RIVER FALLS — The Fighting Fish took full advantage of the bustling crowd brought in from River Falls Days, taking a 14-3 win in seven innings over the Prescott Pirates on Saturday, July 13. 

It was the Pirates that got on the board first with a statement, as Elijah Stifter homered in the first at-bat of the game. Pitcher Jake Lindsay would go on to escape the first inning without further damage, kicking off what became another solid outing for him. 

When the Fighting Fish arrived at the plate for the first time, Lindsay would get all the support he would need and more in just the first inning. River Falls batted around in the first, bringing home six runs on five hits. 

The Fish came right back with three more runs in the second inning and another five throughout the remainder of the game. 

“One through nine, I guess I can’t really pick a certain individual,” designated hitter Lucas Luedtke said. “We all were hitting the ball around and it showed on the scoreboard.” 

Lindsay ended up pitching six innings of three-run ball, with Weston Lombard locking things down in the seventh. 

“Every time he’s on the mound we have that extra little swagger, because he’s our ace,” Luedtke said. “He threw strikes, got ahead in counts, got strikeouts.” 

The rowdy crowd was felt by the home squad, with multiple players praising the supportive fanbase. 

“I think the biggest thing is just not to take it for granted,” shortstop Trey Larson said. “We play here all the time in front of so many people, and we get everybody’s best when they come here.” 

For the players, they want to do whatever they can to bring home wins for the fans and do so in style. 

“It means the most to us. We love our fans,” Luedtke said. “We always try to give them a show, and they’re always so supportive. We love them all, and we’re so glad to give them a W so that they can enjoy their nights.” 

With the Fish playing five games from July 10-17, all of which were at home, Larson said it will give the team the experience of playing a lot of games in a short period of time they will need as the playoffs come around. River Falls will be a host of the regional tournament that takes place after the St. Croix Valley Baseball League Playoff tournament, so the stretch will play as a mirror to what they can expect in the postseason. 

As for where the Fish sit in league play, the squad is boasting an 11-1 record in league play as of July 13, leaving the squad in the top spot of the standings. 

“Ryan Bishop, Josh Eidem, the whole crew, they’ve built this whole thing up and it’s just awesome,” Larson said. “You can’t really beat it in town ball.” 

River Falls has upcoming games at home against Plum City on Wednesday, at Osceola on Friday and home against Hudson on Saturday. Prescott has a pair of home games coming up, one against Menomonie at 1 p.m. Saturday, and the other at 1 p.m. Sunday against Hudson.