Hodag baseball back in win column

As the calendar hits May, the Rhinelander High School baseball team is hopeful it’s starting to regain its stride as it gears up for a postseason run.

The Hodags nearly snapped their recent losing streak on Monday, rallying from down four runs in the seventh inning only to fall at D.C. Everest 7-6 in non-conference play. Rhinelander finally ended the streak at five games on Tuesday, knocking off Antigo at Stafford Field, 3-1. 

Hodag coach Joe Waksmonski said it all boils down to execution, which his team did a good job of in Monday’s rally and a better job of in Tuesday’s win.

“We just played a lot cleaner baseball game,” he said. “I think it starts with the pitching. You know, very few walks, you know, wild pitches, passed balls, things like that, and it just starts right there.”

Rhinelander 3, Antigo 1

Jackson Waydick pitched six shutout innings and Dylan Vanderbunt collected a pair of RBIs as the Hodags took down the Robins at Stafford Field. 

It was a rare regular season win for the Hodags over their arch rivals to the southeast. Rhinelander (6-7, 3-4 Great Northern) had only beaten Antigo (3-7 3-4) once in GNC play since the start of the 2013 — an 11-10 walkoff at home during the 2021 season. The Hodags have won the last two postseason meetings against the Robins since then, however. 

Tuesday’s game came down to cashing in with runners in scoring position. While both teams struggled in that regard, Rhinelander executed slightly better. The Hodags were 2-for-11 with 3 RBIs and left eight runners on base. Antigo was 2-for-10 with only one RBI and stranded 10. 

“Our guys are starting to realize that, we need to make adjustments, we have to hit low line drives if you want to get base hits and drive in runs,” Waksmonski said.

    Rhinelander’s Sawyer Bishop singles during the fifth inning of a GNC baseball game against Antigo at Stafford Field Tuesday, May 6. Bishop collected two hits Tuesday and had the game-tying RBI in the seventh inning Monday as the Hodags rallied but eventually fell at D.C. Everest, 7-6. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The Hodags got on the board in the second as Antigo starter Tate Unsinn had a bout of wildness. After giving up a leadoff single to Sawyer Bishop, he walked Vince White and Waydick to load the bases with two outs before plunking Dylan Vanderbunt on the very next offering, to force in the first run.

Vanderbunt got a more conventional RBI in the fourth inning. He hit a two-out single up the middle that plated White, who began the inning with a lead-off walk. Conner Rappley doubled in the fifth inning and scored for third following an unusual fielder’s choice. Antigo dropped a fly to center by Abe Gretzinger, but recovered in time to force out Bishop at second while Rappley tagged and scored from third. 

Waydick struck out eight over six innings and worked out of a number of jams. Antigo loaded the bases with one out in the first, but Waydick froze Aiden Parker on an 0-2 pitch and got Kaden Novak to bounce out to third to end the threat. 

The Robins mounted rallies in the third and fourth, getting two aboard after the bases were clear with two outs, but another Parker strikeout and a flyout by Colton Thomae ended those threats. The Robins were unable to take advantage of a one-out error in the fifth as Waydick struck out Caleb Vandenlengenberg and Parker to end that threat. 

“Jackson threw strikes, got ahead of the count, and, threw really well with all three of his pitches today,” Waksmonski said.

Rappley picked up the save for the Hodags, but couldn’t complete the shutout after Vandenlengenberg singled home Colton Thomae with two outs in the seventh to put the tying run on base. Rappley got Parker to strike out one final time to slam the door.

“He throw of strikes, throws hard, obviously. He was able to throw past a couple of their guys and just slam the door. (He) did his job. 

D.C. Everest 7, Rhinelander 6

Down four runs, and down to its final two outs on Monday, the Hodags found their way back against D.C. Everest, only to lose on a walkoff in the last of the seventh. 

Ultimately, a passed ball with the bases loaded proved to be the difference in a one-run loss for Rhinelander. Still, to get there, the Hodags had to make a furious rally, capped off by a Bishop RBI single to tie it with two outs in the top of the seventh. 

“It was a pretty good high school baseball game, “Waksmonski said. “Obviously got the rally late and had some clutch hits in the in that seventh inning, so it was good to see.”

Down 6-2 heading to the seventh, Gretzinger and White drew back-to-back walks to start the rally. After a Waydick pop-out, Vanderbunt doubled down the left field line to score Gretzinger. Both White and Vanderbunt scored on a two-out single by Rowan Wiczek and Wiczek scored to tie it on Bishop’s opposite-field single to left. 

White, on in relief, was unable to get the Hodags to extras, however. He walked the bases loaded on the seventh, before a 1-2 pitch to Cole VanSlyke with two outs found its way to the backstop, allowing Logan George to score the winning run from third. Rhinelander’s scorebook for the game scored the play as a passed ball. 

VanSlyke had given the Evergreens what proved to be some needed insurance the inning prior, as he hit a two-run home run to right off White. 

Everest jumped to a 3-0 lead against Vanderbunt through three innings. Vanderbunt was called for a two-out balk that scored Carter Miller from third base in the first inning. After two more balks in the third, Jack Dvorak singled home VanSlyke before coming around himself on a single by Ty Rhode that was misplayed in centerfield. Vanderbunt then walked VanSlyke with the bases loaded in the fourth, as he left the mound down 4-1. 

“He had some weird things going on with balks. They didn’t like how he’s coming set. He had three balks in the game,” Waksmonski said. “It led to their first run and he had quite a few walks, but for whatever reason, D.C. Everest couldn’t get a read on him and get that clutch hit. Dylan, I would say today was kind of effectively wild.”

Everest’s Cole O’Brien sat the Hodags down in order through the first three innings before Waydick broke up the perfect game with a leadoff triple in the fourth. He scored two batters later when Seth Nofftz was awarded first base due to catcher’s interference on his swing. 

Rhinelander mounted another rally against O’Brien in the fifth as an error and two hit batters loaded the bases with only one out. Tyler Chariton scored on a wild pitch, but it was the only run Rhinelander got in that threat after Vanderbunt and Nofftz both struck out to end the inning. 

Dvorak pitched an inning plus of relief for Everest. The Evergreens made a winner of Nevin Poppy, despite blowing a save opportunity, with their rally in the bottom of the seventh. 

“We saw their top three pitchers today and I thought our guys battled, especially with their ace of the mound,” Waksmonski said. 

Wiczek had a pair of hits for the Hodags in the game as Everest outhit Rhinelander, 7-5. 

Up next

Rhinelander looks for the regular season sweep of Northland Pines this afternoon when the teams play in Eagle River. Rhinelander edged Pines 7-6 in the first meeting back on April 14. The Hodags will then entertain Wausau East in non-conference play Monday at Stafford Field. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].