July 11, 2022 at 10:49 a.m.
Little Leaguers advance in district play
Little Leaguers advance in district play
Vince White tossed a four-inning perfect game Wednesday in a 10-0 victory over Antigo and Blake Bauer allowed just one hit Thursday as the Hodags defeated Merrill 7-0 to finish second in a four-team pool at Hodag Park.
Both Rhinelander and Merrill sat 1-1 in pool play, turning Thursday into a de facto elimination game for the runner-up spot in the pool behind Wausau American. Rhinelander jumped out to the lead in the first inning and never looked back.
Bauer helped his own cause in the opening frame with a triple that scored leadoff hitter Brayden Dervetski. Rhinelander added to the lead in the third as White hit his second home run in as many days, a two-run blast to left that landed in the adjacent Minor Field to put Rhinelander ahead 3-0.
Henry Schmitz doubled and scored on a throwing error following a passed ball in the fourth. White doubled and scored on a Bauer single up the bidding in the fifth and the Hodags got two more in the sixth. Bauer drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in his third run of the game and Dervetski later scored on a passed ball to account for the final margin.
That was plenty of cushion for Bauer, who saw only one Merrill runner advance into scoring position as he struck out 13 over six innings. Ethan Spade walked and got to second on a passed ball with one out in the third, but Bauer struck out Conner Josiger and then induced a ground out by Easton Simon to get out of the inning.
Merrill's only hit was a bloop single to right by Josiger in the first. Rhinelander had seven hits - two each from Bauer and White, doubles by Schmitz and Jaxon West and a single by Dervetski.
Wednesday's game quickly became the Vince White show. In addition to an 11-strikeout performance, White homered and drove in five as the Hodags downed Antigo via the mercy rule in four innings.
Rhinelander scored twice right away in the first inning as White walked and Bauer singled. Both would later score on wild pitches.
White made Antigo pay for back-to-back walks to lead off the second with a three-run blast deep to right center that made it 5-0. Bauer doubled behind that and scored on a Tommy Eades groundout. The Hodags tacked on four more in the fourth as a passed ball allowed Matthew Haselton to score. Dervetski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, allowing Brodee Dillenberg to come in. White followed with a two-run single to right to make it a 10-0 game.
White needed only 57 pitches over four innings to complete his perfect game, and accounted for all 12 outs. The only ball Antigo put in play was a Carter Krueger grounder to the right side of the mound to lead off the second. White scooped that up and took it to the bag himself to record the out.
Rhinelander had only four hits in the game - two each from White and Bauer - but was patient at the plate, drawing 12 free bases through either walks or hit batters.
Wausau American (3-0) won the pool, followed by Rhinelander (2-1), Merrill (1-2) and Antigo (0-3).
Rhinelander defeated Appleton National 11-1 at Doepke Park in Wausau to begin week two of tournament play - a double-elimination bracket of the four teams that advanced out of two separate week 1 pools. Play continues through Friday with the champion advancing to the Little League state tournament July 22-29 in Madison.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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