Hodag fastpitch takes two from Northland Pines

The Rhinelander High School softball team virtually assured itself a better finish in the Great Northern Conference season compared to last season with back-to-back victories Wednesday and Thursday.

Rhinelander broke open a close game with seven runs in the sixth inning Wednesday as it knocked off Northland Pines 12-3 in Eagle River. The momentum carried over as the teams played again in Rhinelander Thursday, with Hodags rolling to a 14-1 win. 

The wins were the first of the season in conference play for the Hodags (5-13, 2-8) while Northland Pines (0-13) dropped to 0-6 in the league standings. Rhinelander and Pines split their contests last year and finished tied for last in the GNC. 

Rhinelander’s lead was tenuous at 4-3 going to the sixth on Wednesday, but the Hodags scored in every inning the rest of the way in the two games against the Eagles. Coach Ali Bender said there was a clear carryover effect from Wednesday’s finish into Thursday’s contest. 

“They came out with a confidence after playing them yesterday. I think that’s the biggest thing, we were confident,” she said.

Rhinelander fired from the gate Wednesday, scoring four times in the opening frame against the Eagles. But the offense sputtered from there, with only one hit the next four innings. Northland Pines crawled back into the game with a three-run rally in the third and threatened to tie the game with a two-out rally in the fifth, but Matanna DePuydt was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second base on a strong throw by Aleece Johnson following an Izzy Stenschke single into center field. 

“With Johnson out in center, that’s a position she’s played in travel ball that she played growing up. She knows the position. So it’s just knowing that spot. She knows her arm and she’s got a heck of an arm. So she knew right away that she could gun her (at) home without anybody saying it. That is true softball IQ,” Bender said.

    Rhinelander’s Aleece Johnson put a ball in play during a GNC softball game against Northland Pines at Andrea Musson Field Thursday, May 8. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

The big defensive play led to a big offensive rally in the sixth. Chase Verbist walked to start the frame and scored from second two batters later following a missed catch at first on Ava Rathbun’s sacrifice bunt. Three consecutive walks allowed Rathbun to score, and Johnson scored on a wild pitch before Kendall Vanney smacked a two-run triple to right, making it 9-3. 

Vanney came around on a fly ball by Kalyn Miller that was dropped in center field. Miller got to second on the play, to third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Saige Mutter. 

“Their pitcher we watched and we took advantage of those balls and helped us win,” Bender said.

Rhinelander jumped out to a 4-0 lead Wednesday thanks to a two-run double by Vanney and a two-run single with the bases loaded and two out by Cassidy Lindner. Pines answered in the third however, as Taytum Mullins hit a two-run double and scored when DePuydt reached on an error. After a Jordan Cain strikeout, DePuydt was erased trying to score on an infield pop up by Stenschke that hit the ground and turned into an inning-ending double play. 

“We kind of came in a little sluggish. I kind of figured we would. I told the girls we just got to keep that spirit, keep that energy up,” Bender said, noting that Wednesday’s game was the fourth in three days for the team. 

Rhinelander tacked on one more insurance run in the seventh as Claire Yunkers, Sadie Edyvean and Miranda Daab all walked to load the bases before Vanney was hit by a pitch to drive in her fifth run of the game. 

Vanney went 2-for-3 in Wednesday’s game and had another big outing at the plate Thursday, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs. She finished a home run short of the cycle in Thursday’s contest. 

“Vanney and Kalyn Miller, they’ve just been solid contact hitters for us this entire season,” Bender said. “I know that every time those two get up to the plate, they’re going to have a battle. They’re going to put the ball in play. Vanney’s had two triples in the last two days. I mean, that’s awesome.”

Pines struck first in Thursday’s game on a Natalie Kohn two-out RBI double in the first following an inning-extending error, but it was all Rhinelander after that. 

Vanney put the Hodags in front on a two-run single in the bottom half of the inning. Three straight walks after that ended Nevaeh Harden-Lopez’s time in the circle before she recorded an out. Vanney scored on a wild pitch following a throwing error and Rathbun drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Hodags a 4-1 lead. 

Vanney tripled with one out in the second and scored on a Lucy Lindner sacrifice fly. Rhinelander added five runs in the third on run-scoring fielder’s choices by Miller and Johnson, followed by back-to-back RBIs doubles from Vanney and Lucy Lindner. Miller, Nevaeh Anderson and Kadyn Taylor added RBI singles in the fourth while Lucy Lindner drew a bases-loaded walk.

After struggling to make solid contact against Cain for the better part of five innings on Wednesday, the Hodags were able to make adjustments against her after she came on in relief of Harden-Lopez in the first inning on Thursday. 

“We talked a lot about before the game, keeping our hands back, moving way up in the box and sitting on it,” Bender said. “She threw a lot of decent pitches to us and we took advantage of it. We haven’t seen that type of pitching this year. So being able to see it a second time, we were able to time it up better.”

In addition to Vanney’s four RBIs Thursday, Lucy Lindner had three and Miller added two. The Hodags altered their lineup a bit Thursday having three freshmen — Miller, Johnson and Vanney — lead off the order. 

“All three freshmen are our three top hitters and, after talking to the coaching staff, we’re like, let’s give it a try,” Bender said. “Some of these girls who have been really great hitters in our program, moving them down just to take a little bit of pressure off them. I think that’s going to help.” 

    Rhinelander’s Kendall Vanney pitches during the first inning of a GNC softball game against Northland Pines at Andrea Musson Field Thursday, May 8. Vanney struck out 17 batters combined over 10 innings Wednesday and Thursday in a pair of wins over the Eagles. (Bob Mainhardt for the River News)
  

Vanney picked up the win in both games against Pines. She went the distance Wednesday, striking out 11 as she allowed three runs on five hits. Vanney pitched three innings Thursday with six strikeouts and, after Kohn’s RBI double, retired the final seven Eagles she faced. 

“She did a great job, placing the ball well I think she pitched better today than she did yesterday. Her curveball was working really, really well. Again, just super proud of her,” Bender said. 

Anderson pitched the final two innings for the Hodags and worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam unscathed in the fourth. 

The Hodags’ busy home stretch continued Saturday at the Shawano Invite as they lost to Waupaca 7-2 and Shawano 17-0.

Rhinelander was then home on Monday to face Tomahawk in a game that concluded after press time for today’s edition. Full reports from all three of those contests will appear in Friday’s River News. 

Rhinelander is set to wrap up the regular season at home Thursday against Mosinee. 

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].