RHS baseball wins home opener

The Rhinelander High School baseball team had a strong home opener against Northland Pines on April 14. The Hodags beat the Eagles 7-2 at Stafford Field and committed no errors in the contest.

After having the game originally planned for April 13 in Eagle River, Rhinelander was able to get its field ready for play on Tuesday evening.

The Hodags’ strong defensive effort was evident from the start. With one out, starting pitcher Jackson Waydick walked Pines batter Jonah Will, but to end the inning, the Hodags turned a 6-4-3 double play, followed by one-two-three innings in the second and third. Waydick struck out the side in the Eagles’ half of the second. 

After Northland Pines started a rally in the fourth, third baseman Conner Rappley made a backhanded play to end the inning and prevent a run from scoring, keeping the damage to only one. Before that, also in the fourth, a relay throw home from left field saved another run. 

“Defensively, for us tonight, I mean, we had zero errors here,” head coach Joe Waksmonski said. “That first inning, you know, Jackson had the walk. We were able to erase that right off the bat with a double play. So right there, I mean, that’s a tone setter for us defensively.”

Some “outstanding plays to end innings,” Waksmonski said, kept his team in the game offensively. 

    Rhinelander’s Abe Gretzinger makes contact on a pitch during the third inning of a GNC baseball game against Northland Pines at Stafford Field Tuesday, April 14. Gretzinger scored the first run at Hodag Park for the 2026 season after he crossed home plate in the bottom of the third inning. (Blake Richard/River News)
  

The bats got started for the Hodags in the third inning. With one out, Rhinelander was back to the top of their order in leadoff Abe Gretzinger. He reached on an error and then made it to third before Waydick was walked to give the Hodags first and third. 

Waydick was on the move to second when the Eagles’ catcher sailed a throw over the covering shortstop’s outstretched arm and into center field, and Gretzinger was able to score. Rappley eventually hit Waydick in on a single that gave the Hodags a 2-0 advantage. 

Sawyer Bishop scored a run in the fourth after reaching on a double, hit in on an RBI single from Vince White. Rowan Wiczek capped off the scoring for the Hodags on a 2-run double in the bottom of the sixth. 

“First time through (our order), we swung and missed a lot through fastballs. But once again, when I talk about this with our team, it’s a game of adjustment. Second time, third time through ... our hitters were able to make the adjustments, you know, and really sting the ball around the yard here today,” Waksmonski said.

On the mound, Waksmonski said adjustments were a crucial component as well. Waydick struck out the side in the second, and two of the three outs in the third were strikeouts. As the Eagles worked through their order, they were able to find holes in the field and started to get some hits, but were met with a mix of pitches from Waydick.

“Jackson threw exceptionally well tonight,” Waksmonski said. “Really the first time through the order, (Jackson) got ahead with his fastball, got (Pines) out with his fastball...but then the second time (through the order), you know, they made their adjustments and they started to hit him. And then conversely, Jackson made his adjustments and started throwing a lot more of his curveballs, went to his changeup a lot more the third time through the order.” 

Waydick ended the evening with eight strikeouts and only one walk. The Eagles had three hits off the righty, before he was relieved by Wiczek in the seventh. Wiczek gave up one hit, a home run to clean-up hitter Brody Hoeft, and had three strikeouts to end the game. 

Rhinelander (2-0, 2-0 Great Northern) was scheduled to host Merrill Thursday in a game that concluded after press time for today’s edition. The Hodags are right back at it this afternoon, traveling to Tomahawk to make up a game that was postponed April 7. Those games preceed a showdown with defending GNC champ Mosinee on Monday, April 20 at Stafford Field.

Blake Richard may be reached via email at [email protected].