RedHawks' Rick starts to click after talk with his dad

F-M's Zach Penprase rounds third base on his way to score a run Thursday. David Samson / The Forum

By hhotzler@forumcomm.com

July 23, 2009 at 11:00 PM

Alan Rick is living proof that a person should always listen to their parents.

Heeding the advice of his father to stay relaxed, Rick continued a recent hot streak by going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a home run and three RBIs as a designated hitter to lead the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to a 10-5 Northern League victory against Joliet before 4,605 fans at Newman Outdoor Field.

The RedHawks, who have won five in a row, begin a three-game series against Schaumburg at 7:02 p.m. today at Newman Outdoor Field.

"Well, the conversation was get my head out of my rear end, for one," Rick said. "It was just see the ball, hit the ball and have fun. I wasn't having fun much. We weren't playing well as a team and I was getting really frustrated with that because we weren't winning. It was just have fun. Swing wise, it really wasn't my swing it was in my head."

Rick had a dismal start to the season, hitting just .233 with three homers through the first 25 games.

An All-Star catcher last year, Rick was pressing to produce and striking out at an alarming rate.

But Rick said a talk with his father, followed by some work in the batting cage, straightened everything out just before the All-Star break.

Since that chat, Rick has been on fire. He's drilled a home run in six of the last 10 games while keeping his average around .250.

Rick has 41 RBIs in 50 games.

Rick said his father put him in the batting cage every day to get him more comfortable and relaxed. Rick said his father recorded video of his swing, which he watches as a reference to keep his swing on track.

"Just relax and have fun," said Rick, who hit .267 with 15 homers and 51 RBIs for the RedHawks last year. "That's what I have on my wrist (tape) right now - I have on there 'HF' for have fun. I look at it every time before I step in the box."

F-M (31-26) broke the game open with seven runs in the second inning.

First baseman Randall Simon's two-run double to the left-center field gap made the score 8-1.

The Redhawks increased their lead to 5-1 when Joliet starting pitcher Derek Barrows was called for a balk with the bases loaded.

Rick drilled a two-run double down the right-field line off Barrows to give

F-M a 3-1 advantage. Carlo Cota scored from first, just beating the tag of catcher Phil Avlas with a nice slide into home. An RBI single by catcher Jeff Stevens put the RedHawks ahead 4-1.

"There is not a lot of pressure on him, he's batting down low in the lineup,"

F-M manager Doug Simunic said of Rick. "He's getting good pitches to hit down there. ... He's streaky, man. A lot of these guys are streaky. You get him in a streak where he's lofting the ball in the air, especially here, he'll do some damage."

Barrows lasted only 1Zc innings. He allowed eight earned runs on six hits before being lifted for reliever Devin Anderson.

RedHawks starter Scott Fogelson struggled through the second inning, loading the bases on a hit and two walks. He wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout of center fielder Adam Klein to keep the game knotted at 1-1.

RedHawks first baseman Randall Simon tied the game at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly to right center in the bottom of the first.

An RBI double by Kevin Rios put the JackHammers ahead 1-0 in the first inning.

JackHammers catcher Phil Avlas exited the game in the bottom of the second when he was drilled in the hand by a foul ball off the bat of Nic Jackson. He was replaced by Wally Backman, Jr., who started the game at third base.

Joliet manager Wally Backman was ejected before the first pitch for arguing with the umpiring crew during the pre-game lineup card exchange at home plate.

Backman tore up his lineup card and tossed the pieces into the air after he was ejected. He then returned from the dugout to cover home plate with two cups of water.

Thursday

RedHawks 10, Joliet 5

Alan Rick's solo shot - his sixth home run in the last 10 games - extended the RedHawks lead to 10-3 in the fifth.

Seven runs in the bottom of the second put F-M ahead 8-1. Randall Simon provided a two-run double in the inning.

Simon's sacrifice fly scored Mike Coles from third to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the first.

JackHammers catcher Phil Avlas exited the game when he was hit in the hand by a foul ball off the bat of Nic Jackson in the second.

Joliet manager Wally Backman was ejected for arguing with the umpiring crew during the pre-game lineup exchange.

The game was F-M's sixth sellout this season, and the second in a row.

JOLIET REDHAWKS

ab r h bi ab r h bi

Avlas c 1 0 0 0 Coles rf 5 2 2 0

Pnckny 3b 3 1 1 0 Pnprse ss 3 1 1 0

Klein cf 4 2 1 1 Jckson cf 4 1 1 1

Rios ss 5 1 2 1 Ppkrn 3b 3 0 0 1

Correll lf 3 1 1 0 Simon 1b 4 0 1 3

Nichls dh 4 0 1 1 Justice lf 4 1 1 0

Thon 1b 5 0 1 1 Cota 2b 2 1 0 0

Albrts rf 4 0 2 0 Rick dh 3 3 3 3

Bkmn3b/c 5 0 2 1 Stevens c 4 1 1 1

Dhlbrg 2b 4 0 2 0

Totals 38 5 13 5 Totals 32 10 10 9

Joliet 101 010 020- 5 13 0

RedHawks 171 010 00x-10 10 0

DP-RedHawks 2. LOB-Joliet 14, RedHawks 7. 2B-Rios (10), Backman (4), Dahlberg (1), Simon (9), Rick 2 (11). 3B-Pinckney (2). HR-Rick (12). HBP-Piepkorn. SF-Piepkorn, Simon.

JOLIET

IP H R ER BB SO

Barrws L,2-1 1Zc 6 8 8 3 0

Anderson 3Xc 4 2 2 1 2

Blackwell 1 0 0 0 0 1

Paul 1 0 0 0 2 2

Shetrone 1 0 0 0 0 2

REDHAWKS

IP H R ER BB SO

Foglsn W,3-2 5 9 3 3 6 5

Fellman 3 3 2 2 2 1

Tollefson 1 1 0 0 0 1