August 14, 2013 at 2:11 p.m.
Little League: Hodags' run at state ends in pool play
Little League: Hodags' run at state ends in pool play
There will be no shot at a state championship - those hopes went away with a 12-2 loss to Kennedy Tuesday - but the Hodags can say they did their best at the Wisconsin 10U Little League State Tournament.
Rhinelander was 1-3 entering Wednesday's pool play finale against Appleton which concluded after deadline. Only the top two teams of the six in the field advanced to today's championship round.
The Hodags can also say what they gained from this trip extends beyond the baseball diamond.
"I think it's been, for them, a lot of things," Rhinelander manager Rich Fortier said of the team's experience at state following Tuesday's loss. "It was exciting. It was disappointing. They went through all the emotions. We had a chance to sit in the hotel pool, a chance to hang out with our buddies a lot, a chance to eat a lot of meals together."
The highlight through the first three days of the tournament was a 2-1 victory over the Eau Claire Nationals Monday.
Walker Hartman pitched 5 2/3 innings for the Hodags keeping the Nationals in check. Eau Claire scored an unearned run in the third, but the Hodags rallied in the bottom of the fourth.
Hartman started the rally with a ground-rule double to left center. Conor Pequet doubled in Hartman, advanced to third on an error and scored what proved to be the winning-run as part of a double-steal with Jacksen Smith.
Hartman was chased from the mound after reaching the 75-pitch limit. He scattered four hits and three walks and recorded one strikeout.
Isaac Bixby only needed one pitch to get the final out and record the save.
"Walker Hartman pitched an unbelieveable game," Fortier said. "It really came from out of the blue. We needed someone to step up, take the ball and eat up some innings and he did. He went 5 2/3 and we did not allow an earned run. We didn't hit the ball a lot, but we did enough and our defense was stellar."
It was a much-needed win for the Hodags' morale after letting a pair of leads slip away in the weekend games.
The Hodags built a 5-0 lead against Lakeland (Kenosha area) Saturday, but allowed 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth to fall to 0-1.
Rhinelander led 6-4 in the fifth against Whitefish Bay Sunday, but allowed eight in the fifth and eventually fell 12-8.
"We went from extreme elation for four or five innings to 'what the heck just happened,'" Fortier said.
Alex Fortier and Bixby worked the first four innings for the Hodags Saturday against Lakeland. Quinn Lamers collected three hits and three RBIs in the game. Payton Johnson and Pequet each had a hit and an RBI. Joe Schneider, Fortier and Jordan Kuczmarski also collected hits.
Bixby had a three-hit, two-RBI day against Whitefish Bay. Harlan Wojtusik had two hits. Schneider, Fortier, Johnson, Hartman and Lamers also had hits.
Rhinelander jumped out to an early 2-0 lead Tuesday, but Kennedy tied the game with two in the top of the second, added four in the third and scored in every inning that followed en route to the 10-run victory.
Bixby had an RBI double in the game, Johnson had a hit and an RBI groundout. Alex Fortier and Hartman collected the team's other hits.
Fortier, Bixby, Jordan Kuczmarski, Lamers and Jesse Mahner all saw time on the mound in the game.
Rich Fortier said despite the end result, the team's experience at state was positive.
"It's a good cap to the season for them," he said. "They had a good run down in Wausau and really the teams here are all very even. The teams are all good and we belonged. I didn't know exactly how this would go, but we came to realize we belong. We're not that bad and we had a chance to win a couple games. But things did happen and that's the way sports is. It's another great learning experience for life. Sports teach us so many things and that's what we're doing here. It's good stuff."
Another thing the players, coaches and parents will take away from the week, according to Fortier, is the support from businesses and individuals in the Rhinelander area that helped the team make the trip a reality.
"The support by the community has been unbelievable," he said. "We've gotten gas cards, we got $50 worth of food to different places. They bought us a meal (Tuesday), so we'll eat subs. The outpouring of generosity has been great and the parents appreciate it a lot too."
Note: For more photos, and a recap of Wednesday's game, see "Youth Sports Roundup" in Saturday's River News.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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