RHS Sports recap: Sunday, March 29

Softball: Rhinelander 5, Phillips 3, 4 inn.

The Rhinelander High School softball claimed the championship in its brackets of the Danny Mac Softball Classon on Sunday, defeating the Phillips Loggers 5-3 in the Hodag Dome in a four-inning game due to the tournament's time limit. 

Neither team wasted time scoring, with Phillips striking right away with three runs in the top of the first. Rhinelander answered with two of their own in the bottom. Phillips went scoreless the rest of the game, but the Hodags crossed the plate two more times in the third and once more in the fourth. 

Kaydn Taylor had an RBI double in the first that scored leadoff batter Chase Verbist. Taylor also reached on an infield hit before scoring the second run of the third. The first run in the third was accounted for by Kendall Vanney, who hit a single and scored on a pass ball. Maddie Paulson scored two runs and had a stolen base. 

Aleece Johnson pitched all four innings and had six strikeouts, catching half of her victims looking. Johnson allowed two earned runs on three Logger hits. 

The Hodags (4-1, 0-0 Great Northern) are off to their best start since 2016. They are scheduled to play conference games against at Lakeland on Tuesday and at Medford on Thursday. 

A full report will be published in Friday’s River News.