By FRED KRONER
fred@sjodaily.com
Against a baseball opponent it lost to by the 10-run rule at home, Oakwood dropped a nine-inning, 6-5 decision at Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin on Monday.
The Blue Devils scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to recover from a 5-4 deficit and then produced the walk-off win with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Noah Ruch and Koby Fletcher each produced two hits for the Comets. Fletcher drove in two runs.
Lucas Huchel pitched the first 5 1/3 innings, permitting three hits while walking three and striking out three.
Elijah Harden worked the final three innings and walked no one while striking out three. He suffered the loss.
On Wednesday, Jacob Spear pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings and picked up the win after the Comets scored a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Oakwood edged visiting Georgetown-Ridge Farm, 10-9. G-RF carried 3-0 lead into the bottom of the third inning.
The Comets are 5-2 this spring in one-run games.
Brady Howard worked the first 4 2/3 innings on the mound and struck out seven.
Spear and Isaiah Ruch each swatted three hits to spark Oakwood’s 16-hit attack.
Howard, Josh Young and Andy Hohn collected two hits apiece.
Isaiah Ruch, who had a single, a double and a triple, knocked in three runs. Noah Ruch had two RBI.
Oakwood (15-11) returns to action today at Danville Schlarman, weather permitting.
Softball
Shut out for six innings, the Comets scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a one-run lead on Monday at Bismarck-Henning/RossvilleAlvin, but the Blue Devils scored twice in the bottom of the frame to nab a 4-3 triumph.
Kaersen Rupp, Paiton Frerichs and Kerrigan Shafer scored the Oakwood runs.
Kylie Neuman pitched 6 1/3 innings and took the loss. She struck out 12 and walked two while yielding four hits.
On Wednesday, Shafer’s solo home run in the second inning was all the offense the Comets could muster in a 13-1, five-inning loss at home to Georgetown-Ridge Farm.
Oakwood was limited to four hits.
Shafer pitched 2 2/3 innings and suffered the loss. Reliever Neuman worked 2 1/3 hitless innings.
The Comets are 11-14 overall.
Boys’ track and field
The Comets had placers in five events on Monday and finished sixth in the eight-school Vermilion Valley Conference meet at Catlin.
Oakwood had two medalists in the 1,600-meter run. Cameron Helka was third (5 minutes, 18.59 seconds) and Eli Ronk was fifth (5:23.43).
Helka was also the runner-up in the 800 meters (2:05.10).
The school’s one individual champion was Cameryn Taylor, who led the way in the 400 meters (53.45 seconds).
Colmon Moss secured a sixth-place position in the 200 meters (25.67 seconds).
Oakwood’s other points came from a fourth-place finish in the 1,600-meter relay. Helka, Rhett Harrison, Ronk and Taylor teamed up for a time of 3:52.75 seconds.
The Comets wound up with 31 points. Meet champion Salt Fork totaled 178 points.
Girls’ track and field
Grace Davis and Katelyn Young each captured conference titles on Monday in the Vermilion Valley Conference Meet at Catlin.
Davis was dominant in the 1,600 meters, posting a time of 5 minutes, 54.80 seconds.
Young was the shot put champion with an effort of 41 feet, 4 inches. She was also fifth in the discus (87-10).
The Comets’ other individual placer was Haven Harrison, who was sixth in the 200 meters (28.86 seconds).
Two Oakwood relays also earned medals.
The 800-meter foursome was the runner-up, stopping the clock in 1:55.51.
The relay runners were Aaliyah Denius, Young, Jaylnn Bugaj and Megan Meister.
The sixth-place 1,600-meter relay featured Bugaj, Davis, Young and Denius. Their combined time was 4:55.73.
In the team race, Oakwood ended eighth with 32 points.
The Comets return to action on Friday in the SJ-O Class 1A Sectional. Field events start at 4 p.m. and running events are scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
