May 17, 2021 at 10:44 a.m.
Hodag softball falls to Merrill, Negaunee
Hodag softball falls to Merrill, Negaunee
The Hodags lost to Merrill 10-1 on Thursday before coming home and dropping a non-conference twin bill to Negaunee, Mich. 7-1 and 16-8 on Saturday.
All three games went seven innings - which couldn't be said for the Hodags in the first four games of their losing streak.
"We went seven innings, which is the first time in a long time," DeMeyer said following Thursday's loss to Merrill. "I take it as a moral victory. The girls seemed to be excited."
Negaunee doubleheader
The Hodags had an improved defensive performance in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Miners but had a hard time getting any offense going against ace Josie Thomson.
The bats came alive for the Hodags in Game 2, but a couple of key defensive mistakes led to two big innings that proved to be the difference.
Addi DeMeyer walked only three batters in the first game, but all three walks were issued as part of a three-run second in which she struggled with control. The Miners scored their three runs on two wild pitches and a passed ball as they took a 3-0 lead.
Lilly Nelson doubled and scored on a Larissa Anderson single in the third. Ally Ennett was hit by a pitch and scored on an error in the fourth. Katelyn Lammi homered off DeMeyer in the second before Morgan Carlson doubled and eventually scored.
That was plenty of run sport for Thomson, who was perfect through four innings. Hannah Worachek drew a walk in the bottom of the fifth to spoil the perfect game bid. Haley Ives then broke up both the no-hitter and the shutout with an RBI single past shortstop that scored Worachek. Addi DeMeyer and Abigale Johnson added hits in the sixth and seventh as Thompson settled for a complete-game three-hitter with 10 strikeouts.
"Their first pitcher was pretty good. She had a nice little curveball, is a lefty and we're not used to seeing a lot of lefties," coach DeMeyer said. "For the first game, we pretty much made the routine plays, and that's the important thing. We had some nice plays. Hannah had some nice plays at short. That was good to see Hannah play good. Defensively she played pretty well."
Rhinelander led 5-2 in the fourth inning of Game 2, and would have been out of the inning had Katrina Symons not reached on a one-out dropped third strike. The extra out proved costly as nine straight batters reached safely with two outs and the Miners rallied for eight runs.
Following an Emma Miller RBI single, Sierra Hendrickson reached on a third-strike wild pitch. Laurissa Anderson had a two-run single two batters later and, after the Hodags intentionally walked Lammi to load the bases, Carlson delivered a three-run double to left. RBI singles by Nelson and Shelby Prusi accounted for the remaining runs in the inning.
"We had a couple of lapses where we weren't focused on what we were going to do with the ball if we got it. We did pretty good all day, but those couple of lapses really hurt us," DeMeyer said.
The Hodags pounded out 11 hits against Anderson in Game 2. The Hodags strung together four straight hits in the first with Addi DeMeyer, Worachek, Annika Johnson and Abagail Bixby. All four scored as Rhinelander took a 4-0 lead. The Hodags added another in the second as Chloe Felde reached on an error and scored on a throwing error following a DeMeyer infield hit.
Rhinelander got back to within 10-8 in the fifth inning, thanks to another string of four straight hits put together by Kayla Tessman DeMeyer, Worachek and Annika Johnson.
"Their second pitcher was solid. She threw strikes, but we were able to hit her. She wasn't as fast as the first one and we were able to hit her. It's good to see that," coach DeMeyer said.
Negaunee pulled away with five runs in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Rhinelander used three different pitchers in the second game. Bixby went 3 2/3 innings, allowing 10 runs, but only two earned, on eight hits. Laney Haenel allowed four runs over 1 1/3 innings before Addi DeMeyer came on in relief in the sixth. She also collected three hits in the game. Tessman, Worachek and Annika Johnson had two hits each.
"We're playing better. We've just got to get the whole seven innings and we'll be all right," coach DeMeyer said.
Merrill 10, Rhinelander 1
The Hodags actually held an early lead against the Bluejays on Thursday. Worachek was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a Maddi Roeser sacrifice to give Rhinelander a 1-0 lead in the second.
But the Bluejays responded with a run in the bottom have of the inning and blew things open with four runs in the third and three more in the fourth.
"We played well for the first couple of innings," D.J. DeMeyer said. "I argued a call at third, which they absolutely had wrong, but it doesn't matter. The zone got really, really tight (after that)."
Rhinelander had five hits from five different players in the contest - Addi DeMeyer, Felde, Roeser, Natalee Sundby and Tessman. DeMeyer went 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits with five walks and five strikeouts.
"We hit the ball. We only struck out five times. We're just not hitting it hard right now," coach DeMeyer said. "Some girls are and some girls aren't. We got some hits off the bottom to the lineup get their first varsity hits. I challenged them to keep improving."
Busy week
After playing four times last week, the Hodags (2-8, 2-3 Great Northern) have five games this week. It started yesterday afternoon with a non-conference contest at Three Lakes which concluded after deadline. The Hodags host Mosinee this afternoon before traveling to Northland Pines on Thursday. The week concluded with a doubleheader against Tomahawk at Pioneer Park this coming Saturday.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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