BUCYRUS — With hitting at a premium and pitching dominating, the result of the Ridgedale-Bucyrus baseball game came down to the timeliness of the limited hits.

Bucyrus was able to get that critical hit after the teams weathered a nearly one-hour rain delay.

Riley Parker lined a single into right center field to score pinch runner Chris Neale with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth which proved to be the difference in the Redmen’s 4-3 Northern 10 Athletic Conference win over the visiting Rockets.

“Give credit to Riley that last inning,” Bucyrus coach Sean Maudsley said. “I was on deck with him right before we came out to start the inning. I told him, ‘Be prepared for the first pitch. If it’s in your zone, give it a good swing.’ And that’s exactly what happened.”

Up to that time, Ridgedale starting pitcher Xander Ruth and Bucyrus starter Kael Scott virtually matched pitches. Ridgedale only managed three hits and Bucyrus had five.

“Xander pitched really well for us tonight,” first year Ridgedale coach Bryan Bidwell said. “He actually only had one walk all game. He really pitched for the team tonight — 87 pitches. That’s the most he’s pitched all season.”

The Redmen got on the board first with a run in the second. Malachi Bayless led off with a single, stole second, went to third on a ground ball and scored on a passed ball.

Ridgedale (0-6, 0-2 N10) answered with two runs in the third. Kaden Lester led off with a single and stole second. Lester moved to third on an infield single by Corbin Huffman and scored on a wild pitch. Huffman later scored on a ground ball by Ridge Barkley.

Bucyrus (1-3, 1-1) tied it with a run in the bottom of the frame. Tanner Alsept got hit by a pitch with one out. Alsept stole second, moved to third on a bunt single by Nick Middleton and scored on a throwing error.

“It came down to timely hits,” Maudsley said. “We didn’t put any crooked numbers on the scoreboard today. But the hits we did have were kind of timely.”

The Rockets quickly retook the lead in the fourth when Nathan Thiel walked, a sacrifice bunt and a single by Lester.

The Redmen tied it again in the fifth when Alsept singled with one out, stole second and scored on a single by Scott, to set the stage for Parker’s heroics in the sixth.

“I give all the props to Bucyrus,” Bidwell said. “They did a really good job of ensuring to wait for their pitch. We need to continue to pound the zone a little bit higher, a little bit more outside, to give them some pitches to chase.”

Scott went the distance on the mound for the win, striking out six and walking three. Two of the four runs he gave up were unearned.

Middleton, Scott, Bayless, Parker and Alsept singled for the Redmen.

Ruth was the hard-luck loser, fanning five and walking one. Lester had two singles and Huffman one for the Rockets.

“Give it up for both pitchers,” Maudsley said. “Both pitchers, I thought, pitched very well. Both of them were right around the zone.”

“We had that one error in the sixth inning which gave them that go-ahead run,” Bidwell said. “Some things we’re going to continue to work on, continue to grow. Overall, it was a very good team effort tonight, the best team effort I’ve seen all season.”

“We just need to get people on base because we’ve got some good athletes on here,” Maudsley said. “We’ve got some people who can bunt, people that can hit-and-run. We just need to get people on base.

“I’ve got to give it up for Kael,” Maudsley added. “He’s a bigtime leader for us. He’s a coach on the field. He’s a good defensive pitcher. Thank goodness he was on the mound tonight.”

Ridgedale  002 100 0        3     3     3

Bucyrus      011 011 X       4     5     3

WP: Kael Scott (6 SO, 3 W)

LP: Xander Ruth (5 SO, 1 W)

HR: None.

Triples: None.

Doubles: None.

Multiple hits: (R) Kaden Lester.

Records: Ridgedale 0-6, 0-2 N10; Bucyrus 1-3, 1-1 N10

Next: Ridgedale at Mohawk, Tuesday; Bucyrus at Ridgedale, Wednesday.