Green Bay, Wis. (Nick Witwer) – The Green Bay Blue Ribbons, fresh off a big NEWBL win over the Menasha Macs, were looking to prove themselves against one of the top teams in The Wisconsin State Baseball League. With hopes of extending their lead in the WSL standings, Green Bay was hit with a wake up call as they’d drop three games to the Lombard Orioles over the weekend with one of the games being canceled due to weather.
Game one of the series versus Lombard was Green Bay’s best effort. To kick off the weekend, both teams would each score one run in the first inning. Lombard would later take a 4-1 lead through four innings. The Blue Ribbons would respond in the bottom of the fifth inning pulling themselves within one run following a bases loaded single from first baseman Brendan Willadsen and a bases loaded hit by pitch to make it 4-3. The Orioles would tack on an insurance run in the top of the seventh and it was too much for the Blue Ribbons to overcome, dropping game one 5-3.
For the Blue Ribbons offensively, Willadesn finished the day 1-4 with just the one RBI, Carter Kallies reached base twice going 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Payton Kohnle went 2-4. Ashton Long finished 0-3 but picked up the team’s only other RBI. On the mound, Eli Frank got the start working three and one third of an inning allowing 4 runs and striking out three batters. Gavin Rusch pitched the final three and two thirds of an inning allowing just one unearned run and striking out two additional batters.
Game two on Saturday was canceled due to weather so we move to Sunday for games three and four.
Sunday wasn’t the best of showings for the Blue Ribbons as the offense was held in check, recording just three hits on the day and scoring zero runs. Lombard got out to an early lead in game three scoring one run in the first, two in the second, and another run in the fourth. The four runs were all that was needed as Green Bay would fall 4-0.
James Bornick and Carter Kallies collected Green Bay’s only hits of the game with both hitting a single. Reece Piontek got the start for the Blue Ribbons, going for four full innings striking out seven batters and giving up four earned runs, his first earned runs of the season. Logan Paplham gave the Green Bay offense a chance to get back in it by shutting down Lombard over the final three innings. In his three innings of work, Paplham allowed no runs on just one hit while also striking out two batters.
Game four of the series got out of hand early. Lombard scored 5 runs in the second, three in the fourth, and two more in the fifth. After Green Bay failed to score, the 10-run mercy rule would take effect, giving the Blue Ribbons the 10-0 loss.
Cal Casper got Green Bay’s only hit of the game with a single in the bottom of the third. Benje Hencke got the start on the mound going for three innings allowing five runs and striking out two batters. Tanner Alsteen made an appearance and pitched for two thirds of an inning giving up three runs. Jake Lucas finished the game on the mound going the final inning and a third giving up two runs on just one hit.
The three losses from the weekend now moves Green Bay to a 23-9 record on the season. The Blue Ribbons now fall from first place to second place in the WSL standings sitting at 13-5. They now sit between third place Lombard (11-6) and first place Kenosha (11-2).
The Blue Ribbons will have a chance to make up some ground against the Kenosha Kings when they face them Monday night in Sheboygan for a 7-inning make up game that was rained out during the WSL 5th game challenge.