Ringgold baseball wins another ‘home’ game at West Mifflin

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, April 20, 2018 | 11:12 PM

Ringgold felt right at home at West Mifflin High School Friday afternoon. With their own field in no condition for baseball because of recent rain, the “host” Rams played their second game of the season on the Titans' turf and rolled to a 15-5 win.

The victory gave Ringgold (5-1, 6-1) a season sweep of West Mifflin (6-2, 9-3) for a second straight season and snapped the Titans' five-game winning streak. It also kept the Rams in a tie for first place in Section 3-4A with Belle Vernon.

“I try to preach approach at the plate, understanding the count and being patient,” Ringgold coach Don Roberts said. “It worked well today.”

A rare sunny day combined with a strong, steady wind made every fly ball an adventure.

That was evident in the bottom of the first when a high fly ball to left field was misplayed and dropped. Four batters later, another Titans' error opened the door to four unearned runs thanks to RBI singles by the Rams' Anthony Vavasori and Bobby Boyer.

Luke Winterbottom's two-out run-scoring single in the second and Vavasori's RBI double and a two-run single by Boyer in the third put the Rams ahead 8-0.

West Mifflin got back in the game thanks to three costly errors by Ringgold in the fifth and sixth. Jacob Arbasak doubled home a run in the fifth, and Jeff Doran's bloop single to right with the bases loaded plated two more to bring the Titans within 9-5.

The Rams ended the game in their half of the sixth with six runs, highlighted by an RBI triple by Ryan Varley, a two-run double by Jake Mayer and a run-scoring double by Jake Rongaus.

Ringgold had eight players produce at least one hit and seven collected at least one RBI.

“We knew it was their fourth game of the week so our approach was to wear them down and get in good hitter counts, and it paid off,” Roberts said. “When everyone sticks to that plan, everyone will eventually get good pitches to hit.”

Ringgold's Chase Angotti was a late replacement for Varley on the mound. He allowed two unearned runs on one hit with five walks and six strikeouts. Jake Peters pitched the final two innings for the Rams.

Ryan Ruffing got roughed up in the start for West Mifflin, giving up eight runs, only three of which were earned, on five hits while walking four.

Don Rebel is a TribLive High School Sports Network broadcaster and staff writer. Reach him at drebel@tribweb.com.