July 23, 2018 at 2:27 p.m.
Stunning Saturday
Post 7 Rebels lose twice, bid early exit from Legion regionals
Stunning Saturday
It was, but no one would have predicted what happened after that.
The Rebels lost an 8-6 decision to the Typhoon, but then were stunned 4-2 by Northwoods Saturday at Stafford Field. Just like that, a team that had lost only once during the regular season, lost double that in a single day and bowed out in last place of the four-team, double-elimination tournament on its home field.
"It's a game of inches and momentum and, obviously, we lost our momentum after we lost to Antigo," Rebels manager Dan Huhnstock said. "It just ended up being one of those days we'd like to forget."
It was more like a perfect storm. After getting hit around early, the Rebels fought back against Antigo, but left the go-ahead run stranded in the sixth and couldn't muster much in the seventh.
That game was supposed to have been played Friday, but rain pushed it back to Saturday. Instead of having a night to sleep off the loss, the Rebels had to go right back on the field to take on Northwoods in an elimination game, and the hangover from the first game was apparent.
"You'd like to think it didn't, but I have a hunch that it did," Huhnstock said. "Having to play those games back-to-back like that, not having a chance to really regroup. But, that's the way the tournament ended up with Mother Nature interfering with us Friday night. Nothing we could do about it other than come out and play a better game.
"We played a real tough game against Antigo, ended up losing that game and, unfortunately, we just came out flat against Northwoods. They played a very good game against us and we ended up losing."
Antigo, as it has several times over the last few years, had its way with Rebels ace Jacob DeMeyer, tagging him for eight runs on 16 hits before chasing him from the mound in the fifth inning. Josh Randolph and Easton Senoraske combined to keep Antigo off the board the rest of the way, begging the question if the Rebels stuck with DeMeyer too long.
"Hindsight is 20/20," Huhnstock said. "We had kicked it around maybe an inning earlier. We had (Randolph) go down (to warm up in the bullpen) but JD was throwing the ball well. They were hitting him, but we were in the game. It's always darned if you do, darned if you don't. He's been our horse all year and we were going to ride him until it became apparent that we needed to switch it up."
Despite all the hits, Rhinelander was making just enough plays offensively and defensively to stick around against the Typhoon, leading 2-1 after two innings. Antigo tagged DeMeyer for four runs on five hits in the third to take a lead it would never relinquish.
DeMeyer got through the fourth quickly thanks to a double play ball, but Antigo went to hitting again in the fifth. Cody Urban started the parade with a single, Nick Marshall walked and Collin Meinert followed with a swinging bunt that came to rest on the third base line for an infield hit to load the bases with nobody out. Wade Farmer hit an RBI single to center and, two batters later, Matt Winter hit a two-run single that put Antigo ahead 8-3.
The Rebels got a run back in the bottom of the inning. DeMeyer - who was 3-for-3 at the plate - doubled and scored when Brad Quade reached on an error. Martin Hoger doubled in the sixth and scored on Easton Senoraske's infield hit. Josh Randolph singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brad Comer. A two-out walk to Quade loaded the bases with two out in the inning, but Walker Hartman struck out to end the threat.
Hoger reached on a one-out walk in the seventh, but back-to-back fielder's choices by Danny Zuiker and Randolph ended the game.
The Rebels had a chance to land a haymaker early against Northwoods, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the first against Brad Sowinski, but Quade struck out looking and Bryce Schickert grounded out to second to end the threat.
That ended up being the story of the second game for Rhinelander as it seemed Northwoods could do no wrong and Rhinelander, at least through five innings, could do no right.
The Rebels ran into outs in the third and fourth innings, squashing rallies. Senoraske was thrown out at home in the third trying to score off a DeMeyer single. In the fourth, Quade made a break for second after reaching base on a hit by pitch, only to see Schickert hit a screaming lineout to shortstop for an easy double play.
"We left too many runners on base," Huhnstock said. "In both games we had opportunities. Against Northwoods we ran into a few outs, which really hurt us - an out at the plate and a double play when we had the hit-and-run on where Schickert hit a rope to the shortstop."
Northwoods took a 1-0 lead in the second off back-to-back doubles by Patrick Heck and Nate Hopkins. In the fourth, Stetson Flannery singled home a run and then two runs scored when Zuiker let a potential double play ball go between his legs at second base.
Rhinelander finally began to mount a charge in the sixth as Hoger grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Comer and Abe Laggis followed with an RBI single. Laggis wound up at third following a wild pitch, but Zuiker flew out to left to end the inning.
Senoraske drew a one-out walk in the seventh but DeMeyer flew out and Comer grounded out to end the game, and the season.
Just like that, a Northwoods team that had won only once in the regular season took down a Rhinelander team that had lost only once.
Hoger took the loss in the second game for Rhinelander, allowing four runs on four hits over four innings. Randolph pitched three innings of hitless ball in relief.
The Rebels finished the season 17-3 and winners of a third straight GNLC championship, but that was of little consolation to the team Saturday.
"Like I told the guys in the clubhouse here afterward, 17-3 is a heck of the season," Huhnstock said. "It didn't end the way we wanted it to, but nothing to hang their head about. It's definitely something for our younger kids to build on, all the experience they got this year. The older kids that have finished up their Legion careers, they were one of the winningest (groups) that we've had come through here in a long time. They played a lot of high-caliber ball."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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