QUITE A START
MEDFORD BASEBALL
Raiders blank Pines behind Guden’s no-hitter
You can’t do much better in a first start as a varsity pitcher than what Medford’s Caleb Guden did Tuesday night.
The Raiders’ rising junior collected eight strikeouts and needed just 69 pitches to record a five-inning no-hitter in Medford’s 10-0 defeat of Great Northern Conference rival Northland Pines at Raider Field. Guden walked just two batters, both in the second inning and allowed nothing else in the team’s longawaited 2021 season opener.
“Chubs was amazing,” Medford head coach Justin Hraby said. “He had a stressful inning in the second, but you take that inning out of the mix and he was near perfect. A no-hitter in his first varsity start on the mound, pretty impressive. He has worked so hard over the years and has really turned himself into one of the best ballplayers in our area.”
Offensively, the Raiders took charge with a five-run second-inning rally that gave them a 6-0 lead. With the Eagles unable to get a base runner after that, the lead was more than sufficient.
The teams will face each other again Friday in Eagle River. Tuesday’s contest was the only one played in the GNC as league games between Rhinelander and Lakeland and Tomahawk and Antigo were postponed to today, Thursday, and Mosinee’s non-conference game at Marshfield was moved to Friday due to the predicted heavy rainfall that didn’t really materialize.
A two-out throwing error on a pickoff attempt gave Medford its first run in the bottom of the first. Brigham Kelley reached on an error to start the second-inning rally. Another error on a fielder’s choice hit by Nate Retterath put runners on the corners for Joe Gierl, who came through with a hit-andrun single to drive in Kelley and put runners back on the corners. Emett Grunwald walked to load the bases for leadoff hitter Seth Mudgett. He came through with a two-run single up the middle. After a wild pitch by Northland Pines starter Mitch McCanles, Tanner Hraby and Guden hit RBI groundouts.
Centerfielder Blaine Seidl preserved the no-hitter by making a diving catch to take a bloop single away from Eagle Nolan Lurvey in the top of the third. The Raiders put things away in the bottom of the fourth. Mudgett hit a leadoff double, moved to third on Hraby’s grounder to the right side and scored on a wild pitch. Seidl walked and Aiden Gardner singled. After a wild pitch. Kelley’s single to leftfield scored Seidl and courtesy runner Steve Hraby. Two wild pitches, Kelley scored, leaving Guden with just three more outs to get to record the no-hitter.
Guden and the Raiders secured the no-no with Hraby making a nice play deep in the hole at short to retire Matthew Szanfranski and Guden notching his last two strikeouts.
Medford collected seven hits and drew five walks. Mudgett was two for three. Hraby, Gardner, Kelley, Retterath and Gierl had a hit apiece.
“We did a nice job of situational hitting,” Justin Hraby said. “We had two or three RBI groundouts and another groundout that moved a runner to third with less than two outs. Brig Kelley and Seth Mudgett delivered some big hits with runners in scoring position. Joe Gierl battled at the plate and was a tough out all night. Emett Grunwald had a great at-bat, walking, which helped spark our big five-run second.”
McCanles took the loss for Pines allowing all 10 runs and seven hits in 3.2 innings. He walked five and struck out one. Only five of the runs were earned.
After Friday’s rematch with the Eagles, Medford heads to Appleton West for a 10 a.m. doubleheader on Saturday, travels to Rhinelander and Merrill Monday and Tuesday before returning to Raider Field May 6 for a GNC rematch with the Hodags.
“We have a long ways to go, but this was exactly the start we needed,” coach Hraby said.
