In Friday night baseball action, the Pointers hosted a SWAL matchup against the Chieftains, a game that turned into a back-andforth battle and ended in dramatic fashion.
Riverdale struck first, capitalizing on a balk by Adam Cody to bring home the game’s opening run. Mineral Point answered quickly, as Cole Ripp singled to drive in Grady Finley, evening the score at 1-1.
The Chieftains broke things open in the third inning. Eli Campbell started the surge with an RBI double, followed by a sacrifice fly from Henry Drone. Wyatt Schramm capped the inning with an RBI single, giving Riverdale a 4-1 lead.
The Pointers responded in a big way. Ripp delivered his second RBI single of the game, and senior Brylen Lee followed with a clutch three-run double to put Mineral Point ahead 5-4.
Riverdale fought back in the fourth, loading the bases with two walks and a single. Ethan Kagel reached on an error that allowed Landon Kinyon to score, tying the game once again. In the fifth, the Chieftains regained the lead after drawing a walk with the bases loaded to make it 6-5.
Lee continued his standout performance at the plate, driving in his fourth run of the game with an RBI single to knot the score at 6-6. From there, both teams struggled to generate offense, sending the game into extra innings.
Riverdale went down quickly in the top of the eighth. In the bottom half, Elliot Kite reached on a dropped third strike, followed by a single from Connor Rolli. Grady Finley then put the ball in play, and a defensive miscue by the Chieftains allowed Kite to race home with the winning run.
The Pointers secured back-to-back walk-off victories in thrilling fashion.