It was a long night for South O’Brien’s baseball team in more ways than one. In a game that lasted over 2-1/2 hours, Ridge View batted around in both a seven-run fourth inning and a nine-run seventh. When all was said and done, the Raptors pocketed a 19-4 win June 8 at Paullina.
The Wolverines’ matchup with the visitors from the Western Valley Conference was a scoreless game through two innings. After Ridge View posted a run in the top of the third, South O’Brien answered in kind in their half. Tyson Wulf reached base courtesy of an error. Kester Grimm’s ground ball back to the pitcher allowed Wulf to take second. When Kadyn Steffens grounded out to the shortstop, Wulf was able to make his way to third. From there he scored on a wild pitch.
Down 10-1 in the fifth, the Wolverines tried to mount a comeback. Leadoff batter Grimm was hit by a pitch. South O’Brien’s first hit of the game came on Pete Bottjen’s infield single and both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. With two Wolverines in scoring position, Micah Davis singled to drive in both. Davis wasn’t content to be at first so he stole not just second base but also third. That put him in position to score on Brock Riedemann’s base hit.
The list of the night’s pitchers for South O’Brien began with starter Grimm. In four plus innings he surrendered nine runs (four earned) on eight hits with three strikeouts, three walks and two hit batters. He was relieved by Bottjen who finished the fifth and pitched into the seventh. Bottjen yielded six runs (all earned) on seven hits while fanning three batters and walking one. Brock Riedemann was next to take the mound and he faced five batters, walking two, hitting one and allowing a hit. All four scored but only one of the runs was earned. Wilson Millan pitched to the next two Raptors and hit the first. Wulf came on to retire the final batter on a pop-up. Ridge View ended up with 16 hits but the Wolverines also committed nine errors.
Ridge View
0 0 1 7 2 0 9 – 1
S. O’Brien
0 0 1 0 0 3 0 – 4