June 28, 2021 at 7:53 a.m.
Babe Ruth Roundup
Rhinelander Gray turns triple play, but falls to Three Lakes
Babe Ruth Roundup
The Hodags turned a triple play in the second inning of the contest. A pair of walks and a wild pitch gave the Bluejays runners at first and third with no outs when a weak line drive was hit to third baseman Ben Olson. Olson made the catch, tagged the runner going back to third for the second out and then threw to Dolan O'Malley at first to complete the triple play.
But walks proved to be the difference in the contest. Rhinelander pitching issued 10 free passes, and the Bluejays scored four times before registering their first hit of the day.
Hunter Bell walked all four batters he faced to lead off the fourth, and all four came around to score. Three Lakes got a trio of hits later in the inning of reliever James Webb, including a two-run double by Cruz Melton.
Down 9-1 at that point, Rhinelander rallied for four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Bell walked and scored on a throwing error that allowed Caiden Sieker to get all the way to third. Sieker later scored when Cole Schmidt reached on a two-out error. Landon Webster singled home Schmidt and O'Malley also scored on the play after the ball was mishandled in left field.
Three Lakes tacked on three more in the fifth, however, including a two-run single by Matt Klein to pull away.
The Hodags ended up with five hits on the night, including RBI base knocks by Sieker, Landon Webster and Cole Schmidt.
Dylan VanderBunt started and pitched three innings for Rhinelander Gray. He gave up three runs, but only one earned, in the first. He walked four and struck out two. Webb allowed two runs on three hits in an inning of relief before Mason Schmidt took over in the fifth. He gave up three runs on four hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
The loss dropped Rhinelander Gray back to .500 (3-3) in the Prep League standings. The teams were scheduled to play again in Three Lakes on Friday, but that game was postponed due to a scheduling conflict.
Rhinelander traveled to Tomahawk on Monday night in a game that concluded after deadline. The team returns home this coming Thursday to take on league-leading Crandon.
In Senior League play, Laser Pros International fell 11-1 at Eagle River on Wednesday while Rhinelander Green defeated Tomahawk 14-4. Both Rhinelander-based teams sit 2-1-1 in the Senior League, a half game behind co-leaders Eagle River and Lakeland Gray. Rhinelander Green hosts Crandon tonight at Stafford Field and Tomahawk this coming Thursday while Laser Pros plays Lakeland Gray and Crandon on the road Wednesday and Thursday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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