April 20, 2022 at 1:11 p.m.
Mosinee sweeps Rhinelander in doubleheader
Mosinee sweeps Rhinelander in doubleheader
Mosinee, which had a down season last year by its standards - finishing fourth in the GNC - turned the tables Tuesday and finds itself in a familiar position atop the conference standings.
Mosinee scored 15 unanswered runs to beat the Hodags 17-3 in the first half of a doubleheader in the Hodag Dome. The Indians turned on the offense late again in Game 2, scoring 10 straight in a 12-2 victory.
"They came to play," Rhinelander coach D.J. DeMeyer said. "We had some injuries. We have some people that are sick right now and it just didn't work out for us today."
Big innings proved to be the story in both contests. Mosinee hung six runs up on Rhinelander in the fourth inning of Game 1 to blow the game open and then tacked on six more in the fifth to invoke the 10-run rule. After Rhinelander scored twice in the top of the fourth to tie the second game, Mosinee responded with six runs in the bottom of the inning and added three more in the fifth before plating the clinching run with one down in the sixth.
Rhinelander (3-6, 1-2 Great Northern) has now dropped four straight contests after a 3-2 start.
"We didn't come to play today," coach DeMeyer said. "Once we got down everyone got deflated. We need to be more positive as a team. That's what I talked about after the game. As a team we've got to stay up, keep cheering, keep rooting as a team and be positive. We're a young team, but I told them we didn't see that earlier in the season. When we got down, we kept on working."
Addi DeMeyer played despite being under the weather, but struggled to be effective pitching in the first game. Mosinee strung three hits off of her in the first inning, including RBI singles by Adeline Strejc and Hailey Shnowske to make it 2-0. A hit batter and a walk in the second were compounded by both a fielding and a throwing error by Laney Haenel at third with two out in the inning, allowing two runs to score and Mosinee to retake the lead. Mosinee added another run off a Megan Garski RBI hit in the third and Addi DeMeyer was relieved in the fourth after allowing four of the first five batters of the inning to reach base. Overall, she lasted only 3 1/3 innings, allowing nine runs (seven earned) with seven hits, four walks and eight strikeouts.
"Addi didn't throw well," D.J. DeMeyer said. "She has congestion and stuff like that. She had a hard time breathing, but no excuses. We still got to come to play and we didn't."
Chloe Felde, normally a position player, came on to work the final 1 2/3 innings in the circle for Rhinelander, allowing eight runs on seven hits.
"Chloe came in, in the first game and, for a girl that doesn't throw a lot, she did fine. I knew they were going to get to her, but she just kept throwing strikes and we've just got to work through that," coach DeMeyer said.
Rhinelander held a brief 3-2 lead in Game 1 thanks to some rough Mosinee defense. Maddi Roeser reached on a throwing error to begin the inning, and Addi DeMeyer also reached on a misplayed throw to give Rhinelander two on with one out. Annika Johnson hit a slow roller up the third-base line and Roeser's courtesy runner, Sam Sundby, beat a throw to the plate. DeMeyer later scored on a wild pitch and Johnson crossed when Lily Treder's two-out fly ball to center was dropped by Mosinee's Amber Gonzalez.
Mosinee got single runs in the first and second off Haenel in Game 2, but Rhinelander rallied to tie the game in the fourth as Addi DeMeyer reached on an error and scored on a groundout by Annika Johnson. Treder and Felde strung together back-to-back singles with two out in the inning and then successfully executed a double steal of home and second to tie the game.
It was all Mosinee from there, however. The Indians had figured out Haenel by the third time through the order as they tagged her for four hits - including a pair of triples and a ground-rule double - in a six-run fourth. The barrage continued with three straight two-out hits that led to three runs in the fifth before Gonzalez drove in the clinching run in the sixth on a single up the middle.
Haenel allowed 12 runs on 13 hits over 5 1/3 innings, with nine of those hits coming over the final 2 1/3 innings.
"She's probably good for two times through the order," coach DeMeyer said. "Again we played sound defense but, the third time, we've got to get her some more pitches, change of speeds and go from there."
Offensively, Rhinelander struggled, collecting only three hits in each of the two games. Roeser was the only Hodag player with a hit in both games and Annika Johnson finished with an RBI in each of the two contests.
"We've just got to keep working," coach DeMeyer said. "Somehow what we're doing in the cage is not coming out on to the field. We're hitting the ball hard in the cage on live pitching with (assistant coach) Elmer (Suess) and it's not showing here. I think it's more of a mental approach, that these girls have to be a little more positive and go after it. It's a long season and we'll keep working hard."
Rhinelander traveled to Antigo yesterday in a game that concluded after deadline and heads to Medford this afternoon in a make-up contest for a game that was postponed due to thunderstorms April 12. Medford, last year's undefeated GNC champion, was upset by Antigo 3-1 on Tuesday, allowing Mosinee to assume first place in the conference standings.
"We've got two more tough games this week. We've got to work hard and get ready for Antigo," coach DeMeyer said. "Antigo beat Medford 3-1, so that's going to be a tough game and Medford's going to be mad that they lost. We've just got to stay working hard."
Rhinelander returns home this coming Tuesday and will face Tomahawk in a doubleheader.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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