July 18, 2014 at 2:35 p.m.
Little League: Hodag 10Us down Wausau American 7-5 to reach championship series
Little League: Hodag 10Us down Wausau American 7-5 to reach championship series
The Hodags got to that point on Wednesday by holding off Wausau American 7-5 in the winner's bracket of the District 5 tournament at Hodag Park.
Rhinelander, which also won last year's 10U district tournament, managed its pitching situation well and took control with a five-run third inning on Wednesday.
The top five in Rhinelander's order did the majority of damage Wednesday, collecting eight of the team's nine hits. The top of the order got things going in what proved to be a decisive third inning. No. 2 hitter Devin Orth started the inning with a base hit to left. Isaac Bixby, Joe Schneider and Jacksen Smith each singled behind him, putting the Hodags ahead 3-1. Later in the inning Cole Lehman reached on an error, scoring Schneider. Jake Losch followed with an infield hit that hugged the third-base line to bring home Smith, and leadoff man Tim Fox hit an RBI single to center to give the Hodags a 6-1 lead.
Rhinelander tacked on an insurance run in the top of the fourth. Ryan Jamison's sacrifice fly to right scored Bixby, who doubled to lead off the inning.
The Hodags needed that insurance run as the Americans rallied. Evan Graff's two-out base hit in the bottom of the inning scored Noah Stroming, cutting the lead to 7-2. Wausau made things even more interesting in the fifth. Jake Pease started the frame with a four-pitch walk, followed by an Eli Pagel double that leftfielder Cole Lehman had difficulty locating against a setting sun. Tyler Cleveland then tripled over Losch's running attempt in right to cut the lead to 7-4.
To save Fox's pitching eligibility for Friday, the Hodags swapped pitchers after the Cleveland triple. Joe Schneider came on and struck out the first two batters he faced before giving up an RBI triple to Stroming.
The inning ended when Tyler Skogstad went down swinging.
Graff led off the bottom of the sixth with a bloop single down the left field line and was special pinch run for by Blake Nichols. Following a Landon Parlier strikeout and with No. 8 hitter Pease at bat, Nichols tried to steal second but was mowed down on a strong throw by Sam Schneider to Bixby. Pease subsequently went down swinging to end the game.
The Americans had the early lead in a game that pitted the only two-undefeated teams remaining in the seven-team tournament. Mason Prey doubled to left in the bottom of the first and scored on Stroming's single up the middle.
Rhinelander answered in the top of the second thanks to some defensive mistakes by the Americans. Jamison reached on a dropped fly ball in left and moved to third as Sam Schneider reached on an errant throw to third. When Schneider stole second, the throw sailed into the outfield, allowing Jamison to score.
Orth, Bixby and Joe Schneider each collected three hits for the Hodags Wednesday. Fox, Smith and Losch had the other hits. Bixby started on the mound, pitching 2 1/3 innings of one-run baseball. Fox pitched 1 2/3 innings allowing four runs on four hits and picked up the win. Joe Schneider pitched the final two innings to record the save, striking out five batters.
Because Bixby, Fox and Schneider all faced their final batter with a pitch count under 35, all three were eligible to pitch again Friday in the championship series against Wausau American which concluded after deadline. The Americans reached the series, and a rematch with the Hodags, by defeating Wausau National Thursday night in an elimination game.
If Rhinelander takes Friday's first game, which is scheduled to start at 4 p.m., it will have clinched the district title. If Rhinelander falls, the two teams were scheduled to play again immediately in a winner-take-all championship tilt.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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