Hodag baseball falls to Mosinee in regional finals

The Rhinelander High School baseball team finally ran out of steam Thursday following a state-trotting final week of its season.

The Hodags couldn’t dig out of an early hole and fell to Mosinee 9-4 in a WIAA Division 2 regional final game in Mosinee. It capped off a long week in which the team spent a majority of its time on a bus after its regional semifinal game at St. Croix Falls was postponed to Wednesday due to rain.

The team had already decided to break up the long three-hour trek to the Minnesota border by leaving Monday night and staying in the Eau Claire area. That ended up being a two-night stay after Tuesday’s game was postponed. 

After a dramatic 3-2 upset win over the second-seeded Saints and a late return home Wednesday, the Hodags had to hop right back on a bus an head to Mosinee Thursday with a trip to sectionals on the line.

“You hate to make excuses about riding in the bus the last two or three days across the state of Wisconsin, but you just could kind of tell fatigue kind of caught up to us a little bit today,” Hodag coach Joe Waksmonski said.

Regardless the Hodags put the final touches on a 13-11 record — a 12-win improvement from the year prior. Rhinelander won seven of its final nine games. Though the Hodags fell one win short of their first sectional appearance since 2021, Waksmonski said the season was very successful.

“We have nothing to hang our head about. We ended our season with the winning record and, kind of where we were in the past recent past, it’s a great, great stride for our program this year to go in that winning direction,” he said. “A lot of growth happened from the beginning of the season to now. Really for the most part, I felt like we played our best baseball going over the postseason.” 

Mosinee 9, Rhinelander 4

    Rhinelander’s Charlie Johnson chases Mosinee’s Parker Filipiak in a rundown during a WIAA Division 2 regional final baseball game in Mosinee Thursday, June 5. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Mosinee took advantage of some early Hodag defensive miscues and then got the bats going in the fourth inning on Thursday in the regional final.

Rhinelander committed four errors over the first three innings, helping spot Mosinee a 5-1 lead. The Indians then strung together five straight singles as part of a four-run fourth inning that helped put the game out of reach.

“We just didn’t quite (make the) plays that we have been making in the last two weeks defensively. And Mosinee took advantage of us. It seemed like whenever we had an error, they followed up with a big hit,” Waksmonski said.

Treve Stoffel reached on a leadoff error in the second and Mosinee took the lead moments later on a Sebastian Anderson RBI double. Following a wild pitch, Anderson scored on a sacrifice fly by Parker Filipiak. Kaden Kolodziej was later hit by a pitch and scored on a two-out RBI single by Tyler Baars.

Rhinelander got one back in the top of the third as Jackson Waydick doubled and scored on an RBI single by Vanderbunt, but Mosinee widened the lead in the bottom of the inning. Stoffel reached again on an error and this time scored when Anderson’s single to right was misplayed in the outfield. Anderson later came around on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.

Noah Zebro and Baars led off with singles in the fourth inning, which ended Waydick’s time on the mound. Vanderbunt was unable to stop the bleeding initially. Elliot Yirkovsky put down a bunt single, followed by a two-run single by Brady Lokken, an RBI single by Carter Fandrey and a steal of home by Lokken.

“There was a swinging bunt between the pitcher and catcher where we didn’t communicate and, you know, a couple balls in the deep in the hole where we’re getting to them, but we can’t make a play afterward. And then, you know, consequently then there were a couple base hits into the outfield on some ground balls that were hard hit, but we probably could have could have fielded, but we just didn’t make the play,” Waksmonski said. “This time of year, you have to make the plays when the plays are presented to you.” 

Rhinelander rallied for three runs with two out in the fifth. Rowan Wiczek hit an RBI single. Conner Rappley reached on an error to score Vanderbunt and Sawyer Bishop collected his second hit of the game, an RBI single to left.

“I was proud of the guys. We didn’t fold up our tents and go home. We kept battling. Really, those three runs were an all scored with two outs and guys were putting together some great at bats,” Waksmonski said. “Even after that, in the sixth and seventh, we had some good at bats. We just couldn’t quite find the hole or cash in on runners and scoring position.”

Waydick took the loss allowing seven runs, but only three earned, over three-plus innings. Vanderbunt settled in after Mosinee’s opening salvo. The senior held the Indians scoreless and hitless over the final two innings. 

Hodags 3, St. Croix Falls 2

    Rhinelander’s Vince White, left, Jackson Waydick, center, and John Turek, right, react after White scored the go-ahead run in the seventh inning of a WIAA Division 2 regional semifinal baseball game at St. Croix Falls Wednesday, June 4. (Jeremy Mayo/River News)
  

Just getting to Thursday’s regional final game took a bit of perseverance — and a bit of good fortune — for the Hodags. 

Rhinelander scored the tying and go-ahead runs following a Waydick sacrifice fly in the seventh as the Hodags rallied past St. Croix Falls for a 3-2 upset victory. 

“That’s an unbelievable feeling. You know, I feel great for this group of guys, this group of kids, and, you know, kind of the way they’ve persevered through the whole season,” Waksmonski said.

Ultimately Rhinelander put enough pressure on the Saints defense that it cracked down the stretch. 

Rhinelander’s winning rally began with a leadoff single by Nofftz in the top of the second. Not only was the hit just the second the Hodags collected off St. Croix Falls’ starter Devin Richardson, it knocked Richardson out of the game after he reached the daily 100-pitch limit. 

Elliot Wilson took over for Richardson on the mound and muffed a sacrifice bunt attempt by Vince White. By the time Wilson grabbed the ball and threw to first, it was too late to retire the speedy freshman. Another bunt by Tyler Chariton gave the Hodags runners at second and third with one out and set the stage for Waydick. The sophomore hit a fly ball to right that was flagged down by Blake Peterson. John Turek, pinch running for Nofftz, tagged from third and scored easily. Instead of throwing home, the Saints tried to cut down White advancing to third, but Peterson’s throw got away and White was able to get up and trot home for the go-ahead run. 

“Things just weren’t going our way. And then in the very end, we’re still believing we’re still battling, we’re still fighting and good things happen for us,” Waksmonski said.

The Hodags still needed to deal with the potent St. Croix Falls tandem of Alex Hoff and Carter Ridgeway in the bottom of the seventh. Hoff was 2-for-2 in the game entering the seventh and had scored both Saints runs helped by Ridgeway who had three successful bunts — one for a sacrifice and two for singles — in the game.

On cue, Hoff singled up the middle against Conner Rappley to start the seventh and Ridgeway followed with a bunt back to Rappley that moved Hoff into scoring position with one away. Rappley then walked the winning run aboard as Caden Folkestad drew a free pass. From there Rappley fanned Brodie Allram for his sixth strikeout of the game before getting Peterson to ground out to second to end the contest. 

Rappley allowed two runs on eight hits in a 95-pitch compete-game effort. 

“He’s probably throwing on fumes,” Waksmonski said. “He wasn’t feeling very good in the middle of the game. You know, a lot of our guys in this team right now, it seems like we’re sick and we’re battling some sort of illness. Conner was no different. He was battling and he was a warrior out there for us.”

Hoff singled and Ridgeway got aboard when Rappley mishandled a bunt up the first-base line to give the Saints two on with nobody out in the first. Hoff scored on an RBI groundout by Folkestad, but that was the only run St. Croix Falls could muster from its opening rally. 

Rhinelander struggled offensively early in the game but tied it up in the fifth after Richardson fought a bout of erraticness on the mound. Back-to-back one-out walks to White and Chariton, followed by a wild pitch and a passed ball, allowed White to score and tie the game.

St. Croix Falls loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth as Hoff singled to left, Ridgeway bunted his way aboard and Folkestad singled to right. Allram nearly cleared the bases on a fly that reached the warning track in left before it was flagged down by White. Though Hoff tagged and scored to give St. Croix Falls a 2-1 lead, White fired to third and retired Ridgeway trying to advance and Drake Peterson lined out to Charlie Johnson at third to end the threat. 

Richardson went six-plus innings in a no-decision for St. Croix Falls, scattering two hits and striking out six. Dylan Vanderbunt had a leadoff single for the Hodags in the fourth and Rhinelander won despite finishing the game 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].