Richmond splits with B-C in the battle for first

By Todd Rohde~SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

It’s not very often that a team plays the same opponent twice in less than a one-week span, but that’s exactly what happened for the Richmond-Burton baseball team.

Not only did the Rockets square off against Burlington-Central in two separate bouts, but they proved to be very important games as well due to the fact that both programs are fighting for the conference title.

After defeating them earlier in the week, the Rockets suffered a 6-0 Big Northern Conference defeat at the hands of B-C May 6th in Richmond. The loss put the Rockets a game behind B-C in the standings with two weeks to play in the regular season, as Richmond is now 11-6 overall and 8-3 in league play.

Despite playing in near perfect conditions, the Rockets just couldn’t get their bats to heat up and make some noise. In fact, the Rockets limited to just three hits in the game including two of them coming from Mike Kaska.

Kaska also took the tough loss on the mound for the Rockets, although he pitched pretty well and kept his team in the game. Kaska was touched for just two runs on five hits over six innings of work with nine strikeouts.

Things were much better for the Rockets May 4th, as they defeated Westminster Christian by a 7-1 difference in nonconference play at Richmond.

“This was a solid win for us, as we are half way to our goal of having another 20-win season,” Rocket head coach Mike Giese said. “We have two weeks until regionals start and we want to continue to get better and play more consistently.”

Pitcher Brian Wells picked up the win for the Rockets, as he kept the WC offense in check. Wells was responsible for allowing just one earned run on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks in six innings.

The Rocket bats were much more alive in this contest, as they outhit their foes by an 8-5 margin. Jake Tiso and Matt Malecki both had two hits apiece in the game and combined for three RBIs to lead the charge.

The Rockets next held on to get the best of B-C by a 5-3 score in BNC play April 30th in Richmond. The Rockets took control of this game right from the start as they never trailed, after jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the very first inning thanks to the help of three B-C miscues.

‘This was a good win for us, as it keeps us in contention for the league title,” Giese said. “Our pitching and defense continue to be solid, as we are making the other team work hard for everything that they get.”

Ryne Blanton pitched the complete-game win for the Rockets, as he was touched for just two earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts and no walks in seven innings of work. Tiso led the offense with a pair of hits including a double and scored two runs, as Kaska had two hits as well and an RBI.

Richmond-Burton Softball

Despite putting forth a valiant effort, the Richmond-Burton softball team didn’t have much to show for their performances especially in the win column. The Lady Rockets came up empty in all three of their showings for the week and what makes the defeats even tougher is that they came against conference opponents.

The Lady Rockets were the recipient of a 5-3 BNC game at Burlington Central May 2nd, as it was their second loss to them in three days. The losses on the week dropped the Rockets record to 5-9 overall on the year and to 4-6 in league play.

Richmond isn’t the only team that has had trouble with B-C this season, as they sit atop the division with an unblemished 10-0 mark to go along with being 18-1 in all games played this season.

Haylea Hoskins took the loss pitching for the Rockets after giving up three earned runs on eight hits with three of both walks and strikeouts over seven innings. Sparking the offense was Katie Kroll with a double, a triple, a run and an RBI, while Samantha Dahlen added a pair of singles.

Just a day prior on May 1st, the Rockets were doubled up by a 14-7 margin to Marengo in BNC action at Richmond. Amanda Modlin took the loss on the mound by being touched for five runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks, as Dahlen was 3-3 at the plate including a homerun.

Finally the Rockets lost a competitive 2-1 BNC battle to B-C on April 30th at Richmond in a game that just as easily could have gone either way. The Rockets limited offense was led by Brogan Etten with a double and Grace Schwegel going 1-3 with the team’s only RBI.

Hoskins was the tough-luck loser, despite pitching well and keeping her team in the game. A pair of fielding errors hurt behind her, as she surrendered just one earned run on five hits in the complete-game effort.

 


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