Bats remain quiet as defending GNC champs drop league opener

MEDFORD SOFTBALL

It’s still early and the Medford softball team’s lofty pre-season goals are all still attainable.

But to do so, the Raiders are going to have to get out of one nasty early-season offensive funk.

Medford dropped its second straight game Tuesday and collected only one hit in a 3-1 home loss to Antigo during the Raiders’ first Great Northern Conference contest of 2022. Defensive miscues played roles in all four of the game’s runs, but Antigo put more traffic on the base paths and was the team that best took advantage of its opportunities.

“Our big strength this year was going to be offense,” Medford head coach Virgil Berndt said. “I thought I’d be able to bring anybody off the bench to hit or bunt. But nobody is. I’m just at a loss.”

Medford scored just one unearned run in its last two losses to Phillips and Antigo and, even in its last win against Shawano on April 9, struggled to scratch two runs in a 2-1 victory.

Sam Swartz came within four outs of a no-hitter Tuesday before Laurissa Klapatauskas ended the bid with a double that barely stayed fair long enough to get over third base and down the line. After Rynn Ruesch walked, a dropped pop-up hit on the infield by Hope Faude allowed Klapatauskas to score. But an interference call on Faude on another dropped pop-up hit by Morgan Huegli ended the inning and Medford’s last threat.

Swartz pitched out of the only other jam she got into in the game, and it was a big one in the bottom of the fourth, just after Antigo had taken a 2-0 lead.

Antigo second baseman Mya Burt made a nice stab of a sharp grounder hit by Martha Miller, but then threw the ball away, allowing Miller to reach. She stole second and Allie Paulson walked. Klapatauskas put a bunt down that barely got past home plate. Antigo catcher Laura Burkhart tried to get Miller at third but her throw was late on the fielder’s choice, loading the bases with no outs for the heart of Medford’s order.

But Swartz struck out Ruesch and Faude and Huegli grounded out shortstop Lily Weix.

Swartz finished with nine strikeouts and only walked two batters while hitting her spots and keeping Medford offbalance.

Both pitchers were perfect through three innings, but that bid ended quickly for Miller in the fourth when Antigo’s Makala Beck hit a leadoff single. Weix bunted her to second, then Burkhart blooped a single into no-man’s land in shallow right. An errant throw to the infi eld put runners at second and third and both scored on passed balls. In the sixth, Burkhart reached on an error, moved to third on a Swartz groundout and scored on a wild pitch.

Miller struck out 11 Red Robins, walked one and allowed three hits and one earned run. Antigo improved to 1-1 in the GNC and 2-3 overall. Mosinee is now the early GNC leader at 4-0 after sweeping a doubleheader at Rhinelander Tuesday.

The Raiders and Robins also were supposed to play Monday in Antigo but that game was postponed to May 4.

The Raiders are scheduled to play at Tomahawk tonight, Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. The Hatchets have not played a game yet. Medford hosts Wausau East in non-conference play Monday before getting Lakeland and Tomahawk at home in league play Tuesday and Thursday.