June 24, 2011 at 5:02 p.m.
Rebels sweep 2010 AAA champs
Rhinelander hosts Rebel Invite this weekend
Rebels sweep 2010 AAA champs
By Jonathan Bailey-
The Rhinelander Post 7 Rebels, the defending champions in AA, escaped the twin bill with a hard-fought sweep of the visiting Wausau Post 10 Bulldogs, rallying back in the bottom of the 10th inning for a 3-2 victory in game one, before holding on late in game two for a 7-5 win.
Rhinelander, which was outscored 26-6 by Wausau in a June 14th road doubleheader last season, got revenge against the Bulldogs, while improving its 2011 record to 5-0 overall, 3-0 in the Wisconsin Valley Legion League.
"Obviously they're in a different class (AAA) than we are, so the only time we saw them last year was during league (play) and they kind of put a whooping on us ... It was just nice to play a quality team and get a couple of wins," Rebels' manager Dan Huhnstock said following the sweep.
Game one featured a great pitching matchup as the Rebels' Dan Kellen and the Bulldogs' Brett Ziegel went head-to-head. The two pitchers, who received plenty of postseason recognition, combined to go 14-1 this past spring, recording earned run averages of less than 1.30.
But when the game was finally decided in the bottom of the 10th inning, neither one of them stood to receive a decision. 2011 Rhinelander High School graduate Nate Schmidt capped off a two-run rally in the bottom of the frame with a walk-off, two-out, RBI single off Ziegel's replacement Dylan Detert.
Kellen, who allowed only one hit through the first four innings and gave up only three base knocks in his eight innings on the mound, was spotted with a 1-0 lead on a Ziegel second-inning wild pitch that scored Kyle Comer.
A hit batter to lead off the top of the sixth inning, however, came back to haunt Kellen as Logan Taylor proceeded to steal second base and advance to third on an errant throw by catcher Joe Zuiker that sailed into center field. Taylor later scored on a one-out fielder's choice by Ryan Zweck to knot the game at one apiece.
The Rebels had plenty of opportunities before and after the sixth inning to tack onto the one run but they couldn't come up with the big hit, and when they did make solid contact, the Bulldogs were there defensively, including an impressive snag by the shortstop to save a possible run from scoring in the bottom of the sixth. Rhinelander outhit Wausau 10-5 for the game, but stranded 15 men on base.
Kellen gave way to senior-to-be Bryan Kronberger (1-0) in the ninth inning and he picked up where the Rebels' ace left off, retiring the side in order. In the 10th inning, Wausau got a leadoff single by Detert, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a two-out single by Tanner Blaschka, giving Wausau the 2-1 advantage.
That lead was short lived, however, as Rhinelander scored two runs in the bottom of the frame to win the game. Micah Baumgartner reached base in the inning on an error and scored on a passed ball. Kronberger doubled and plated the go-ahead run on Schmidt's walk-off hit.
"It's always nice to see your team come from behind in a game and not quit or give up," Huhnstock said. "Our team has a lot of fight to them. Some of these guys have been playing ball together for a number of years and we remember our run through the tournament last year. Nobody gave up then and we stress playing until the last out is made."
The Rebels used the momentum of the come-from-behind victory in game one to take an early lead in the back end of the twin bill. They score single runs in the first and second innings and posted a five spot in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead.
2011 RHS graduate Troy White (2-0) was rolling along through the first four innings, but hit a rough patch in the fifth inning, when the Bulldogs answered with a five-run inning of their own. White wasn't helped by his defense in the inning as two errors caused all five runs to be unearned.
With a game scheduled against Merrill the following day, which ended up being rained out, and four games slated for this weekend, Huhnstock elected to send White back out in the sixth and seventh and he responded, shutting down the Bulldogs to preserve the 7-5 victory.
White allowed three hits in his seven innings on the mound, striking out seven and walking five Bulldog batters.
Rhinelander will look to remain perfect this weekend when it hosts its first annual Rebel Invitational, a five-team, 10-game round robin tournament that runs through Sunday evening.
Tomahawk, Minocqua, Antigo and Rothschild-Schofield-Weston (RSW) are the other legion teams competing in the invitational.
"We are hoping that the weather is nice and that we can get all the games in on schedule," Huhnstock said after watching three games get canceled already this week.
"It would be absolutely terrific to win our first Rhinelander Invite," he added. "That's our goal for the weekend, have another first-place trophy to put in our trophy case."
Games began last night at Stafford Field, both of which finished after press time. Rhinelander took on Tomahawk, while Antigo squared off against Minocqua.
The Rebels face RSW at 3 p.m. today and Mincoqua at 8 p.m. They take on Antigo Sunday, with the first pitch slated for 1:30 p.m.
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