May 1, 2019 at 2:16 p.m.
Hodag baseball splits with Medford
Hodag baseball splits with Medford
Rhinelander rallied for three runs in the fourth inning to pull ahead of, and eventually defeat, the Raiders 7-4 in the first game of a doubleheader at Raider Field in Medford. The Hodags weren't as lucky in Game 2, falling 7-6 in a game that was called after five innings due to darkness.
After Medford scored three times in the third to take a 4-2 lead in Game 1, the Hodags took control of the contest in the fourth inning - and all the damage was done with two outs. Bryce Schickert got the rally going with a double. Eric Grulke followed with an infield hit and got to second on an error that allowed Schickert to score. Danny Zuiker, who had four hits in Game 1, tied it with an RBI-double to left and Martin Hoger drew a bases loaded walk to add to the lead.
Schickert walked and scored on an error in the fifth and the Hodags tacked on one more run in the seventh as Liam Stevens and Schickert executed a double steal of home and second.
"Overall, it was a great win, just to be able to come back twice to take the lead," coach Joe Waksmonski said. "Our guys showed a lot of moxie and a lot of heart in that game."
Schickert started on the mound for the Hodags and Medford jump on him early before he began to settle in. Cade Alexander singled home a run in the first and, after Rhinelander scored twice in the top of the third to take the lead, Medford plated three runs in the third.
Schickert allowed four runs, only one earned, on five hits with five strikeouts to earn the win. Josh Randolph pitched around a walk in the seventh to earn the save.
"Bryce threw really well," Waksmonski said. "I thought he commanded the zone. He was on for the most part. We did have a couple of errors behind him, but we had a couple of nice plays - a nice double play in the first inning - and he was able to work out of some of the other jams and some of the other errors that we made. He battled and was gritty and tough for his six innings."
Rhinelander wasn't as fortunate in the second game. Medford scored four times in the first inning and tacked on single runs in the second, third and fourth. The Hodags rallied back for six in the fifth, but by the time the inning ended, the umpires deemed it was too dark to continue playing on a Raider baseball field that does not have lights.
"It's a tough way to lose, but that's the way things shook out tonight," Waksmonski said.
Cade Alexander pitched four innings of three-hit shutout baseball for Medford, but Rhinelander feasted on reliever Ethan Hahn, who failed to retire any of the six batters he faced through a combination of three walks, two errors and a hit. All six batters who reached base against Hahn eventually scored before John McMurry came in and put out the fire for the Raiders. Medford was charged with two outfield errors in the inning, which allowed three runs to score, Hoger also drew a bases loaded walk in the inning and Zuiker scored on a passed ball. Schickert hit a fielder's choice with runners at the corners to score Josh Randolph and make it 7-6. Eric Grulke followed with a single to put the tying run on second with two out in the inning, but Isaac Bixby grounded out to end the inning and the game.
Waksmonski said the umpires agreed the visibility was too much of a concern to play another inning.
"It was their decision at that point to call the game," he said. "They understood at that point it was a ballgame again. It would have been easy for them, if it was still a 7-0 game, to call the game, but because it was 7-6 and we had a lot of momentum on our side."
Hoger took the loss for Rhinelander. He was tagged for seven runs, four earned, over four innings. He allowed only three hits, but issued five walks, hit a batter and was hindered by a defense that committed two errors.
"A lot of the damage that was done was kind of self-inflicted in Game 2 - whether it's walks, an error here or there, or a play that should have been made that wasn't made defensively," Waksmonski said.
If there was one bit of a silver lining, playing two fewer innings than scheduled saved a bit of pitching for the Hodags, who travel to Lakeland for a doubleheader this afternoon. Randolph and Liam Stevens pitched Tuesday but both stayed under 45 pitches for the day, meaning they're both eligible to pitch again today.
"Thursday we'll be sitting a little bit better for pitching. That's a good silver lining," Waksmonski said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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