Regional title run starts with three wins in two days
CLASS AA RHINELANDER REGIONAL
The Medford Post 147 American Legion baseball team put itself in position to win the Rhinelander Class AA regional by winning three games in the first two days of the tournament without a loss.
Those wins gave Medford a day off on Sunday, when two elimination games were played.
A four-run second inning stood up for Post 147, who handed Rhinelander its first loss of the tournament late Saturday afternoon by a score of 4-3. Steve Hraby got the win while eating up 5.2 big innings in relief of Brigham Kelley, who recorded the first three outs before getting into trouble in the second inning.
Rhinelander threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Down 4-1, the Rebels got a leadoff walk from Ian Miller and a base hit from Walker Hartman. After Hraby got a big strikeout of Isaac Bixby, Kolby Ridderbusch singled in a run, but was thrown out as he tried to stretch it into a double with strong relay from centerfi elder Miles Searles to shortstop Logan Baumgartner to second baseman Tanner Hraby. Devyn Orth singled in Hartman to make it 4-3.
After a walk to Sam Schneider, Tanner Hraby put out the fire, however, by getting Quinn Lamers to ground out to Baumgartner in a two-pitch at-bat.
Medford’s big second inning started with Aiden Gardner drawing a walk from Rhinelander starter Ryan Jamison. Max Dietzman singled and Steve Hraby bunted for a hit to load the bases for Kelley, who drove in Gardner with a sacrifi ce fly. Tucker Kraemer walked and two runs scored on a Searles hit that was compounded by a Rhinelander error. Tanner Hraby’s two-out single drove in Kraemer, but Searles was out at home to end the inning.
Rhinelander only scored one run after Kelley walked the first three batters in the bottom half. After Steve Hraby took over, he got Ridderbusch to pop out and Orth to fly out to drive in the run. Gardner threw out Bixby as he tried to steal second.
Steve Hraby struck out one, walked three and allowed two runs and five hits. Gardner was two for two with a double. Dietzman was two for three as Post 147 had seven hits against Jamison, who went the distance for the Rebels.
Medford 8, Merrill 2
Baumgartner hit three doubles and a sacrifice fly, while Seth Mudgett got out of a first-inning jam and was in control from there in Medford’s 8-2 win over Merrill Post 46 on Saturday morning.
Merrill loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first, but Mudgett got Connor Cortright to fly out to rightfielder Steve Hraby. Post 147 put up a three-spot in the bottom half to basically lead the game wire to wire. Baumgartner started the rally with a two-out double. Gardner singled and Dietzman came through with a big two-run double. Steve Hraby singled in Dietzman.
Isaac Sutton singled in a run for Merrill in the second, but was thrown out trying to advance to second. Medford upped its lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third when Baumgartner doubled, Gardner walked and Dietzman singled to load the bases. Steve Hraby’s sacrifice fly scored Baumgartner and Gardner scored on a throwing error on the play.
Baumgartner hit an RBI double in the fifth. Leadoff singles by Searles and Mudgett led to Tanner Hraby’s RBI single and Baumgartner’s sacrifice fly in the sixth for an 8-1 lead.
Dietzman went two for four as Medford had 10 hits off Merrill starter Spencer Schneider, who walked three and did not strike out a batter. Mudgett struck out four, scattered nine hits and did not walk a batter while going the distance on 100 pitches.
Merrill beat Antigo 10-7 early Sunday afternoon to stay alive and take out the Typhoon, but Rhinelander eliminated Post 46 with a seven-run rally in the seventh and won 12-10 later that day.
Escape in game one
Medford appeared to be in control of Friday’s regional opener after scoring four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 5-1 lead, but Minocqua roared back in the bottom of the seventh where Post 147 survived 5-4 by getting the game’s last out at home plate.
Up by two with two outs and runners at the corners, Baumgartner got Minocqua’s Will Fortier to hit a fly ball down the rightfield line. Newly-inserted Alex Dittrich misplayed it and the ball barely landed in fair territory, allowing Tim Crisco to score.
However, Dittrich quickly recovered, firing the ball to the first baseman, Kelley. Kelley’s relay throw to Gardner at home plate was right on the money to nail Alex Fortier and save the day for Post 147.
Alex Fortier and Baumgartner both pitched complete games for their respective teams and threw well.
Kraemer’s two-out single scored Steve Hraby, who had doubled, with Medford’s first run in the fourth, but Minocqua countered with an unearned run in the fifth.
Medford finally got to the left-handed Fortier in the sixth. Gardner led off with a double to deep left and moved to third a wild pitch. He scored on a hit by Steve Hraby. Kelley and Kraemer singled to load the bases for Searles, who hit a ground ball to the right side. The 89ers tried to cut down Hraby at home plate, but he beat the throw for a 3-1 lead. Mudgett hit a sacrifice fly to score Kelley and Tanner Hraby singled in Kraemer.
Baumgartner singled as well, but Searles was taken out at home on a perfect throw from Crisco in centerfield.
Baumgartner allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out nine through the first six innings. But Carter Quade opened the seventh with a bad-hop single past Kelley and Josh Wagendorf followed with an infield hit to put a late rally into motion. Baumgartner struck out Sam Strasburg, but Crisco singled in Quade and Wagendorf scored on a passed ball. Baumgartner froze Keaton Brewer-Crownhart on a nice curve ball for the second out, but Alex Fortier singled to set up Will Fortier’s final at-bat.
Kraemer was three for three for Medford and Baumgartner was two for four.
Minocqua was eliminated from the tournament Saturday with a 13-0 loss to Antigo.
DH sweep
Medford concluded its regular season by winning a pair of five-inning games July 21 against Park Falls at Jaycee Field.
Baumgarter, Mudgett and Steve Hraby combined on a four-hit shutout in a 2-0 first game. Medford scored its runs in the first inning. Mudgett doubled and Baumgartner, who had two hits in the game, drove him in with a base hit to left. Baumgartner went to second on an error, took third on a wild pitch and scored when Gardner got picked off.
Baumgartner and Mudgett pitched two innings apiece. Hraby covered the fifth and induced a game-ending double play that was started by third baseman Ty Metz. Baumgartner struck out four, while Mudgett fanned two.
Medford scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to secure the game-two win. Searles led off with a hit and Dittrich walked. Kraemer’s one-out single scored Searles to tie it. After Tanner Hraby walked to load the bases, Baumgartner lined a rocket off the fence to win it.
Tanner Hraby had six strikeouts in his two innings on the hill, while allowing four hits and two earned runs. Steve Hraby fanned three and allowed two hits while getting the win in the final 2.1 innings. Tanner Hraby and Baumgartner had two hits.
Mudgett tripled and scored on Tanner Hraby’s base hit to pull Medford within 2-1 in the bottom of the first. Dietzman singled, Parker Crass doubled and those two scored on groundouts by Searles and Dittrich for a 3-2 second-inning lead that disappeared when Park Falls scored twice in the top of the third.
Logan Baumgartner mows down Minocqua’s hitters early in Friday’s 5-4 win over the 89ers in the opening game of the regional tournament.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
