Tension gets ratcheted up

The rivalry between River Ridge and Mitchell will get a boost when the teams meet in the district opener on Monday.

As rivalries go, Mitchell and River Ridge is developing into a strong one. And it could get a big boost when the two teams open the Class 4A, District 8 tournament against each other.

There is geographic proximity, and the fact that some of Mitchell's seniors began their careers in a Knights uniform. Even more interestingly, one senior - pitcher Adam Webb - did not get to wear a River Ridge uniform, having been cut from the Knights junior varsity his freshman season.

Then there's the on-field history. Last season, the Mustangs were a sixth seed when they upset third-seeded River Ridge 10-0 - on the Knights' home field. The teams split two meetings this season, with Mitchell winning 7-3 in March and River Ridge returning the favor with an 8-4 win Friday to drop the Mustangs from third to fourth in the district and set up a third game between the schools.

"It's close to Ridgewood now as our best rivalry," said Knights coach Jack Homko, who once had Mitchell coach Phil Bell as an assistant. "If Ridgewood is 1, then Mitchell is 1a for sure."

Friday's game not only set up Monday afternoon's district showdown at Hudson, but it also added a memorable chapter to the rivalry. "You've probably already heard about the infamous fourth strike," Homko says.

With two on and River Ridge clinging to a 5-3 lead, River Ridge's Mike Gasparino took what Mitchell coach Phil Bell believed to be a third strike. The umpire, to fans' loud dismay, explained that the count was 2-2, keeping Gasparino at the plate. Sure enough, Gasparino hit a three-run home run on the next pitch, a bold reply to the three-run shot Mitchell's Mike Reid hit in the first.

"I had parents calling me a cheater and everything," said Homko, who also got a home run from Steve Bamber in the victory.

The big question remaining for Monday's 2 p.m. showdown - which earns the winner the right to play top-seeded Ridgewood on Tuesday for a spot in the region playoffs - is which pitchers will go head-to-head.

River Ridge's Justin Roth, who lost last season's playoff game and the first meeting this season, made it a goal for his senior year to get his team the district tournament win that has eluded it the past two seasons. Homko would not commit to starting Roth and might go with another five-game winner, Tony Egan, though it is hard to imagine him taking the ball from Roth, whose 1.24 ERA trails only Ridgewood's Matt Laliberte and Lee Krieg among county starting pitchers.

Mitchell (15-10) has seen both Knights pitchers and has an advantage because River Ridge has not faced its ace, Mike Reid (5-3, 2.63).

Homko said the teams are familiar enough that it is difficult to hide anything this late in the season.

"They beat Roth this year, and they saw Egan a week ago, so who do you throw now?" he said. "These kids all know each other, so that just adds to the importance of the game."

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