Posted: June 17, 2009

Pitcher Chris Ridgway helped Greendale snap a three-game losing streak.

The senior allowed just three hits and four walks with 10 strikeouts in Greendale's 9-1 home win over the St. Francis Mariners on Friday.

"It was good just to get a win," Greendale coach Ted Brzenk said. "We haven't been playing real well, but I have a lot of faith in these guys."

Ridgway allowed a run in the top of the first but blanked the Mariners from then on.

The Panthers rallied for five runs in the third to take the lead for good.

Greendale's Dan Wisniewski and Ryan Gardetto were both 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

The Woodland Conference victory was sandwiched between a pair of nonconference losses: 10-6 to the visiting Catholic Memorial Crusaders on June 11, and 11-0 against host Arrowhead on Saturday.

Nine of the Crusaders' 10 runs came on three home runs: a grand slam, a three-run shot and a two-run blast. Brzenk said getting behind in the count led to problems in both losses.

"I know it was a lot easier for me to hit when I was a head in the count," Brzenk said. "I can look for one particular pitch and be really ready for it. If I don't get it, I can let it go. These guys are pitching behind too much."

How do the Panthers fix the pitching problems that have plagued them all season?

"Keep pitching and throwing more and more and hopefully it will come around," Brzenk said. "The secret is when you throw a good strike you have to repeat it, and you have to have the athletic ability to repeat it. We have some athletes and they should be able to repeat."

The Panthers began this week 4-7 overall and 2-2 in the Woodland.

Oak Creek baseball

The Knights cleared a major hurdle Monday.

J.T. Schneider scored a run on an error in the top of the eighth inning to snap a 6-6 tie and Ross Fassbinder pitched a scoreless bottom of the frame as Oak Creek defeated the host Marquette Hilltoppers, 7-6, at Henry Aaron Field. The win was the Knights' first over the Hilltoppers since 2004.

"This is a huge week for us," said Oak Creek coach Scott Holler, whose team lost to Marquette in a state tournament semifinal game last summer. "Marquette, (Menomonee) Falls (on Tuesday), Brookfield Central on Thursday … playing three good teams like that, you hope to come out ahead for the week. That set the table for the rest of the week.

"Five of these guys have started since they were sophomores and they know that we haven't had success against Marquette. It was nice to get that monkey off our back."

Schneider led off the eighth with a single, moved to second on an errant pick-off and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on the error.

Fassbinder pitched two scoreless innings in relief to pick up his fourth win this season as the Knights improved to 9-2 overall and 6-2 in the Greater Metro Conference.

The Knights beat host Wauwatosa East, 8-1, Friday. Fassbinder allowed four hits with six strikeouts in six innings.

"He had great command all night long," Holler said. "His curveball has been outstanding."

Schneider had two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases and Brandon Charney was 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

The Knights lost, 4-3, against visiting Hamilton on June 8.

 

Whitnall baseball

The Falcons played three recent games that were shortened by the 10-run rule.

Only one went their way.

Behind five shutout innings by Justin Quinn, Whitnall beat Wauwatosa West, 10-0, in six innings June 11. The next day, however, Whitnall was overwhelmed by the host Nicolet Knights, 17-7, in five innings.

The Falcons also lost, 15-4, in five innings to the visiting West Bend West Spartans on June 10, and began this week 3-6 overall and 1-2 in the Woodland Conference.

"Our bats started to come around a bit last week but our defense is letting us down," Whitnall coach Brian Johnsen said. "We are not making the plays necessary right now to win ball games consistently."

In the win over the Trojans, Quinn allowed only two hits and struck out five. He also had two hits at the plate, including a double and an RBI.

Brock McGinn went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Against Nicolet, Whitnall allowed 10 unearned runs on five errors.

The Falcons scored five runs in the fourth on a three-run home run by Quinn that cut Nicolet's lead to 12-7, but the Knights answered with four runs in their half of the inning.

West Bend West hit four home runs in the first three innings to take a 6-0 lead, and the Spartans scored five times, thanks to four Whitnall errors in the fourth.

 

- Compiled by David Cotey