May 16, 2018 at 2:28 p.m.
Antigo sweeps Hodag baseball, clinches GNC
Antigo sweeps Hodag baseball, clinches GNC
The Hodags briefly erased an 8-0 deficit in game 2 to take a 9-8 lead, but gave up two runs in the bottom of the sixth to fall to Antigo, 10-9. The Hodags were shut out in game 1, 5-0.
"It was a good finish for the guys, definitely something the guys needed. We didn't come away with the W, but going into Thursday that's huge," Hodag assistant coach Matt LeClair said. "It allows them to build some momentum, get the bats goings. We've struggled. They've been struggling the past few games. It was big of them to get some runs on the board, string those hits together and get some confidence for Thursday."
LeClair skippered the Hodags Tuesday as RHS head coach Joe Waksmonski was with his wife, Kyla, as the couple was expecting another child.
The wins officially clinched the Great Northern Conference title for Antigo while sending Rhinelander to its sixth and seventh straight defeats.
An error gave Antigo runners at the corners with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth inning in game 2. Brady Tatro and Garrett Held delivered with RBI singles that put the Robins ahead for good.
"You hate to see the mistakes and lose the lead there at the end but it is what it is and we've just to play the whole game," LeClair said.
Antigo shelled Hodag starter Brad Comer in a seven-run third inning that put the Robins up 8-0. With two out, Antigo had nine straight successful plate appearances against Comer that included two doubles, a couple of walks and a trio of base hits.
"We had some mental mistakes early that cost us a good four, five runs. We eliminate those we're sitting ahead and we've got the win," LeClair said.
Rhinelander clawed out of that hole with four runs in the fourth, one in the fifth and four in the sixth. Bryce Schickert and Liam Stevens came through with back-to-back two-out, two-run hits in the fourth. Jacob DeMeyer singled in the fifth and scored when Comer's single was misplayed in the outfield. Quade hit a two-run single to bring the Hodags within one in the sixth. A pair of errors allowed Rhinelander to plate the tying and go-ahead runs.
The Hodags had one final glimmer of hope in the seventh when a walk and a dropped fly ball gave them runners at the corners with two out, but Quade struck out swinging to end the contest.
Schickert took the loss for Rhinelander in game 2, giving up two runs, one earned, over 2 1/3 innings. Rhinelander recorded 10 hits in the game and the nine runs they scored were one fewer than their outpunt in the first six games of their seven-game losing streak combined.
Those same bats were silent in game 1 against Antigo ace Brady Tatro, who struck out eight and scattered three hits in a complete-game shutout.
Nick Marshall hit a two-run, two-out triple in an Antigo first that was extended by an error. Tatro scored from second following a Hodag error on a fielder's choice in the fifth. Antigo added two more in the sixth off RBI singles from Tatro and Held.
DeMeyer pitched five innings and allowed only one earned run on five hits before reaching the 100-pitch limit. He also had two of the Hodags' three hits in the first game.
"JD pitched a great game. I think that first inning we had a mistake there, allowed a couple of runs but he pitched a great game," LeClair said. "We just didn't have the bats going, couldn't put anything together."
Rhinelander travels to Tomahawk this afternoon to wrap up Great Northern Conference play.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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