April 27, 2023 at 8:08 a.m.
Hodag softball downs Tomahawk, snaps skid
Hodag softball downs Tomahawk, snaps skid
DeMeyer struck out nine without a walk over seven innings, while Abigale Johnson, Maddi Roeser and Laney Haenel all collected two hits and two RBIs as the Hodags defeated Tomahawk 7-1 in Great Northern Conference play in the Hodag Dome.
The win was the first for Rhinelander (5-9, 2-4 Great Northern) since knocking off Weyauwega-Fremont April 7 in the opening game of an Easter weekend tournament. The Hodags did it by limiting the free bases defensively, and playing some small ball to set up its big hitters offensively.
"I thought we played really well. We had one error defensively, and that was just a breakdown on our mechanics," coach D.J. DeMeyer said.
Rhinelander outhit Tomahawk 7-4 in the contest and took the lead for good during a four-run second inning. The Hodags tacked on three more in the sixth in a briskly-played game that took just more than an hour, 10 minutes to complete.
Rhinelander trailed 1-0 after Scout Stromberg was hit by a pitch with two outs in the top of the first. She stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error.
Lily Treder reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the second and scored two batters later on a Haenel ground-rule double to right. Haenel got to third and scored on a pair of wild pitches as Willow Mutter walked. Johnson reached on a two-out error to keep the inning alive for Roeser, who smashed a two-run double to left center.
Rhinelander had two sacrifice bunts in the inning, one each by Lucy Lindner and Kelsi Beran, that helped move key runs into scoring position.
"We've been struggling to get our bunts down. We've been working on it in practice and we've been stressing getting our bunts down. It makes things happen," DeMeyer said. "I think were 3-for-3 on sac bunts. I'm very proud of that ... I said to the girls, 'If we get our bunts down, things happen.' You have to sometimes point that out because they don't always recognize that."
Tomahawk threatened in a big way in the third. Sara Gebauer singled to start the inning and Sammy Gebauer laid down a bunt for a base hit. Bella Marino then singled to right to load the bases with nobody out. Addi DeMeyer fanned Sophie Olsen, got Stromberg to pop out off the roof of the dome and then struck out Macy Jankiewicz to get out of the inning unscathed.
"If you would have told me they had bases loaded with no outs and we'd get out of that, that shouldn't have happened," coach DeMeyer said. "Kudos to Addi. She struck out two there and there was a dome out. She just buckled down.
From there, Addi DeMeyer cruised, sitting down 13 in a row at one point before giving up a one-out hit to Khianna Vacho in the seventh. DeMeyer struck out Bryn Baalke and Sara Gebauer flew out to end the game.
In total, DeMeyer allowed just one run, unearned, and scattered four hits in the win.
"Addi pitched really well today. I don't know how many hits she gave up today, maybe four or five and she didn't walk anybody," coach DeMeyer said.
Rhinelander added three key insurance runs in the sixth inning, again aided by a bit of small ball. Treder led off with a walk and was bunted over to second by Lindner. Haenel followed with an RBI single past short. Dawsyn Barkus drew a pinch-hit walk before Johnson singled to left, driving in two.
"Those three extra runs, you go from a 4-1 lead to a 7-1 game, it's a huge difference," coach DeMeyer said.
The Hodags were scheduled to take on Antigo on the road Thursday in a game that concluded after press time for today's edition. The Red Robins are set to make the return trip to Rhinelander on Monday.
"Their record does not show how good they are. They are a team that's going to push Medford to the brink, as they did in the first game," coach DeMeyer said.
Weather permitting, the Hodags are slated to take on Crandon this afternoon, but that game will only take place outside. The Hodag Dome is not available due to a previously scheduled, district-sponsored commitment.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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