Blue Ribbons up to the task against Bandits

By Tori Wittenbrock

Associate Sports Editor

GREEN BAY – The Green Bay Blue Ribbons (15-5 overall, 7-4 conf.) continue to look to move up in the NEWBL standings with their 10-4 win over the Manitowoc Bandits (4-4). 

After keeping it clean at the top of the first inning, the Blue Ribbons went up early on the Bandits. 

After Griffin Summers stole second base after being walked, Eason Hurd’s RBI brought them to a 1-0 lead. 

The Bandits worked to keep it close in the second inning by holding the Blue Ribbons off with neither team seeing any runs. 

A ground ball down the third baseline got Jackson Schmitz of the Bandits a single before the Blue Ribbons walked Carter Stebane and saw Brady Coons take a base after being hit by a pitch. 

With bases loaded, Ridge Guyette came in strong for his team securing a 2 RBI single, bringing the score to 2-1. 

When the Blue Ribbons got their chance for redemption shortly after they made the most of their next chance at-bat. 

Summers’ double put him in good position when Hurd stepped up to bat and secured a homerun to bring the score to 3-2 and put Green Bay back out in front. 

Clean fourth and fifth innings intensified the competition as the game remained within one run going into the sixth. 

However, the Bandits brought the heat when Reese Berg smashed a homerun clear over leftfield to even the score at 3-3. 

Stebane’s single in the top of the seventh inning proved crucial for the Bandits when Coons’ RBI single brought them out in front for the first time all game with a score of 4-3. 

The bottom of the seventh served as a turning point for the Blue Ribbons to inch them towards victory. 

After walking three consecutive players to load the bases, the Bandit’s next pitch hit Brendan Willadsen to bring Hurd in for a run to tie the game up at 4-4. 

However, the eighth inning is what brought it home for Green Bay. 

Jake Lucas popped a fly ball up and an error in the infield awarded him a single. 

Lucas was able to advance to second base on a bunt from the next at-bat. 

The Bandits then walked Summers and a bobbled pitch over home plate allowed Lucas and Summers to steal second and third. 

A walk for Hurd would then load the bases for a major play when Landen Lozier smacked a triple to bring in all three runners for a score of 7-4. 

Brady LaViolette’s at-bat resulted in a quick walk. The Bandit’s struggle to keep their pitches over the plate proved to be extremely detrimental. 

Willadsen’s RBI single brought Lozier in for another run to make it 8-4. 

With runners on first and second, Ethan Habetler’s 2 RBI double got the Blue Ribbons to double digits with a score of 10-4 which would hold until the end of the game.