Rebels split home games with Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Medford

The Jekyll and Hyde season for the Rhinelander Post 7 Rebels continued last week with a pair of home games at Stafford Field that yielded vastly different results.

The Rebels were sharp defensively Tuesday night, committing no errors and allowing only six free passes in a 6-1 victory over Wittenberg-Birnamwood. Rhinelander was decidedly not sharp Wednesday night, allowing 14 free base runners and committing three errors in a 16-6 loss to Medford. 

Rhinelander moved to 5-6 on the summer. While the team has not lost more than two consecutive games, it has yet to post back-to-back wins on the year. 

Rhinelander 6, Wittenberg-Birnamwood 1

Vince White and Sawyer Bishop combined to hold the Chargers to four hits over seven innings and the Rebels took advantage of some Wittenberg-Birnamwood mistakes to come away with a 6-1 win last Tuesday.

The Rebels took the lead in the second inning thanks to a trio of Charger errors and added to the lead in the third and fourth innings. 

“It sure helps when you play clean ball and have good pitching to go with it, and let them make an error or two,” Rebels manager Dan Huhnstock said.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first, the Rebels got back into the game with a bit of small ball in the second inning. Charlie Johnson drew a walk to start the inning and Josh Willoughby added a single to right before Parker McCone dropped down a sacrifice bunt. McCone reached safely when pitcher Chris Sippl misfired on his throw to first, allowing Johnson to score from second. 

Willoughby was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder to third by Jackson Waydick, but the Rebels got one more run in the inning when Conner Meverden muffed a ground ball to third by Dylan Vanderbunt and then misfired on a throw back to the pitcher, allowing McCone to score from second. 

“I thought a big turning point of the game was when Parker got that bunt down. It gave us momentum,” Huhnstock noted. 

Conner Meverden, who held the Rebels to one hit over six innings in Rhinelander’s 4-2 loss at Wittenberg June 20, was not nearly as effective Tuesday in a relief appearance. He walked the bases loaded in the third inning before Willoughby drew a run-scoring walk, making it 3-1 Rhinelander. Waydick singled off Meverden in the fourth before his outing ended with two more walks to load the bases with nobody out. 

“He wasn’t as sharp as he was when he was down there. But, you know, it’s a different day, different game,” Huhnstock said.

All three runners Hudson Miller inherited from Meverden came around to score as Waydick crossed on a wild pitch, Vanderbunt scored on a ground out by Tyler Chariton and White scored on a two-out single by Johnson. 

That was more than enough run support for White and Bishop. The Chargers got their only run off White in the opening inning as he plunked Zandyr Barke with a pitch. Barke stole second and scored two batters later on a single by Oliver Frazza. 

    Rhinelander’s Sawyer Bishop pitches during the sixth inning of an American Legion baseball game against Wittenberg-Birnamwood at Stafford Field Tuesday, July 1. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

White worked around a couple of walks in the second and settled in from there, striking out seven and allowing just two hits over four innings of work in the win. Bishop bounced back from a difficult outing three days earlier against Chippewa Falls, striking out three and walking just one over three innings of relief to earn the save. The Chargers’ biggest threat against him came in the seventh as a single by Sipple and a double by Hayden Miller gave Wittenberg-Birnamwood runners at second and third with two outs, but Bishop fanned Frazza to end the contest. 

“They both pitched very well. It did take Vince a little bit to get cranking, but once he got cranking, you know, he really threw a heck of a nice ball game,” Huhnstock said.

Waydick finished with two hits for the Rebels, who outhit the Chargers 5-4. Rhinelander again struggled with men on base, leaving 10 stranded in the contest and going just 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. 

“That’s been the story of this summer. We leave way too many guys on base, and out in scoring position,” Huhnstock said.

Medford 16, Rhinelander 6

Ultimately, the Rebels’ depleted bullpen caught up with them Wednesday night as Medford scored the final 12 runs unanswered to win via the run-rule in six innings.

Rowan Wiczek started and went three-plus innings on the mound, but was lifted in the fourth inning after putting the first two batters aboard freely via a walk and hit by pitch. Those who came in behind him also struggled to find the strike zone. Rhinelander walked a total of nine batters between the fourth and fifth innings as Medford pulled away. With the majority of Rhinelander’s top-end pitchers unable to throw due to mandatory observed rest the Rebels had to turn to three players making their first pitching appearances of the summer — Abe Gretzinger, Willoughby and Chariton.

“We were short on arms. We had a busy weekend of baseball and guys that had high pitch counts that weren’t eligible to pitch,” Huhnstock said. “We did start a couple guys with limited experience on the mound. You know, eventually errors and walks caught up to us.”

Down 6-4 heading to the fourth, Medford took the lead for good off Gretzinger, who walked Cade Dewarlee to load the bases. JV Castillo cleared them two batters later on an infield hit to short that turned into a three-bagger when White fired the throw to first into foul territory. Castillo scored moments later on a base hit by Peyton Schreiber. 

Gretzinger walked four batters in the fifth, including bases-loaded free passes to Castillo and Schreiber that ended his time on the mound. Willoughby was unable to put out the fire, walking in two straight before an RBI single by Ryder Kraschnewski and a walk to Restin Kraschnewski made it 14-6. Medford tacked on two more runs, unearned, against Chariton in the sixth — the damage done after Tanner Hraby reached on a dropped pop-up to second by Willoughby. 

Rhinelander took advantage of Medford’s miscues to build an early lead. After Medford scored one in the top half of the first inning, Waydick doubled and scored on an RBI single by White. Vanderbunt scored to give the Rebels the lead when Restin Kraschnewski dropped Wiczek’s two-out fly ball to center. 

A throwing error by Jackson Blomberg at third put Waydick aboard with two out in the second and sparked a Rhinelander rally. Vanderbunt followed with a single before White hit a two-run double to left and Bishop smacked an RBI double to right. 

Medford got within 5-4 thanks to a three-run third but the Rebels got a run back in the bottom of the inning as Wiczek singled and scored when Johnson reached on a two-out error to third.  

Up Next

Rhinelander traveled to Eagle River to take on Northwoods Monday in a game that concluded after press time for today’s edition. The Rebels are scheduled to face Crandon on Wednesday and Northwoods on Friday, however Huhnstock noted those games were in limbo as of press time due to player availability.

Already thin to begin with, having only 14 rostered players, Huhnstock said injuries and other circumstances have made managing a shoestring roster a challenge.

“It’s a balancing act for sure with everything,” he said. “But the guys are showing up, we’re playing competitive baseball for the most part. When we have our pitching lined up, you know, we can play with anybody.”  

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].