RHS Sports recap: Saturday, April 6

Baseball: Stratford 13, Rhinelander 1 (G1) | Stratford 8, Rhinelander 2 (G2)

The Rhinelander High School baseball team opened the season with a pair of losses on Saturday, dropping both ends of a non-conference doubleheader with Stratford in Wisconsin Rapids.

Rhinelander dropped Game 1 13-1 in five innings. The Tigers tagged starter Max Ratty for 12 runs on 11 hits over 2 2/3 innings and led 12-0 after three frames. Stratford tacked on one more in the fourth and the Hodags’ lone run game in the bottom of that inning when Ratty singled and scored after James Heck reached on a two-out error.

Stratford took the second game, 8-2.The Hodags led 2-0 in the second inning of Game 2 thanks to a Dylan Vanderbunt two-run single, but the Tigers chipped away and the Rhinelander pitching staff combined to walk 10 batters in the second game. Stratford took the lead for good on a two-run triple by Brady Berg in the fourth, part of a four-run frame.

Vanderbunt, Kaden Vanney and Adrian Patrone each collected two hits in the second game. James Heck took the loss in relief, allowing five runs on four hits in two innings of work. 

Rhinelander (0-2, 0-0 Great Northern) will next face Antigo in what has turned into a doubleheader Tuesday in Wisconsin Rapids.

A full report will be published in Tuesday’s River News.