VIRGINIA—The Rock Ridge baseball team really turned it up on offense and defense on Friday afternoon.
They collected some big hits and made all of the plays on defense on their way to a 7-3 win over Hermantown.
“We are heading in the right direction,” Rock Ridge head coach Jamie Lindseth said. “These are the things that we have been hoping for.”
Starting pitcher Tate Uhan set the Hawks first three hitters down in order in the top of the first inning.
The Wolverines got a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the first. Owen Hallin walked and Tyler Reid hit a single.
They could not get a hit to knock in a run and the game was scoreless after one inning.
Hermantown got their first runner on base in the top of the second when Brayden Lundeen reached on a walk with one out. But the Wolverines took care of that when they turned a perfect 6-4-3 double play, Joey Aho to Hallin to Reid to end the inning.
“That was a great turn,” Lindseth said. “All three of them played that perfectly.”
Rock Ridge could not get anything going in the home-half of the second.
Uhan again, set the Hawks hitters down in order in the top of the third inning.
Rock Ridge opened up the scoring in the bottom of the third inning.
Connor Saxhaug walked, went to second when Uhan dropped a perfect sac bunt.
Uhan was safe at first when the Hawks pitcher threw the ball away.
Hallin then dropped a perfect bunt single down the third base line to load the bases with nobody out.
Reid then came up and hit an RBI Sac Fly to score Saxhaug.
They were not done yet.
Gunnar George then came up and blasted a triple to the right field gap that scored Uhan and Hallin.
“The little things we did just paid off,” Lindseth said. “Saxhaug starting the inning drawing that walk really got us going.”
Hermantown was able to score a run in the top of the fourth inning when Carter Pietrusa walked and went to third when Ethan McCubbin hit a double to move him to third.
He then came in to score on a wild pitch.
That was all the Hawks could get in the frame.
The Wolverines were able to get a hit from Uhan in the bottom of the fourth but they couldn’t get him off first base.
Starting the top of the fifth inning, Will Kemp came in to pitch in relief of Uhan.
Uhan went the four innings giving up 1 run, striking out five, while walking two.
Hermantown was able to get a run in the fifth when Cam Lukovsky walked, stole second, and came in to score when Jacob Evanson and Cade Winans each grounded out.
The Wolverines really got the bats going in the bottom of the fifth inning.
George picked up an infield single with one out. He then stole second, and came in to score when Kemp ripped a single.
Kemp then went to second on the throw.
Aiden Bird then hit a single to knock in Kemp.
But they weren’t done yet.
Aho then came up and hit a single of his own and all of a sudden, it was a 7-2 Wolverines lead.
“We have been waiting for this all season long,” Lindseth said. “Gunnar (George) and Joe (Aho) coming up with the key hits really put us in a great spot.”
Neither team could get anything going in the sixth inning.
Hermantown had one last chance in the top of the seventh.
Cam Lukovsky singled to start the inning.
He went to second on a wild pitch and came in to score when Winans reached on an error.
But that was all Kemp was going to give up on the mound, striking out the next two hitters to end the game.
Kemp picked up the save on the mound going two innings, giving up two runs, three hits, striking out three and walking one.
“Like I said, we did a lot of good things today,” Lindseth said. “We can build off this.”
The Wolverines will be on the field again Tuesday when they travel to Grand Rapids.
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