July 19, 2017 at 1:08 p.m.
Rhinelander clobbers Tomahawk Blue in Prep semis
Rhinelander clobbers Tomahawk Blue in Prep semis
The Hatchets weren't nearly as fortunate in the rematch Tuesday night.
Rhinelander pounded out 18 hits, batted around three times and lambasted Tomahawk Blue 21-2 in five innings Tuesday in a Prep League semifinal contest.
Rhinelander, the away team by virtue of a coin flip, scored five runs in the top of the first and never looked back. The Hodags scored in every inning except the third and combined for 14 runs on 13 hits in their final two at- bats to put an exclamation point on the contest.
It was a huge night for the top six in Rhinelander's lineup. Isaac Bixby went 4 for 5. Ian Miller, Mitch Wolosek and Jacob Schoppe had three hits each. Cole Lehman and Joe Schneider each chipped in a pair of hits.
Rhinelander didn't get a ball out of the infield, but used a pair of infield hits and four Tomahawk errors to plate five runs in the opening inning. Wolosek's infield hit produced the first of his five RBIs in the contest. With the bases loaded, Schoppe reached on an error to score a run.
Miller added an RBI single as part of Rhinelander two-run second inning.
After a 1-2-3 third inning, the Hodags returned to hitting in the fourth. Lehman and Miller both singled, and Schneider walked, to load the bases with nobody out. Lehman scored on a wild pitch and Wolosek added an RBI grounder. Schoppe added an RBI single on the next at-bat. A passed ball and a pair of errors produced Rhinelander final three runs of the frame.
Wolosek hit a pair of doubles in the fifth as Rhinelander sent 12 batters to the plate. Bryan Stoxen added an RBI single, Lehman had a two-run base hit and Miller hit an RBI double as part of the Hodags eight-run inning.
Schoppe started on the mound for Rhinelander, striking out three and walking three in two-plus innings of work. He walked the first two batters of the third inning before being relieved by Bixby. Those walks eventually turned into Tomahawk's only runs of the game.
Bixby got the win, allowing one hit over the final three innings. he struck out three and walked two.
The win puts Rhinelander in the championship game of the Northwoods Babe Ruth Prep League tournament, which will be a rematch of the regular season championship against Eagle River. The Eagles held off a late rally by Merrill Gray to win the first game of Tuesday's Prep League doubleheader 12-11.
Rhinelander defeated Eagle River 18-2 in five innings earlier this month for the regular season title.
The championship is slated for 5 p.m. today at Merrill's Athletic Park. The Northwoods Babe Ruth Senior League title game will follow. Rhinelander's Laser Pros International was vying for a spot in that game Wednesday night, facing top-seeded Lakeland in a semifinal contest in Tomahawk. That game concluded after deadline.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
WEATHER SPONSORED BY
E-Editions
Latest News
E-Editions
Events
August
To Submit an Event Sign in first
Today's Events
No calendar events have been scheduled for today.
Comments:
You must login to comment.