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'Flat' Knights fall to Eagles

By JOHN C. COTEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 15, 2001

The family of East Lake's Tyler and Nate Huegel won't receive Christmas cards from the River Ridge baseball team this year.

That much was determined Wednesday afternoon, as the brothers each homered to give the Eagles a season sweep of River Ridge with a 6-2 win.

Sophomore Nate Huegel blasted a two-run homer to leftfield in the second inning with a bat he received as a gift for his 16th birthday Wednesday. In the third, Tyler Huegel hit a three-run shot to put the game away. Tyler, a junior, also pitched a complete game as the Eagles improved to 4-1 in Class 5A, District 9. River Ridge was coming off a win over Gulf on Tuesday night, making Wednesday's game its second in less than 24 hours.

"This was a big game; we thought that coming off last night's win we'd play well," River Ridge coach Jack Homko said. "But we were pretty flat. We didn't play very well. There was not a whole lot of fire and enthusiasm."

In their first meeting this season, the Eagles won 7-4 when Tyler Huegel kept a seventh-inning rally alive with a two-out base hit, setting the table for a game-winning homer. Nate Huegel went 4-for-4 with two RBI in that game.

Tuesday, the brothers did it again. After River Ridge scored in the first on a groundout by Billy Phillips, Nate Huegel put the Eagles ahead to stay with his homer.

In the third, Knights starter Justin Roth (3-1) gave up a two-out walk, and the River Ridge defense booted a routine ground ball. Tyler Huegel made them pay with his home run.

"A chopper up the middle that we should field, step on second and we boot it," Homko said. "That's the story of our four losses. We've made mistakes that have hurt us on routine plays."

River Ridge dropped to 9-4, 3-3 in the district.

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