5/25 Baseball: Blugolds nearly perfect in regional win

By the Tribune staff

The Aquinas High School baseball team was one play away from perfection Friday.

But coach Scott Bagniefski will gladly accept the collective effort that assured a highly anticipated WIAA Division 3 regional semifinal game next week.

Junior Zach Rickaway and senior Ryan Fahey combined on a no-hitter and struck out 12 Necedah batters as the Blugolds disposed of the Cardinals 10-0 in a quarterfinal at Holy Cross Seminary. The victory sets up a semifinal game Tuesday between Aquinas (14-7) and top-ranked Bangor (18-2) in Bangor, Wis.

“We’re excited to go to Bangor and play them in their park,” Bagniefski said. “We look at it more as we are playing ourselves, and we have to go there and play our game.

“But it’s fun that it’s against Bangor. We’ll try to not get caught up in the hype of the game, but the fact that it’s Bangor adds some flavor to it.”

The Cardinals, who won the Scenic Bluffs Conference, finished the regular season ranked first in Division 3 by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association.

The Blugolds were ranked as high as second in that same poll before placing third in the final MVC standings.

Rickaway struck out nine, and the perfect game was intact until Necedah’s leadoff batter in the fifth reached on a throwing error by Fahey.

But Fahey struck out three in his only inning, and the Cardinals hit just one pitch out of the infield in the loss.

Rickaway and Fahey both drove in runs with doubles in a four-run first inning.

AQUINAS 10, NECEDAH 0 (5)

Necedah 000 00 — 0 0 1

Aquinas 422 2x — 10 9 1

Pitchers: N—Mootz, Dylan (4); A—Z. Rickaway, Fahey (5). WP—Z. Rickaway (9k, 0w). LP—Mootz (4k, 3w).

Leading hitters: A—Reinhart 2-3 (2 rbi), Z. Rickaway (2b, 3 rbi), Fahey 2-3 (2b), C. Rickaway 2-3 (2b), Vegel (2b).

Records: A 14-7.