Rebels rout Antigo in Legion opener

Good things came in fours last Wednesday night as the Rhinelander Post 7 Rebels opened their 2025 summer slate with a convincing win.

Rhinelander scored four runs in four of the five innings as it routed the Antigo Post 3 Typhoon 16-6 at Stafford Field. 

A shaky third inning allowed Antigo to close within 8-6, but the Rebels reestablished control with a four-run fourth inning and ended the game via the run rule with four more runs in the fifth. 

“You know, we let them back in the game, but at least we were able to gain our momentum back and take advantage of a lot of their mistakes,” Rebels manager Dan Huhnstock said.

Antigo definitely helped Rhinelander. Seven Typhoon errors yielded nine unearned runs. However, the Rebels cashed in with 13 hits, including base knocks from seven different players. 

“The boys really hit the ball well together, collectively, as a team. We got contributions up and down the lineup,” Huhnstock said. 

Rhinelander spotted Antigo a run in the top of the first as Zach Bula led off with a double and scored on a two-out wild pitch but, otherwise, the first two innings belonged to the Rebels. 

Rhinelander did all of its damage with two outs in the first inning. Dylan Vanderbunt started the rally with a double and scored two batters later when Conner Rappley singled to right. Antigo misplayed a ground ball to short off the bat of Sawyer Bishop, allowing Rowan Wiczek to score. Vince White and Tyler Chariton added RBI singles to give Rhinelander a 4-1 lead. 

Vanderbunt collected his second double of the night in the second, plating Seth Nofftz who had reached on an error. Rappley and White added RBI singles and Wiczek scored when Antigo misfired on attempted double play relay off a grounder by Bishop.

Antigo mounted its own two-out rally in the third as things got interesting against Vanderbunt. Kaden Novak sliced an RBI single down the right field line, which was followed by two walks by Vanderbunt and an error. Jordy Pregler added a two-run single and Jack Sundermeyer had a run-scoring hit that cut the lead to 8-6 before Vanderbunt finally fanned Bula to get out of the jam.

Rhinelander retook control in the fourth. Bishop walked and scored when Chariton reached on an error. Josh Willoughby added a two-run single and scored moments later on a Jackson Waydick double to make it 12-6. 

    Rhinelander’s Vince White hits an three-run double during the fifth inning of an American Legion baseball game against Antigo at Stafford Field Wednesday, June 11. White went 3-for-3 with five RBIs in the Rebels’ 16-6 win. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

White, a sophomore-to-be, capped off a 3-for-3 night at the plate with his third, fourth and fifth RBIs of the game in the fifth inning. He laced a double off the fence in right center with the bases loaded. White moved to third on a Chariton ground out and scored the clinching run on a wild pitch. 

Vanderbunt added a 4-for-4 night at the plate with a pair of doubles, and the Rebels outhit the Typhoon, 13-5.

“They hit the ball hard. I think Dylan was 4-for-4, and Vince was 3-for-3. They really stung the ball with authority,” Huhnstock said.

White picked up the win for Rhinelander, pitching two innings of scoreless relief with a strikeout. The only runner against him came when Levi Binversie reached on an one-out error in the fourth. Binversie was later erased trying to steal second, ending the inning. 

Waydick started worked two innings on the mound for Rhinelander, allowing a run on a hit with a walk and two strikeouts. Vanderbunt allowed five runs, but only one earned, in the third inning. 

Huhnstock said the plan going in was to treat the contest as a bullpen game — given that most of the team was playing for the first time in six days following a loss to Mosinee that ended the high school baseball season. 

“With us, not really having a practice time in the last week, you know, with, you know, after finishing up with regionals, gave the boys a little time off and just wanted to treat it as such tonight. Get some guys some good live bullpen reps,” he said.

It also allowed Rhinelander to keep all of its arms available for this past weekend’s Rebel Invite, which was ongoing as of press time for today’s edition. The Rebels were slated to play four games, but rain threatened to alter the first couple of days of the tournament. 

Rhinelander will face the Typhoon again this coming Wednesday in Antigo.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].