In a pivotal Six Rivers conference baseball game where each team managed just one hit, it was Potosi/Cassville pulling out a 2-0 victory over host River Ridge last Tuesday evening.

With the win, coach Tony Leibfried’s squad improved to 4-0 in league play and 6-1 overall, while coach Andrew Redman’s Timberwolves fell to 3-2, 4-3 with the loss.

Last Tuesday night’s contest could only be described as a pitcher’s dual between Potosi/Cassville senior Kolton Vogelsberg and River Ridge junior Cael Koenig.
Vogelsberg, who collected the victory on the mound, pitched all seven innings for Potosi/Cassville, giving up one hit, while striking out nine batters and walking none.

In facing 24 batters, Vogelsberg threw 84 pitches, 55 for strikes.

“It was two really good teams who were both ready for this game,” said coach Leibfried. “Cael Koenig and Kolton Vogelsberg made it tough for either team to put up a run.”

“Kolton did a fantastic job of not giving up free bases and Damian Bauer did a great job of catching behind the plate and calling a great game,” Leibfried added.

Koenig, who reached the 100-pitch count in the fifth inning, faced 26 batters, giving up two unearned runs off one hit. He also struck out 10 batters and walked four in 5.2 innings of work. Koenig was replaced by sophomore Alan Hernandez, who in one inning, did not allow a run or a hit.

“Our starting pitcher was outstanding and did everything we could have asked to give us a chance to win,” Redman added. “Sometimes baseball goes that way, and we were on the short side of it.”

While River Ridge picked up their only hit of the game in the bottom of the second inning by junior first baseman Jackson White, Potosi/Cassville made their first legitimate threat to break the scoreless tie in the top of the third.

In the third, P/C senior shortstop Alex Friederick was hit by a pitch and fellow senior catcher Damian Bauer reached base on an error, putting runners at second and third with one out. A strikeout and ground out ended the threat however.

After five scoreless innings, Potosi/Cassville plated the only two runs of the game in the top of the sixth, which is also where they produced their only hit.

Junior third baseman Ben Infield led off the sixth with the team’s only hit, and advanced to third on a throwing error during a ground ball hit by junior left fielder Reid Weber.

Weber then stole second to put runners at second and third with no outs, before Koenig got the first out with a strikeout.

With P/C senior Logan Rausch up to bat, coach Leibfried called for a suicide squeeze, sending Infield from third on the pitch. The ball wound up getting passed River Ridge catcher Brandon Davis, allowing Infield to score standing up and Weber to advance to third.

On the very next pitch, the suicide squeeze was called again, as Rausch this time laid down a bunt, allowing Weber to score his team’s second run.

“That was one of those great pitching duals and we felt like we needed to move runners around to get them in scoring position,” said coach Leibfried. “That gave us the opportunity to put runs across.”

Having only one base runner throughout the first five innings, River Ridge was unable to put anyone on base in the bottom of the sixth, and in the seventh put one runner on base after being hit by a pitch.

“When you’re in a game where both teams only manage one hit, you know its’ going to come down to the smallest details,” said coach Redman. “Potosi/Cassville was able to put more pressure on our defense with more base runners than we were.”

“We’re not going to hit the panic button over a game like this,” Redman added. “We know we have a solid team and if we keep playing hard and doing things right, the results will take care of themselves.”

For coach Leibfried, he knows his team came away with a big win against the defending conference champs, but also knows the season is far from over.

“Ridge isn’t going anywhere, we have to face them again,” Leibfried said. “We have a very tough conference and will need to take it one game at a time.”

On the following Thursday night, coach Redman and his Timberwolves were handed a 5-4 non-conference loss from host Fennimore.

The Golden Eagles held a 4-0 lead after four innings of play until River Ridge evened things up with two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings.

Heading into their last at bat, Fennimore plated the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out RBI single by Corey Dresen.

Taking the loss on the mound was Jackson White, who in the final 3.1 innings gave up one earned run off three hits, while striking out three batters and walking none.

Draven Moris started on the mound for River Ridge, where in the first three innings gave up four runs, two earned, off two hits. He also struck out one batter and walked five.

On the following Friday night, the Timberwolves got back to their winning ways, defeating their visitors from Argyle/Black Hawk, 9-0.

Of River Ridge’s 10 hits in the contest, Koenig and Hernandez each accounted for three, while Reynolds had two. Both Hernandez and Reynolds had three RBIs each, while junior left fielder Aaren Bedward had the other.

Following this past Monday and Tuesday night’s home games against Barneveld and Belmont, the Timberwolves will travel to Iowa-Grant Thursday night, then to Shullsburg/Benton on Friday.