Babe Ruth Roundup

Daniel Meier’s one-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Brodee Dillenberg and gave Rhinelander a dramatic 8-7 come-from-behind victory over Tomahawk in Northwoods Babe Ruth Senior League play Tuesday at Stafford Field.

The Hodags began the final inning tied at 6-all but Tomahawk loaded the bases with nobody out before plating a run on what turned into a double play ball following an interference call at second base by Ethan Schendel. Izaak Manninen scored on the play. Schendel and batter Clayton Gaedtke were both called out due to the interference. 

Blake Bauer tied the game for the Hodags in the bottom of the seventh after reaching on a one-out single. He moved from first to third — stealing on what turned into a passed ball — before plating the tying run on a wild pitch. Dillenberg drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before the left-handed hitting Meier slapped a pitch into left for the game winner. 

    Rhinelander’s Brayden Dervetski steals second base during the fourth inning of a Northwoods Babe Ruth Senior League game against Tomahawk at Stafford Field Tuesday, July 8. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Tomahawk led most of the way on Tuesday. The Hodags took a brief 4-3 lead in the fourth on a two-out double by Bauer that plated Brayden Dervetski and Hoyt Dantoin, but the Hatchets retook the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Jasper Ertl got to second on a dropped fly ball, stole third and scored on an overthrow. Schendel and Gaedtke both walked and scored thanks to a groundout by Easton Hetzel and a single by Gunner Jones. 

Rhinelander tied the game in the sixth. Parker McCone was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and pinch runner Dylan Webster stole second and third before scoring on an overthrow. Dervetski drew a walk, stole two bases and scored the tying run on a two-out single by Dantoin. 

The Hatchets scored twice in the first inning and the Hodags answered with one in the bottom of the frame as Dervetski walked and scored on a bunt single by Dantoin. Both teams plated a run in the second, Rhinelander’s coming as Meier reached on an infield hit and scored on a two-out wild pitch.

The late rally made a winner out of Douglas Hartmann, who pitched the final inning and a third for the Hodags, allowing a run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. Tanner Augustine started for Rhinelander and worked two innings, allowing three runs on a hit with two walks and two strikeouts. Dantoin gave up two runs, both unearned, on a hit with two walks and three strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings. Bauer pitched an inning and a third, giving up a run on a hit with a walk and a strikeout.

Meier’s walk-off gave Rhinelander an 8-5 edge over Tomahawk in the hit column. Dantoin, Bauer and Meier had two hits each and the Hodags also got singles from Henry Schmitz and Trevor Denton.

The win completed a season sweep for the Hodags over the Hatchets. Rhinelander won 21-9 last month with the teams met in Tomahawk.

Rhinelander traveled to Phillips on Thursday and will head to Eagle River this coming Monday.

Rhinelander Prep holds off Lakeland 2

A fast start was good enough for Rhinelander in Prep League play Monday night. 

The Hodags scored six times in the first inning and held off Lakeland-2 9-6 at Stafford Field.

Rhinelander used a combination of timely hits and four Lakeland errors to jump out to a 6-0 lead in the ball game. Mason Stein sparked the Hodag offense with a double that inning while Jaxson Kremer and Parker Lee added singles. 

Lakeland-2 crawled back into the contest with three runs in the second inning and two more in the third, but Rhinelander responded with two more in the bottom half of the inning Jaxon West reached on an error and key hits by Ben Gehrmann and Stein gave Rhinelander an 8-5 cushion. Rhinelander tacked on one more in the fifth as Finn Brown reached on an error and eventually came around after a Ben Rexford single.

Lakeland scored once in the top of the fifth but did no further damage after drawing a trio of two-out walks in the fifth. Brown recorded a strikeout as the T-Birds stranded the tying run on base and the game ended after going over the Prep League’s 2-hour time limit. 

The Hodags had six hits in the game, including a pair of doubles by Stein. Gehrmann, Kremer, Lee and Rexford also collected hits in the game. 

Kremer started on the mound for the Hodags, allowing three runs on a hit over two innings with seven walks and a strikeout. Collin Jorata picked up the win, pitching two innings in relief. He gave up two runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Brown worked the fifth inning for Rhinelander allowing a run on a hit with three walks and two strikeouts.

The victory completed a regular season sweep for the Hodags over Lakeland-2. Rhinelander won the two other games 18-2 and 19-6.

Rhinelander was set to end its season Wednesday at home against Eagle River in a game that concluded after press time for today’s edition.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].