Rebels’ season ends at regionals

MERRILL — Not enough went right for the Rhinelander Post 7 Rebels in the Class AA Region 2 tournament over the weekend. Even when it did, they it. was offset by other bad breaks. 

The Rebels bowed out of the four-team double-elimination tournament in third place on Saturday following a 12-1 loss to Medford and an 8-1 defeat to Merrill at Athletic Park. After defeating Minocqua 5-2 Friday night, the Rebels needed to win only once Saturday to make it into Sunday’s championship game, but Rhinelander was unable to slow down the to two top offenses in the tournament and struggled at the plate as its season came to an end.

“They’re both very good teams,” Rebels manager Dan Huhnstock said. “We played three or four good innings in each game and then we did not hit the ball real good today. We pitched the ball well three, four innings each game and then the score started getting away from us and we weren’t able to mount much of an offensive threat after that.”

Medford took the lead for good with a two-run fourth inning in Saturday afternoon’s game in the winners’ bracket. The Raiders poured it on from there with 10 more runs over their final three at bats. 

Medford pounded out 13 hits in the contest and got to starter Max Ratty the third time through the order. He left the game, trailing 5-1, after allowing back-to-back one-out singles in the sixth. Ratty allowed seven runs on 11 hits with six strikeouts in the contest. 

“He was tiring. It was hot out there, very hot and humid,” Huhnstock said. “He was losing a little bit of steam out there and the third time through the order they started to hit some hard shots.”

Rhinelander got the lead in the first as Owen Kurtz hit a two-out single to score Sam Schneider. Braxton Weissmiller doubled and scored off an errant pickoff attempt in the fourth to tie the game. Carson Carbaugh scored the go-ahead run with two out in the inning on an overthrow after Jack Wojcik reached on an infield single to third. 

Three straight RBI hits by Blake Bargender, Weissmiller and Logan Baumgartner made it 5-1 in the fifth and Oscar Hanson was unable to put out the fire after relieving Ratty in the sixth. Parker Lissner greeted him with an RBI single. A wild pitch allowed another run to score and Hanson forced in three runs courtesy of two walks and a hit batsman with the bases loaded. 

Owen Kurtz walked four in the seventh as Medford tacked on two more runs courtesy of bases-loaded walks. 

The Rebels fell behind early in the elimination game against Merrill, giving up a run in the first inning and then three each in the third and fourth as Post 46 pulled away to a comfortable win.

“They just kept on spreading the distance between us and them on the scoreboard. It got to a point where we couldn’t mount a serious comeback effort,” Huhnstock said.

Ben Thom put Merrill ahead on an RBI single in the first. Cooper Wendorf started a three-run rally in the third with a two-out RBI single. Kaiden Henrich reached on an error, scoring Thom, and Kory Page added a bases-loaded walk to make it 4-1.

Thom and Henrich had RBI hits in the fourth and Thom scored on an wild pitch as Rhinelander starter Dylan Vanderbunt lasted only 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on five hits with eight walks and four strikeouts. 

Rhinelander’s lone run came in the top of the fifth as Seth Nofftz walked, moved to third on a Conner Augustine double and scored on a groundout by Sam Schneider. Merrill answered with a run off Schneider in the sixth courtesy of a two-out single by Sam Reimann.

    Rhinelander’s Kaden Vanney pitches during the first inning of an American Legion Class AA regional tournament game against Minocqua in Merrill Friday, July 26. Vanney struck out 11 batters over 4 2/3 innings, but left the game with an injury to his pitching arm. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Rebels got by Minocqua in the opener, but that proved to be a costly win for Rhinelander. Kaden Vanney struck out 11 batters over 4 2/3 innings, but left the game after feeling something  amiss in his throwing arm. He did not play Saturday and was seen in the dugout wearing a sling. 

“He said he felt something pop. Hopefully, it’s all right,” Huhnstock said after Friday’s game. “He’s going to need to get it checked out, but what a whale of a performance by him. I know we’ll miss him in the field and at the plate for the remainder of this tournament.”

    Rhinelander’s Conner Augustine hits a pinch-hit RBI single in the fifth inning of an American Legion Class AA regional tournament game against Minocqua in Merrill Friday, July 26. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Augustine broke a 2-all tie in the bottom of the fifth inning with a pinch-hit RBI single up the middle. Adrian Patrone scored later in the inning on a throwing error as Minocqua attempted to double up Augustine at first base following a pop out. 

Heads up base-running by Schneider gave the Rebels a key insurance run in the sixth. He scored from second on a bunt by Mason Schmidt. Schmidt was ruled safe at first on a bang-bang play and Schneider alertly came home from third while Minocqua disputed the call. 

Schmidt got credit with the win as he went 2 1/3 innings in relief of Vanney, scattering three hits and striking out three. 

“All season long we’ve been stressing that we need everybody to step up,” Huhnstock said. “When your number is called, you’ve got to go in and give us a good at-bat, give us a good performance. These guys sure stepped in admirably again tonight.”

Rhinelander took the lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Vanney. Minocqua leapfrogged ahead in the second as Vanney hit Mitch Fulton with the bases loaded to score Merick Trotter before Cooper Johnson scored on an overthrow to third. Rhinelander tied it in the third as Patrone drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs. 

Rhinelander finished the season with a 9-14 record. Huhnstock said the thanked all the players for their efforts this season — especially the Class of 2023 players and seniors who played Legion baseball for the final time.

“We had a number of guys who this is probably the last baseball they’ll play. It got some tears rolling out there,” he said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].