Demonized: Dazzle’s Demons deny Snowhawks undefeated season

Dazzle’s Demons stood between the Snowhawks and an undefeated season. As it turned out, Jesse Robinson’s Rhinelander-based Demons were too much for the Snowhawks to overcome.

Dazzle’s Demons beat the Snowhawks (9-1) 21-7 in the final snowshoe baseball game of the summer last Monday night in Lake Tomahawk. It was the Snowhawks’ first loss since July 31, 2023 — also against the Demons.

“I thought we had a really good lineup,” coach Jeff Smith said. “They got away from us. We could not get runs across the board. They’re a good defensive team and a real good offensive team, but you got to match hits with them. I really thought we had a good chance of matching hits with them.”

At the plate, Dazzle’s Demons led 7-1 early on in the game. They scored two two-out runs in the first inning courtesy of Jesse Robinson and Jordan Schmidt.

Tyler Henkel added to Dazzle’s lead in the fourth inning with an RBI single. A drop by Cole Punches gave the Demons another run. That came off the bat of Drew Wallschlaeger. A hot and muggy night did not help everyone’s grip.

“That’s going to happen with the ball,” Smith said. “Nobody could get their hands dry last night, and that goes for their team too.”

All three of Dazzle’s runs in the fifth inning came with two outs. Jesse Robinson started the rally with a double to left. Jordan Schmidt followed suit with an RBI double to right. Logan Ice hit an RBI single to left. The hits kept coming. Wallschlaeger contributed an RBI single to right.

“(We) kept Tommy (Ziamba) and Nate (Schmidt) and Jesse to singles,” Smith said. “We did our job. The middle of their lineup was hot. They really did a great job. We just didn’t match their hits — plain and simple.”

Meanwhile, the Snowhawks couldn’t get any runs across the plate. Through six innings, they had just one run — Derek Young in the first inning.

“We hit the ball right to guys,” Smith said. “It was fly balls right to people. It was the weirdest thing. It was kind of like that last year. It did not go the way I had visioned. We picked the wrong team to have the off night.”

The Snowhawks couldn’t figure out the pitching of Dazzle’s Demons’ Randy Robinson.

“Randy Robinson does that to us a lot,” Smith said. “This isn’t something new. He pitches deep, he pitches short. There’s something about what he does, and he pitches strikes. They’re not always in the spot you think they’re going to fall.”

Dazzle’s used the double play to their advantage. They recorded three double plays in the first six innings. The Snowhawks’ quest for an undefeated season was in trouble. They were down six runs with just a few more innings left. 

“I know they got out to a 7-1 lead, but we were with them,” Smith said. “We were within six runs. If we could get more guys on base, it was going to happen.”

In the top of the seventh, Ian Miller gave the Demons another run with an RBI single to shallow left. However, the Snowhawks stranded the bases loaded by getting two straight outs. Dazzle’s led 8-1.

Don Moore got the Snowhawks fired up with a lead-off double in the bottom half of the inning. Young hit an RBI single and ended up on third base after the throw. Punches brought Young home with a sacrifice fly RBI.

The return of Gunner Dunbar sparked the Snowhawks. Back from injury, he hit a two-run home run to right field. The Snowhawks trailed by three runs at 8-5.

“The first one he fouled off, and I could tell he wanted that ball over the fence,” Smith said. “I didn’t think he took the greatest pitch, but man he hit it good. That got us in the ballgame, got everyone fired up. I didn’t have any doubts at that point that we were going to come back and pull that off. That was exactly the spark we needed.”

Dazzle’s Demons got all those runs back and then some in the top of the eighth inning. Jordan Schmidt answered Dunbar with a home run of his own, a three-run shot over the right field fence.

Miller hit an RBI single to center to score the fifth and final run of the inning. Dazzle’s had a 13-5 lead, their biggest of the game.

Brady Bruhl got a chance to play for the Snowhawks on Monday night. He hit an inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning. 

The Snowhawks ran out of gas. Dazzle’s Demons scored eight runs in the ninth inning to put the game out of reach. Tommy Ziamba, Nate Schmidt, Jesse Robinson, Jordan Schmidt and Henkel all scored runs in the eighth and ninth innings. 

“It was a fun game to play,” Smith said. “They have one heck of a team. Great hitters, great ball players, and they deserve the win.”

The Demons were thankful to get a chance to play the Snowhawks after their originally scheduled game in July was rained out. Fricken Restaurants gave up its spot on the calendar to accommodate the rematch.

“For an incredibly high heat index and last game of the season, it was an outstanding crowd,” The Demons posted on their Facebook page. “Thank you to all of our fans; you make this game all the more fun. As a result of your support, we will be donating over $400 to Snowshoe Baseball for them to invest back into the spectator experience.

“Thank you to the Lake Tomahawk Snowhawks for the opportunity to share the field with you once every summer! And to all of the volunteers (and especially the Smith family) who work tirelessly to make these games so entertaining and memorable.” 

Even though it was the last game, the crowd showed up to Snowshoe Park in Lake Tomahawk.

“I’ve never seen a crowd like that for the last game,” Smith said. “It’s normally down like that for a little bit, it’s usually cooler this time of the year. Total opposite yesterday with that heat index as high as it was. I wish it would’ve been a little closer for the fans, but maybe next year.”

Overall, it was a positive summer for Smith and the Snowhawks.

“I have to thank all the fans who come every week, and all the new fans that come to see these games and really enjoy it, and that’s what makes us happy,” Smith said. “The girls in the press box selling shirts and assisting with seating and doing all the different jobs they do — they are the behind-the-scenes of the whole team and do an excellent job. (We’ll) get some bleachers next year for left field way out so that will be done hopefully over the winter. Overall, I got to say everything was great.”

Brett LaBore may be reached at [email protected].