Plans for Sunday did not work out as planned. I’d intended to go to the Home Talent League game in Footville, but rain drifting across the state resulted in a change of plans. In retrospect, I missed a good one in Footville. Two pitchers combined for a no-hitter while scoring a baker’s dozen.
Anyhow, I arrived in Rubicon a little late because the earlier game in Monches took a bit longer than expected. When baseball is in my plans, rain is something I prefer to avoid, but this ended up being an advantage. The Milton-Rubicon game was a very good game!
In the end, it took all nine innings for the Red Sox to edge out Milton by a final of 7-6. From the mound, each team gave up and handful of walks, but Milton’s battery stuck out 14, while Rubicon’s four pitchers combined for 18. Some of those 18 were particularly timely as the Crescents nearly doubled up the Red Sox in the hit category, 11 to 6.
Of Milton’s hits, one included a 3-run homer from Owen Holcomb. Meanwhile, half of Rubicon’s hits were extra bases that included a solo homer from Derek Botaletto, and a triple and three-run homer from K.J. Banse. In fact, K.J. was a double shy of hitting for the cycle.
Game recap: By the time I arrived, Milton scored a pair of runs in the top of the first as Rubicon’s pitching took some time to settle in. A pair of strikeouts to end Milton’s quick start were required to settle things down.
Rubicon took the lead after three single tallies in the third, fifth, and sixth. In the fifth, Botaletto displayed the power I’ve seen in past games where hit powered the ball over the short porch in right.
After a scoreless 7th, Milton knotted the score in the top of the 8th on a pair of singles and a Marco Falletti double. Again, a pair of strikeouts by Red Sox pitcher Brock Burg ended the threat.
Things opened up in the bottom of the 8th as KJ hit a 3-run homer. But, not to be outdone, Milton again equaled the score on Holcomb’s three run homer in the top of the 9th.
The game ended in exciting fashion as cleanup hitter Kody Banse led offf with a single and advanced to second ona passed ball. On the 6th pitch of his at bat, Michael Hinerichsen sent the ball to right to end the game on Kody’s slide at home.
Rubicon is a great place to watch a ballgame. The ballfield includes a new shelter addition and tables, and tree-lined greenspace for setting up a lawnchair. The food is very good and the sense of community is even better. The team gets alot of local fan support, which adds to the game’s excitement.
Rubicon also has an aire of nostalgia. A sign states the ballclub has been in existence since 1936. It’s an older ballfield with some unique dimensions (340′, 375′, 345′, 310′, and 290′) because it is land locked by a street and railroad tracks to the south and north, and a business and church to the west and east. It is a beautifully manicured field with the unique feature of a steep slope close to the rightfield fence.
Its a pretty decent place for photography too. Behind home plate can be a little crowded because of bleachers close to the backstop fence. But, the outfield grass is unbounded by fencing that can make photography more challenging.
- If your photo(s) appears on this page and you want it removed, ask me.
- Be sure to look at my “Terms and Conditions”. I strive to promote baseball across the state and offer liberal use of my photos for personal use and non-profit situations.
- To allow for faster page loading, the photos are not high resolution.
- If you are interested in a high resolution photo, ask me.
- I probably have many more photos from the game. If you are looking for photos of a particular player, ask me.
- I attend games per my schedule. Upon request, I can make myself available to shoot specific ballgames for a reasonable fee.
- I am always interested in adding to my Wisconsin baseball memorabilia collection – especially schedules, programs, photos, RPPC (real-photo) postcards, etc. Other unique items are of interest too, especially pre-1970.
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