced to the South Section final of the Home Talent Night League with a convincing 12–3 victory over Ridgeway Thursday night.
Platteville (11–15 overall, 7–2 NL) was in control from the very beginning.
The first five Woodchucks collected hits as the home team took a commanding early lead with five runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Platteville added two in the second, one in the fifth, and five more in the sixth.
Veteran left-hander Jake Green (6–5) picked up his sixth win of the summer allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits in the complete game victory. He struck out six and walked five.
Platteville will now face South Section, Eastern Division champion Orfordville (22–2 overall, 8–1 NL) Thursday at 7:30 at the Beloit Youth Sports Complex.
Second baseman Casey Schroeder led off the bottom of the first inning with an infield single and promptly stole second base. Center fielder Tim Fritz followed with a single and shortstop Trevor Kattre drove in the game’s first run with a sharp RBI single. Then Green ripped a two-run double to the left centerfield game to make it 3–0.
Catcher Seth Feldman drilled an RBI single back through the box to make it 4–0, and right fielder Mitch Langkamp’s bloop single to shallow centerfield capped the five-run first-inning rally.
The Cardinals (14–14, 7–3 NL) got two runs back in the top of the second. Robbie Schlimigan’s RBI single drove home designated hitter/coach Jeff Garthwaite, then Dusty Alfred stole home on the back end of a double steal to cut the deficit to 5–2. Schroeder drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the second and scored on another Kattre RBI single.After Green singled to move Kattre to second, Feldman delivered his second RBI single of the night to make it 7–2.
Ridgeway’s Jeremy Kitelinger singled to lead off the third inning and later scored when catcher Aaron Calvert reached on a throwing error by Schroeder. But that was the last run Green and the Woodchucks would surrender. Adam Halverson attempted to score from second on the throwing error, but was cut down at the plate by Platteville first baseman Tyler Ware and nice tag by Feldman.
Feldman also threw a pair of Ridgeway would-be base stealers out at second base in the game.
The first set off Ridgeway third base coach Zak Arneson in the top of the fifth inning. After cursing the first-base umpire Arneson (who was not in the game in the Ridgeway lineup at the time) was ejected. Before he finally left the field of play, Arneson engaged in a 10-minute verbal confrontation that contained a slew of colorful curse words directed at both umpires.
When the tempers calmed and Arneson was sent to the parking lot the game resumed and the Platteville offense picked up where it left off.
Kattre walked, stole second and third and scored on a throwing error by Calvert in the fifth. Kattre finished the night 2-for-3 with two steals, two RBIs, a walk and three runs scored.
Fritz roped a two-run triple in the sixth to the fence in right centerfield to make it 11–3. Two batters later Green collected his third hit and third RBI of the night. Feldman followed with an RBI triple of his own to drive in Green. The Platteville catcher finished the game 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk.
Schroder (2-for-3) and Fritz (2-for-4) also finished the night with multiple hits.
Nolan Barrett took the loss for Ridgeway, allowing 12 runs, 11 earned on 12 hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.
Platteville 13, Ridgeway 3
(from Thursday, Aug. 8 @ Platteville)
Ridgeway 021 000 0 — 3 4 2
Platteville 520 015 x — 12 14 2
Leading hitters — R: Adam Halverson 2x3; P: Casey Schroeder 2x3, Tim Fritz 2x4, Trevor Kattre 2x3, Jake Green 2x4, Seth Feldman 3x3. 2B — P: Green. 3B — P: Fritz, S. Feldman. W — Jake Green (6–5, 7 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 6 SO, 5 BB). L — Nolan Barrett (5.1 IP, 12 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 4 SO, 4 BB).
