HEAVEN-SENT

WAUSAU — Much has changed since Rhinelander’s Little League All-Star team finished as runners up in the state 10-and-under championship two summers ago. But, following a late-inning rally Tuesday night, the Hodags still have the chance to finish one spot better as 12Us.

Easton Sieker broke a 1-all tie, drawing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the fifth inning, and Rhinelander defeated Wausau American 3-1 in a winner-take-all championship game of the District 5 tournament at Doepke Park. 

    Rhinelander’s Eli Bauer reacts after scoring the tying run in the fifth inning of the District 5 Little League tournament championship game against Wausau American in Wausau Tuesday, July 14. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Eli Bauer gave up one unearned run on just three hits in a 77-pitch, complete-game effort. His fifth and final strikeout, of Wausau American’s Spencer Rodewald in the sixth inning, secured Rhinelander’s trip to the state tournament, which begins July 24 in West Bend. 

“I’ll say proud 50 times because, this started when they were 8 years old and we’ve been working on it ever since then,” Rhinelander manager Josh Clark said. “It’s just unbelievable. Again, when it got really sticky and tough, our kids dialed in and made plays, and they made a few mistakes on their side. That’s where that small ball and focusing and between the ears really prevailed for us.”

These Hodags know about mental toughness more than most at this tender age — tested by tragedy off the field. Dan Bauer, who guided many of these same players to the state finals two years ago, passed away unexpectedly last November, succumbing to a heart attack. 

His loss sent shockwaves through the baseball community. Wausau Youth Baseball and Softball, which hosted the District 5 tournament, held a moment of silence in Bauer’s honor prior to last Wednesday’s round-robin game between Rhinelander and Wausau National. Rhinelander responded with a 10-0 win in that game. Eli Bauer, the second-oldest of Bauer’s four children, hit a two-run homer in his first at bat and Jaxon Eades tossed a four-inning no hitter.

“We thought of him, the entire team, did throughout the whole tournament, and there’s stuff where plays that happened, I can literally hear him yelling something or his big smile after the game here and all that stuff,” coach Clark said. “It’s obviously a very tough situation. This is still his team, and his son is a stud and the reason that we’ve won a lot of games.”

Eli Bauer certainly played a central role in Tuesday night’s championship game. The only blemish on his pitching line came in the top of the fifth when Mason Paulson was unable to corral a two-out fly ball down the right field line by American’s Bryce Tuckett, who scored moments later on a single up the middle by Logan Platta that gave Wausau a 1-0 lead. 

As fate would have it, Eli Bauer led off the bottom of the fifth for Rhinelander. He did so with a single up the middle — just the Hodags’ second hit of the night against American’s Max Johnson. Nick Schneider followed up with a ground ball to first that proved to be a defining moment of the game. Though the Americans recorded the force out against Schneider at first, Jace Baumgardt’s through to second in an effort to turn a reverse double play sailed high and skidded all the way to the left field fence. Eli Bauer got up and sprinted home, tying the game at 1.

“I was amazed. I was like, ‘What happened?’ Because I was already on the base,” Eli Bauer said. “So I was just hustling and getting a run there just so can get the tie back so I can pitch another inning.”

Coach Clark said he couldn’t help but think the Hodags got a little help from above in that situation. 

“Literally, when that happened, I looked down and I said, ‘Angels in the Outfield,’” he said, in a reference to the 1994 movie of the same name. “There’s no questioning that.”

While tying the game may have taken some good fortune, taking the lead came down to a matter of patience and discipline for the Hodags. Cooper Clark followed tying play by drawing a walk. Though Blake Sundby struck out after that — the 12th Hodag to fall victim of the K against Johnson — he pushed Johnson’s pitch count over Little League’s daily maximum of 85 pitches, forcing Wausau American to its bullpen.

Tuckett came on in relief and gave up a walk to Rylan Pasanen, and another to Griffin Rady to load the bases. Sieker worked the count full and took the payoff pitch inside to force in Cooper Clark for the go-ahead run. William Sundby followed with a single to left that scored Pasanen and gave the Hodags a 3-1 lead. 

Coach Clark said he figured Tuesday’s game would turn into a pitchers’ duel, given that both teams had their aces available after a pair of rainouts pushed the championship game back four days. While the Hodags struck out 10 times the first trip through their 12-player lineup, it had the residual side effect of driving Johnson’s pitch count upward. 

“He was dialed in. When a pitcher that throws that hard with that velocity is dialed in. He’s obviously, at this age, it’s a mental game, and he’s very difficult to hit,” coach Clark said. “I kind of knew with Eli and the mound too, it was going to come down to that last inning or two. We weren’t going to have many runs. We’ve played these guys for the last couple of years, and this is very similar to a lot of games that we’ve played against them.”

Eli Bauer walked his first and only batter of the game to start the sixth, issuing a free pass to Lincoln Gusman. Gusman was erased moments later on a comebacker to the mound by Draxton Howe that led to a fielder’s choice. After getting Easton Ortiz to pop out to short, Bauer got Rodewald to go fishing on a 1-2 curveball. Once catcher Blake Sundby completed the out to Sieker at first, the celebration was on.

“I walked the first person, but I wasn’t worried. I knew we had a good defense, and I knew I could throw strikes. So that’s all I did, and we got the game win,” Eli Bauer said. “It feels great. Our defense is great. It’s a great team. We don’t get down when we’re down. Great team. I love them.”

    Rhinelander Little League’s 12U All-Star team is heading back to the Wisconsin state tournament after defeating Wausau American 3-1 in the championship game of the District 5 tournament Tuesday, July 15 in Wausau. PICTURED: The team poses with its championship banner following Tuesday’s game. In the front row, from left to right, are Blake Sundby, Kolt Taylor, Griffin Rady, Jaxon Eades, Rylan Pasanen, Cooper Clark, Jeter Vander Galien and Mason Paulson. In the back row are coach Kevin Eades, Will Sundby, Easton Sieker, Eli Bauer, Nick Schneider and manager Josh Clark. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

American threatened only one other time against Bauer. That came in the third inning as singles by Baumgardt and Howe put runners on first and second with two out, but Ortiz popped up back to Bauer to end the rally.

“I told him before the game, ‘You throw strikes, we’re going win this game.’ So he did, he threw darts tonight,” coach Clark said. “To be honest, we made a few more plays than they did in the field. Our infield, outfield, we looked great. We had maybe one error, but overall, you know, I thought we played really well and backed Eli up.” 

Eli Bauer said he was certain his father was looking down and smiling given how he and his teammates performed.

“I think he’d be very proud, talking about how good we were, how we were a great team together,” he said. 

“Eli, you know, he doesn’t show much emotion at all,” coach Clark added. “I mean, he’s a beast. I got to believe though, internally, this is tough for him, and for him to perform like that in this situation, it’s unbelievable.”

Cooper Clark was the only Hodag to get aboard against Johnson the first time through the order on Tuesday, drawing a one-out walk in the second. Jeter Vander Galien broke up Johnson’s no-hit bid in the fourth with a flare that fell just inside the right field line.  

The victory avenged a 6-2 loss for the Hodags to Wausau American a night earlier to conclude round-robin play. Barring a major catastrophe, Rhinelander was already assured a spot in the championship game based on run allowed ratio following convincing 10-0 wins over Rice Lake and Wausau National to start pool play. American, meanwhile, needed a win to force a three-way tie at the top of the standings, where its run-ratio would be better than Wausau National’s for the final spot in the championship game. 

American scored twice in the third and four times in the fourth to get the win. Rhinelander scored twice in the third inning. Eli Bauer singled home Kolt Taylor and Cooper Clark drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing in Vander Galien. 

Bauer started on the mound and worked just over an inning. Rhinelander elected to keep him under the 20-pitch threshold to ensure he could pitch again in Tuesday’s championship game. Eades went the rest of the way on the mound despite taking a line drive off the inner thigh on his first batter of the game. He allowed six runs, four earned, on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. 

Now attention turns to the state tournament, set for July 24-27 in West Bend. The format will be the same as the District 5 tournament, with three days of round-robin play whittling the four-team field down to two for a winner-take-all championship game July 27. Kenosha Little League is the defending state champion, and the squad that beat Rhinelander for the 10U state title two years ago. Eli Bauer said he’s looking forward to a potential rematch.

“Just win again. Hoping to beat Kenosha, lost them two years ago, so I’m looking to beat them. And then go on to win state,” he said.

Rhinelander was swept 2-0 in the best-of-three championship series against Kenosha as 10Us, Game 2 was a 6-5 walkoff loss for the Hodags. Coach Clark said his squad is capable of making a deep run again this year. 

“We can beat any team down there, if a pitching comes together and we’re able to work our pitchers like we can,” he said. “And honestly, we didn’t hit well the last two games, if we hit like we can like last week, I don’t think there’s a team that stands a chance. But again, we got to show up and we got to perform.” 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].