June 7, 2021 at 8:25 a.m.
RHS softball drops two to end regular season
RHS softball drops two to end regular season
Addi DeMeyer had seven strikeouts and no walks over seven innings, but the Hodag bats went quiet after a two-run first inning as they fell 3-2 to the Red Robins Thursday at Pioneer Park.
Rhinelander followed with a 10-2 non-conference loss at Marathon on Friday.
Alonna Weix homered, doubled and scored the game-tying run for Antigo on Thursday while Lily Weix scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and Sam Swartz limited the Hodag offense to only three hits.
"It was a really good game, 3-2, can't complain about that," coach D.J. DeMeyer said. "We just didn't hit the ball like we have been hitting it. I think we only had three hits. We cut down on the errors. One cost us a run, but Addi pitched good. Their pitcher pitched good, but we had too many pop-ups. We were getting under the ball too much. We just need to hit those line drives or hit it down hard."
Ultimately, a number of small miscues cost the Hodags. Tied 2-2 in the first, Addi DeMeyer gave up a one-out single to Lily Weix, who got to second when the ball got under the glove of Kylee White in left. Weix got to third on a single by Swartz and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Robins a 3-2 lead.
Rhinelander got the tying run into scoring position with two out in the sixth, but Haley Ives grounded out to third to end that threat. Abigale Johnson drew a one-out walk in the seventh, but was thrown out in a bit of miscommunication as she tried to steal second on an Abigail Bixby bunt attempt.
"I wiped off the steal and they didn't see it - neither (first-base coach) Clara (Groskopf) or Abigale Johnson saw me wipe off the steal," coach DeMeyer explained. "It is what it is. It was a perfect throw by the catcher."
Antigo led from the very first pitch as Alonna Weix wrapped a shot around the left-field foul pole for a leadoff home run. It was one of eight hits for the Robins on the day.
"She was geared up for it. It was a good pitch. Addi threw it hard. I thought it was going to hook foul, but it stayed just fair," coach DeMeyer said.
Rhinelander answered back with two runs in the bottom of the inning. DeMeyer walked and scored as Annika Johnson hit a triple to right center. Johnson came around two batters later on a single into center by Ives.
Antigo tied it in the third as Alonna Weix doubled to right center, moved to third on a Lily Weix sacrifice and scored on a ground out by Sam Swartz.
"Antigo's a good team and we played them good," coach DeMeyer said. "That shows we can compete with anybody, probably other than Medford, in our conference. We should build on that."
Rhinelander went with a different lineup on Thursday in its final regular season home game. Senior Hannah Worachek missed the game due to illness, but the team's other three seniors - White, Emily Gregesich and Alexis Hekrdle all started.
"The seniors played really well," he noted. "Some of them haven't been playing a lot and it shows that they've been working in practice."
Marathon 10, Rhinelander 2
The Hodags used a non-conference opportunity Friday at Marathon to rest some of their starters, at least for part of the game, and fell to the Raiders 10-2 on the road.
Marathon scored five runs in the third and four in the fourth to break the game open.
"We started a lot of players that don't get a lot of playing time today and it went well for the first three innings," coach DeMeyer said. "We played a little timid, I guess would be the word ... We weren't going after the ball like they do at practice. We just talked about that, 'Hey, just go at it like it's practice.' I know it's a game, but it's the same thing. But it was nice to see them get some playing time."
Bixby took the loss, going 2 1/3 innings for the Hodags, allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits. Laney Haenel was hit hard in an inning of work, allowing four hits - all for extra bases - including a two-run home run by Jada Prihoda in the fourth. Addi DeMeyer pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs on a hit.
Gregesich singled and scored off a Lily Treder grounder in the first, but the Hodags didn't score again until the seventh when Worachek walked and scored on a passed ball. The Hodags had only three hits on the day, including two by Haenel.
The Hodags (5-14, 4-8 Great Northern) were set to find out Sunday evening who, when and where they would be playing their WIAA tournament opener. In a 10-team bracket, should the be seeded seventh or lower, they would play in a regional quarterfinal game on Wednesday. The top six teams in the draw all receive byes into the regional semifinal round on June 14.
Regardless of where his team is seeded, DeMeyer said his team is in position to put up a fight come tournament time.
"I'm happy the way we're playing," he said. "We beat Mosinee on Tuesday. We lost 3-2 here to the No. 2 team (in the conference) ... We'll see what we can do next week in playoffs."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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