ARGYLE - The Argyle Beavers shut out the Blanchardville Bullets, 1-0, in a pitching duel Thursday in Home Talent League baseball.
Beavers southpaw Jarrett Bauman faced the minimum with three strikeouts to start the game, while Bryan Ritschard finished the contest, striking out three more.
"To have two pitchers that can throw seven innings in Home Talent is pretty good. They kept the ball in the infield all night," Argyle skipper Travis Erickson said. "We haven't been getting a lot of good pitching lately, but we did tonight."
Blanchardville and Argyle each were credited with just two hits.
"We didn't have any hits, really. We got those two in the first inning, and that's all we really needed," Erickson said.
Erickson led off the bottom of the first with a seven-pitch walk off Matt McGuigan. Tyler Ritschard then dumped a single into shallow right center, and Bryan Ritschard followed with a walk to load the bases. Bauman then struck out, but Justin Crotty singled to center to bring in the game's only run.
McGuigan left the bases loaded in the first, as well as in the second before settling down. He finished with two strikeouts, and reliever David Cleary had one in the sixth inning.
"Offensively we didn't show up, but our pitching did," Blanchardville player-manager Aaron Olson said. "We got up to the plate and were waiting to get walked."
Blanchardville had only one walk in the game, while Argyle had five.
The Bullets also had wasted opportunities on the base paths. Cleary hit into a double play to end the first, Zach Zradicka was picked off first in the fourth inning, and leadoff hitter Luke Syse was caught stealing second with no one out in the top of the seventh. In the third inning, Chad Pien hit a hard grounder into the hole on the left side, but jogged to first, thinking the ball got through. Crotty instead made a diving stop and gunned down Pien from his knees in the outfield grass.
"We've been struggling on Thursday nights," Olson said.
Hollandale 3, Monroe 2
HOLLANDALE - Four errors doomed Monroe on the road Thursday night.
Ben Korth was tagged with the loss, despite striking out seven hitters and scattering six hits. All three of Hollandale's runs were unearned.
Hollandale scored twice in the bottom of the first after a dropped-third strike allowed the inning to continue. Hollandale scored its third run in the sixth, also off an error.
Monroe's two runs came in the fifth. Rooney Janecke doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Korth. Korth moved to third when a ball four to Cody Boals went all the way to the backstop. Moments later, Hollandale attempted to pick off Boals at first, but the throw sailed to the fence down the right field line, allowing Korth to score.
Beavers southpaw Jarrett Bauman faced the minimum with three strikeouts to start the game, while Bryan Ritschard finished the contest, striking out three more.
"To have two pitchers that can throw seven innings in Home Talent is pretty good. They kept the ball in the infield all night," Argyle skipper Travis Erickson said. "We haven't been getting a lot of good pitching lately, but we did tonight."
Blanchardville and Argyle each were credited with just two hits.
"We didn't have any hits, really. We got those two in the first inning, and that's all we really needed," Erickson said.
Erickson led off the bottom of the first with a seven-pitch walk off Matt McGuigan. Tyler Ritschard then dumped a single into shallow right center, and Bryan Ritschard followed with a walk to load the bases. Bauman then struck out, but Justin Crotty singled to center to bring in the game's only run.
McGuigan left the bases loaded in the first, as well as in the second before settling down. He finished with two strikeouts, and reliever David Cleary had one in the sixth inning.
"Offensively we didn't show up, but our pitching did," Blanchardville player-manager Aaron Olson said. "We got up to the plate and were waiting to get walked."
Blanchardville had only one walk in the game, while Argyle had five.
The Bullets also had wasted opportunities on the base paths. Cleary hit into a double play to end the first, Zach Zradicka was picked off first in the fourth inning, and leadoff hitter Luke Syse was caught stealing second with no one out in the top of the seventh. In the third inning, Chad Pien hit a hard grounder into the hole on the left side, but jogged to first, thinking the ball got through. Crotty instead made a diving stop and gunned down Pien from his knees in the outfield grass.
"We've been struggling on Thursday nights," Olson said.
Hollandale 3, Monroe 2
HOLLANDALE - Four errors doomed Monroe on the road Thursday night.
Ben Korth was tagged with the loss, despite striking out seven hitters and scattering six hits. All three of Hollandale's runs were unearned.
Hollandale scored twice in the bottom of the first after a dropped-third strike allowed the inning to continue. Hollandale scored its third run in the sixth, also off an error.
Monroe's two runs came in the fifth. Rooney Janecke doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a double by Korth. Korth moved to third when a ball four to Cody Boals went all the way to the backstop. Moments later, Hollandale attempted to pick off Boals at first, but the throw sailed to the fence down the right field line, allowing Korth to score.
