May 4, 2018 at 12:37 p.m.
Hodag softball bounces back, sweeps Medford
Hodag softball bounces back, sweeps Medford
The Hodags used big late-inning rallies in both games to sweep a Great Northern Conference doubleheader 11-5 and 8-6 in Medford.
After losing to Wausau East for the first time since 2010 on Monday and handing Northland Pines its first GNC win in nearly three years on Tuesday, coach D.J. DeMeyer said the Hodags refocused at practice Wednesday and that showed on the field Thursday.
"Mentally, I think we were more prepared today than we were on Tuesday," he said. "We had some conversations about leading the team, not getting down on each other. Everybody's trying their hardest and we need to stay positive and keep moving forward.
"It's just about doing the right thing for the team and I couldn't be more proud of how we clawed back in both games. I'm hoping it's a sign of good things to come."
First Game
Down 5-2 in the sixth inning of game 1, the Hodags cashed in on some Medford miscues to surge ahead. Stephanie Kuester grounded out with the bases loaded to pull Rhinelander within two, followed by a Makayla Evenstad single that made it 5-4. After Medford intentionally walked Makayla Kuester to load the bases, back-to-back errors during Ella Mullikin's and Molly Wagler's at-bats allowed four runs to cross and gave Rhinelander the lead.
The first was a pop up by Mullikin that Medford could not field after shortstop Hailee Clausnitzer and second baseperson Emily Schafer collided.
"The dugout got us that win from all the cheering going on," DeMeyer said. "It caused Medford to drop a pop up to short. The second baseman and shortstop ran into each other. They dropped a sure out and it started a rally."
The Hodags tacked on three more insurance runs in the seventh after Mullikin again reached on a two-out error that allowed Sophia McGinnis to score. Wagler followed with a two-run single that accounted for the final score.
Medford took advantage of a pair of Rhinelander errors to plate four runs in the bottom of the first and Mackenzie Fries added a solo home run for the Raiders in the fifth inning.
Rhinelander got on the board in the third inning as Mullikin drew a bases loaded walk. Cami Buchmann tripled in the fourth and scored when Tori Roberts reached on an error.
Medford, which has been victimized by Makayla Kuester in the past, attempted to keep the bat out of the hands of the Hodag No. 3 hitter, intentionally walking her three times in game 1. Those were three of the 10 free passes issued by Medford pitcher Krista Golhardt.
"They intentionally walked Makayla Kuester at least three times, if not four times," DeMeyer said. "We had a couple of opportunities and Ella Mullikin broke loose with the bat. She came up a couple times with the bases loaded and came through with a big hit. She put the ball in play, hit it hard and we started rolling from there."
Stephanie Kuester allowed two earned runs on four hits over seven innings to earn the win. Wagler led the Hodags at the plate, going 2 for 5 with a pair of RBIs.
Second Game
Rhinelander relinquished a 4-0 lead in game 2, but got it back with a four-run fifth inning and then held off a Medford rally in the top of the sixth in a game that was called early due to darkness.
Makayla Kuester tied it, scoring her sister on an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth and Mullikin drove in the go-ahead run with a single. Buchmann singled in what proved to be the winning run and Mullikin scored on a wild pitch, giving Rhinelander some insurance.
Rhinelander took a 3-0 lead in the second thanks to Stephanie Kuester's bases-clearing double and tacked on a run in the third after Mullikin doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Wagler.
Medford erased the deficit in the fourth, led off by a Clausnitzer home run. A pair of errors allowed Medford to close to within one and Golhardt tied it on an RBI single. Medford took the lead briefly in the top of the fifth as Rachel Mudgett doubled home Joelle Zenner.
Emily Schafer doubled and scored on a Fries grounder in the sixth. Medford get the tying run to the plate after Clausnitzer reached on a two-out error, but Wagler got Zenner to pop out, ending the threat and completing the sweep.
The Hodags pounded out 11 hits in game 2, led by Stephanie Kuester's 3-for-3 day at the plate. Makayla Kuester, Mullikin and Buchmann had two hits each.
"We had a lot of bats come alive that were struggling and that was good to see," DeMeyer said. "We worked on hitting yesterday and they were able to stay back and not be on their front foot when they were hitting. That's a huge sign if they can keep that going.
"We were a lot more disciplined at the plate, weren't swinging at pitches above our head, weren't swinging at pitches in the dirt. We had two strikeouts in two games."
Wagler got the win in circle, allowing six earned runs on 11 hits over five innings.
The Hodags (6-3, 3-1 Great Northern) travel to Kaukauna today for an invite and will play a doubleheader at Lakeland Monday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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