Local baseball: Kiwanis keep streak going

Thursday, June 28, 2007 2:16 AM CDT

Journal Times staff

These days, it doesn't seem to matter which league the Racine Kiwanis are playing in.

Tuesday night at Horlick Field, the Kiwanis scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the West Allis Nationals 7-5 and move into a first-place tie with the Nationals in the Frank Langsdorf League.

The Kiwanis, who also compete in the Land O' Lakes League, have won five in a row and are 16-6 overall and 8-1 in the Langsdorf League.

Tuesday night, they rallied from a 5-4 deficit in the eighth. Ryan Piemeisl led off with a single and one out later, Michael Pena and Johan Andes singled to load the bases. Ryan Gilboy followed with his 12th double of the season to score Piemeisl and Pena and give the Kiwanis a 6-5 lead. Erik Rieker reached when he was hit by a pitch and after the second out of the inning, Gilboy and Rieker advanced on a wild pitch. Brady Knudsen then walked to load the bases and Gilboy scored on a passed ball.

The Kiwanis also scored three runs in the fifth on run-scoring doubles by Gilboy, Rieker and Knudsen.

Six of the Kiwanis' 11 hits in the game were doubles.

Gilboy went 3-for-4 and Knudsen went 2-for-4 to lead the Kiwanis offensively.

Case High School and Central Michigan graduate James Ricchio earned the victory, allowing nine hits and five runs (three earned) in nine innings. Ricchio walked nine and struck out 12, including the final four batters of the game.

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