PLUM CITY — Coming off a 13-0 win over the Elmwood Expos to make it to the Plum City Memorial Day Tournament championship, the River Falls Fighting Fish had little problem finishing the job, beating Hudson 7-0 to seal the deal.

River Falls got the scoring going right away in the first, with a Chase McQuade groundout scoring a run, while a Cayden Mueller laced double to the left-center wall scored a second. In the fifth, Trey Larson hit a double to right-center to score a run, followed by a three-run shot to left by McQuade that broke the game open. A Lucas Luedtke two-out single in the sixth accounted for the final run in the win.

“We just did what we were supposed to. Hit the ball well. When we had guys on base, move them around and pitch the baseball,” Matt Doornink said.

The star of the show was pitcher Kyle Fritz, though. He faced little resistance on the way to a complete game shutout. Soft contact and quick at-bats are the story for Fritz’s consistent success.

“That’s what he does, throw strikes, low pitch count, puts balls in play,” Doornink said. “Pitching on a bum ankle, so it was a pretty good effort on his part.”

Fritz entered the year with a 2.37 earned run average over a seven-year career with the Fish, amassing over 500 strikeouts. It is no secret why when you look at a game like Monday’s.

After winning back-to-back WBA State Championships in 2024 and 2025, the target will be on the back of the Fish in every single game that they play. There is no room to take a day off, because the opponent is going to come out swinging. With that being said, Doornink said opponents also make some uncharacteristic mistakes against the Fish because of the pressure that is on them.

“It’s baseball, you’ve just got to show up and play well. People don’t play well against us because sometimes they’re scared of us,” Doornink said.

A tournament like the Plum City one gives River Falls a taste of the postseason early, playing a three-game weekend just like they will have to in order to win a title. Getting a win just builds even more confidence for a squad that already rightfully has plenty of it. Doornink said if the team can stay healthy, they have as good a chance as anyone at making another postseason run; however, August is a long way away, and River Falls is taking things one game at a time.