WIAA Semifinals Ithaca Advances to D4 Title Game

June 17, 2015

By Spencer Flaten

APPLETON, WI- Ithaca moved on to the Division 4 state championship game with a dominant 9-0 victory over Rib Lake in the semifinals on Wednesday morning. The Bulldogs’ return trip to state has started much better than their first appearance last year, when they lost by 10 to McDonell Central.

The Bulldogs started the game in the best way imaginable. In the bottom of the 1^st, they scored 6 runs without recording a single out. They batted around in the inning, and the game was a breeze from that point onwards. Aaron Kepler, Ross Ghastin, and Caleb Olson all had RBI hits in the inning.

Ithaca added 3 more runs in the bottom of the 2^nd thanks to a 2 RBI double by Cody Klossowski and an RBI single by Olson. That was more than enough run support for the Bulldog pitching staff.

Not much else happened during the game, as both teams put zeros on the scoreboard the rest of the way.

Rib Lake only mustered 2 hits in the entire game. Ithaca starter Jacob Huebsch pitched 3 innings and struck out 2. Nolan Clary and Aaron Huebsch both pitched 2 innings to preserve the shutout and the semifinal win.

Olson and Kepler both finished the game 3-for-4 for Ithaca. Jerry Reinhardt and Noah Weinke had the sole hits for the Redmen.

Ithaca will play Rio in the Division 4 state championship game on Thursday morning at 9 AM. It is the Bulldogs’ first ever appearance in the state title game.