RHS Sports recap: Saturday, March 29

Softball: Rhinelander 15, Phillips 5

The Rhinelander High School softball team opened its 2025 season with a victory on Saturday, defeating Phillips 15-5 in the weather-shortened Danny Mac Invite in the Hodag Dome. 

Freshman Aleece Johnson struck out five batters in three innings and went 3-for-3 at the plate with an RBI, finishing a home run short of the cycle in her debut.

After spotting the Loggers a run in the top fo the first, the Hodags hung up four in the bottom half of the first inning and six more in the second to build a commanding lead. Rhinelander tacked on three more runs in the third inning and two in the fourth. 

The Hodags got contributions up and down the lineup. Freshman Kendall Vanney doubled twice and drove in three runs. Cassidy Linder had a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs while Kadyn Taylor and Julia Gray each drove in a pair of runs. The Hodags outhit the Logges 13-5 in the contest. 

Vanney pitched the final two innings for Rhinelander, allowing three runs on four hits with a walk and a couple of strikeouts.

Saturday was supposed to be the first day of the Danny Mac Invite for the Hodags, however, an impending ice storm Saturday night into Sunday forced the cancellation of the Hodags’ bracket, aside from the contest against the Loggers. A few of the teams affected by the cancellation are slated to return to the Hodag Dome Monday morning. Rhinelander will play Flambeau followed by Laona/Wabeno beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, Rhinelander scheduled game for Tuesday against Lakeland has been postponed to April 14 and, as of press time if had not yet been determined if Thursday’s game against Medford would be moved to Medford or postponed to a later date. 

A full recap of Saturday and Monday’s games will appear in Friday’s River News.