Late woes cost Hodag softball against Tomahawk

Mistakes cost the Rhinelander High School softball team Thursday evening. Tomahawk scored nine unanswered runs from the fourth inning on to break open a tied game and defeat the Hodags 13-4 in Tomahawk in Great Northern Conference play.

The Hatchets took the lead for good with five runs in the fourth inning, tacked on one in the fifth and three more in the sixth. 

“We had one bad inning that they tacked on five runs and the score went to 9-4. Nothing that we couldn’t come back from,” Hodag coach Ali Bender said. “Unfortunately our errors got the best of us. We had 12 errors and we had seven walks. That’s really hard (to have and) to win a game and I told the girls that. I said either we hit well or we defend well, and now we just need to put it together.”

It should be noted, according to scoring of the game provided by Tomahawk, the Hodags were charged with three errors and issued six walks. Rhinelander’s copy of the scorebook was not provided to the River News prior to press time for today’s edition.

Rhinelander had rallied after spotting Tomahawk four runs in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 4 in the third. 

After Kalyn Miller singled and Chase Verbist walked to start the second inning, Saige Mutter put down a bunt to move the runners along. She reached base, and Miller scored, when Tomahawk committed an error on the play. Aleece Johnson later drew a bases-loaded walk and Lucy Lindner added a run following a misplay on a pop up. The Hodags then tied the game in the third inning as Vanney singled and scored on a wild pitch. 

    Rhinelander’s Kalyn Miller singles during the second inning of a GNC softball game at Tomahawk Thursday, May 1. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

“Saige Mutter put down a beautiful bunt to get a rally started for us. Kalyn and Vanney just solid hits and solid contact the whole time,” Bender said. “We made contact today. We made solid contact. Sometimes that we hit it right to them, but we put the ball in play. We weren't striking out. So that was the positive of the game.”

Tomahawk broke the tie in the fourth inning as three walks loaded the bases with one out before Averi Petta cleared them with a three-run double. She later scored on a groundout by Aubrey Seubert. Autumn Merrigan reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch. 

Sophie Olsen had a RBI double in the fifth. Merrigan had an RBI single in the sixth and Ella Peissig added a two-run single.

Johnson pitched six innings in the loss for Rhinelander, allowing 13 runs on 12 hits with five walks and seven strikeouts.

Thursday’s game was originally scheduled to be a doubleheader in Rhinelander, and that was still the plan until less then 45 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. However, afternoon rain showers rendered Andrea Musson Field too soggy for play. Tomahawk’s field was dry enough to play on and, after hastily arranging transportation, the Hodags headed to Tomahawk to play one game. 

“Our fields were playable by 1:30 almost 2 o’clock,” Bender said. It just so happened that Mother Nature didn’t cooperate and so we called up their AD (Ryan Flynn), and their AD said that we could play down there. So we got some Suburbans and we headed down to play.”

Tomahawk will now make the return trip to Rhinelander to play the second game of their series Monday, May 12. 

With the Hodag Dome still undergoing repairs, coupled with a wet spring, the Hodags are facing a condensed schedule with nine games still remaining — including six in conference play — prior to the start of the WIAA postseason May 22.

“At this point we have to make up games as soon as we can,” Bender said. “Next week we have a packed schedule. Basically, Monday through Saturday next week with one day off, so again we can’t really afford to keep pushing games back.”

Late last week, the Hodags confirmed a make-up date of a non-conference game at Crandon that was rained out April 28. The game was played Monday, after press time for today’s edition. 

Rhinelander heads to Antigo for a doubleheader this afternoon and then will play Northland Pines in a home-and-home series Wednesday in Thursday — traveling to Eagle River first before making the return trip to Musson Field. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].