July 15, 2021 at 9:11 a.m.
Hodag 12Us one win from state
Hodag 12Us one win from state
Vince White won it with a walk-off double in the sixth on Monday as the Hodags rallied to beat Appleton National 5-4. Sawyer Bishop then shut out Wausau American for the second time in eight days as the Hodags won 4-0 Tuesday to clinch a spot in the championship.
With Wednesday's play was rained out, Rhinelander is set to meet the winner of Thursday's elimination game between Appleton National and Wausau American this evening. That team would have to defeat Rhinelander twice to take the District 5 title away from the Hodags.
Appleton National defeated Kaukauna 14-4 Tuesday in an elimination game, marking an abrupt and surprising end to the Ghosts' tournament run after going undefeated in East Division pool play last week.
The state tournament is set to take place July 23-Aug. 1 in West Bend.
Rhinelander 5, Appleton National 4
The Hodags used some late-inning heroics to beat Appleton National on Monday night. White drove in the winning run, but there were plenty of plays down the stretch that helped the Hodags overcome a 4-2 deficit.
Down two with nobody on and two out in the fourth, Conner Rappley took a 3-1 pitch deep to left center for a home run. Bishop walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch before White drove in the tying run on a single to right.
After both teams went three up and three down in the fifth, Appleton threatened in the sixth as Brock Strundel drew a one-out walk. After Aedan Waterski flew out, Wyatt Schlueter smacked a double to left center. Strundel tried to score all the way from first on the play, but was thrown out at the plate on a strong relay to end the inning.
Parker McCone drew a one-out walk for Rhinelander in the sixth before Rappley singled to move McCone's pinch runner, Jackson Weinzatl, into scoring position. After Bishop popped out to second, the left-handed hitting White took an 0-2 pitch down the left field line to win it.
Rhinelander took a 1-0 lead as Blake Bauer singled to left, scoring Aiden Lueder. Appleton grabbed the lead in the third. The Nationals loaded the bases with one out and plated a run on an Owen Ruen groundout. Two more runs scored on a two-out throwing error.
The Hodags strung together three straight two-out hits in the third, including an RBI single by Lueder.
Schlueter added an RBI single in the fourth to make it 4-2 and Appleton had runners at second and third with one out before McCone struck out Quinn Meyer. White then came on in relief and got Ruen to line out to third to end the inning.
Abe Gretzinger started and went three innings on the mound for Rhinelander, allowing three runs on four hits with two strikeouts. McCone got two strikeouts and gave up a run on two-thirds of an inning. White pitched the final 2 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Rhinelander collected 10 hits in the contest, including three from White and two each from Rappley and Lueder. Jackson Waydick, Joseph Webb and Bauer also recorded hits.
Rhinelander 4, Wausau American 0
The Hodags jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and got a complete-game, nine-strikeout performance from Bishop in Tuesday's victory over Wausau American.
Rhinelander scored quickly in the top of the first as Rappley reached on an error and Bishop walked, setting the table for the heart of the order. Gretzinger singled up the middle to score Rappley. Both he and Bishop came around on a single by Waydick to make it 3-0.
The Hodags stranded the bases loaded in the second and did not get another base runner until the fifth when Rappley walked and scored when Gretzinger's two-out fly ball was dropped in centerfield.
That was enough run support as Bishop did not allow a hit after the first inning and worked around four walks. The Americans left the bases loaded in the bottom to the first and were unable to score in the fourth and sixth innings, despite getting a runner to third in each frame. Bishop fanned Anders Bierke to end the game in what was going to be his final batter faced anyway as he had come up against Little League's daily 85-pitch limit.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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