Rio, Ithaca advance to state final

Day two of the state baseball tournament began Wednesday morning at Fox Cities Stadium. 

In the first game of the day, Rio played Spring Valley in the division four semifinals. In a back-and-forth contest, Rio prevailed 10-5. 

Both teams started out fast, as Spring Valley scored two runs in the top of the first inning. Rio answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. The Cardinals came right back in the top of the second, scoring two more runs and reclaiming the lead. 

The game changed in the bottom of the third inning. Trailing 5-3, Rio scored five runs on four hits to take an 8-5 lead. Rio’s pitching held strong the rest of the way. They added one run in the fourth and another in the fifth to win 10-5. 

The Vikings were led by Trajan Prochnow, who went 2-2 with a double and drove in three runs. 

In the second game of the day, Ithaca played Rib Lake in a game that ended almost as quickly as it began. In the other division four semifinal, Ithaca scored nine runs in the first two innings. Three pitchers- Jacob Huebsch, Nolan Clary, and Aaron Huebsch combined to allow just two Rib Lake hits in a 9-0 Ithaca win. 

Ithaca and Rio will play for the division four state championship Thursday morning at 9 a.m. at Fox Cities Stadium.