By: Brad Krause
BURLINGTON, WI – The Blue Ribbons split their first doubleheader of the season on Saturday, beating West Allis 12-7 in game one, before dropping game two by a score of 5-3.
The first game of the day saw Green Bay grab an early lead with two runs in the first, but West Allis answered right back with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning. The Ribbons hung a crooked number on the scoreboard in the third, plating four runs, but the Nationals again fought back, putting up three in their turn at bat.
A three-run fifth gave the Blue Ribbons some breathing room, and although West Allis would not go away quietly, scoring two more in the sixth to pull to within 9-7, Green Bay put the game on ice with three more in the seventh, highlighted by a two-run homer off the bat of Trent Van Ess for the final 12-7 margin of victory.
Jake Petasek went 3-for-5 and scored a pair of runs, while Van Ess, James Bornick , Garrett Foth and Bryson Webb all contributed multi-hit games
Game two saw the Ribbons strike first again, scoring a run in the opening frame after Colton Daniels walked, stole second, moved to third on a ground out and came in to score on an error.
West Allis responded with five unanswered runs, and the Green Bay bats took a little bit of time to wake up, as the team didn’t tally their first hit until James Bornick singled with one out in the fifth, driving in the team’s third run to make the score 5-3.
The Ribbons hung tough, with reliever Tanner Alsteen holding the West Allis lineup in check, and Green Bay put the tying run on first base in the top of the seventh, but that would be as close as they would get, as the Nationals held on to earn a split of their doubleheader.
Daniels paced the offense in game two, walking four times, stealing two bags and scoring two runs, while Bornick, Bryson Webb and Steven Russell collected one of the three Blue Ribbons base hits.
Green Bay wraps up their road trip with another doubleheader in Burlington on Sunday afternoon, as they take on the Burlington Barons with first pitch of game one scheduled for 1:00 PM.
