May 7, 2018 at 11:47 a.m.
Errors, injuries bite Hodag softball at Kaukauna
Errors, injuries bite Hodag softball at Kaukauna
Rhinelander committed four straight errors in the seventh inning as it blew a four-run lead and fell to Kingsford, Mich. 8-7 in the first game of the day before getting blown out by the defending Division 1 state champ Kaukauna 12-2 in the nightcap.
It was the way the first game ended that was entirely stunning. Rhinelander had the Flivvers down to their final strike on four separate occasions and could not put them a way. Errors committed in Kingsford's final four at-bats eventually allowed the Flivvers to win it.
"I don't have answers for it," DeMeyer said. "I never really seen that where we had four or five girls make errors on routine plays, just routine. They weren't hard hit. I don't know. I think things got a little tight on them.
Unfortunately, we should have won that game."
Momentum turned in Kingsford's last at-bat when Emily Curtis and Cassie Barglinos hit back-to-back RBI singles with two outs that cut Rhinelander's lead to 7-5.
Shortstop Makayla Kuester then misfired on a force out attempt at third to load the bases. Sam Maychunich's grounder got under Hannah Worachek's glove at third to bring in a run, Molly Wagler couldn't handle Teagan Pertschar's chopper back to the mound to tie it and Kingsford won it when Cami Buchmann was unable to flag down Grace Richer's fly ball to right.
Rhinelander committed nine errors in the first game - including five on Kuester at short. In all, Rhinelander committed six errors in the sixth and the seventh as the Flivvers scored seven times in their last two at-bats.
"I told the girls to get forget about that first game beach I don't have answers from it," DeMeyer said. "Some of our seniors, some of the girls who have been on the team awhile did it, too, it was just very uncharacteristic."
Kingsford wasn't the cleanest in the field, either, committing six errors that allowed the Hodags to score four unearned runs. The Hodags seemed in command, leading 5-1 after a three-run fifth inning. In that frame Buchmann and Kuester executed a double-steal of second and third, and Buchmann scored on an overthrow on the play. Ella Mullikin followed with an RBI single and scored herself after Kingsford misplayed Wagler's base hit to left.
A dropped fly ball allowed Buchmann to score in the seventh and Wagler grounded in another insurance run.
While the Hodags committed only two errors in the second game, they couldn't slow down Kaukauna's hot-hitting offense. The Galloping Ghosts scored five times in both the first and the fourth before eventually ending the game via the 10-run run in the sixth. Ashley Fauske had a three-hit, three-RBI game for Kaukauna, including the game-clinching single in the sixth. Wagler took the loss in both games for Rhinelander, which dropped to 5-5 on the season.
Trainer's room
The Hodags were without Stephanie Kuester (knee) for the doubleheader and Buchmann did not play in the second game after tweaking her knee on a slide into second base during the first game. Both are listed as day-to-day.
That left Rhinelander perilously thin, with only 10 available players for the Kaukauna contest.
"And our 10th girl is hurt, too," DeMeyer said. "I don't have answers for that, either. When we're sliding, we're banging up our knees. I don't know what we're doing, but we are decimated with injuries."
On in relief
Wagler had to shoulder much of the pitching load due to Stephanie Kuester's absence. She allowed three earned runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings in game one and went 3 1/3 in the circle in game 2, allowing nine earned runs on eight hits before being relieved.
The aforementioned injury bug primarily affected Rhinelander's secondary pitching options so Makayla Kuester made her high school pitching debut in game 2. She gave up three hits and walked six batters over 2 1/3 innings.
"She did fine and I don't she's pitched since her eighth-grade year," DeMeyer said of Makayla Kuester's emergency pitching duty. "She did fine and that might be something I have to look at if we continue to be banged up."
Ball in play
The Hodag offense, which struggled at the start of the week, put some offense together in Saturday's invite, collecting nine hits against Kingsford and eight against Kaukauna. Buchman and Mullikin each went 2-for-4 in the first game. Makayla Kuester had a three-hit game in game 2 while Worachek went 2-for-3.
"We put the ball in play," DeMeyer said. "Overall, I wasn't disappointed with our hitting. We ran the bases well. They listened. There were a couple of times I had a steal on, we popped it up and they got back in time."
Up next
Despite a turbulent week, the Hodags found themselves sitting in second in the GNC, only a game back of Mosinee in the loss column, at week's end.
Rhinelander played Lakeland in a doubleheader Monday in Minocqua that concluded after deadline and will host the conference-leading Indians in a doubleheader Thursday at Pioneer Park.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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