Hraby, Steliga lead Raiders to two more GNC wins

Pitching continues to carry the Medford baseball team, which may have gotten its best outing yet in Tuesday’s 2-0 win at Antigo.

Tanner Hraby fired a four-hit shutout, striking out 11 Red Robins and walking none in a key win for the Raiders in their quest to at least finish second in the Great Northern Conference. Hraby needed just 87 pitches to get all 21 outs.

“Tanner was in control all night,” Medford head coach Justin Hraby said. “Twice Antigo had runners on second and no runner got to third base. His off-speed stuff was spoton and his fastball was mixed in well to really keep them guessing. It’s exactly what we needed on a night where we did not hit that well.”

The win marked the sixth straight game Medford has held its opposition to one run or less. That’s a major reason the Raiders are up to 5-2 in the GNC and 11-2 overall.

Antigo’s pitching tandem of Riley Guenther and Grant Praslowicz was nearly as good, allowing just four Medford hits and issuing only two walks with seven strikeouts. They did combine to hit three Raiders. Guenther went 2.2 innings and took the loss thanks to some first-inning trouble.

Hraby opened the game with a double to left, Parker Lissner walked and Braxton Weissmiller reached on an infield single to load the bases with no outs. Guenther struck out Max Dietzman, but Nick Steliga reached on an error to plate Hraby. Carson Carbaugh’s sacrifice fly scored Lissner.

That wound up being it for Medford’s offense, which stranded two runners in the second inning, one in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth.

“Nick and Carson had some grind-itout at-bats to bring in both of our runs in the first inning,” coach Hraby said. “Not what they wanted, but good enough to drive in the only runs of the game.”

Tanner Hraby finished two for three. Lissner and Weissmiller had the other hits. Carbaugh was hit by pitches twice.

Antigo fell to 3-2 in the GNC and 6-3 overall with the loss. The Red Robins will travel to Medford on Friday for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch.

“Antigo is a tough team with good pitching,” Hraby said. “We will have to play well again in round two to beat them.”

Medford enters a game-heavy portion of its schedule now. Appleton West, coached by Medford native Mitch Krug, will be in town for an 11 a.m. doubleheader Saturday. The Raiders will get a Major League experience Monday when they take on Waunakee at the home of the Milwaukee Brewers, American Family Field, at 2 p.m.

There will be no rest after that as Medford returns to GNC play by going to Lakeland Tuesday, hosting the T-Birds on May 9 and then going to Northland Pines for a May 11 doubleheader.

Raiders 12, Hodags 1

Carbaugh went four for four with a double and two runs batted in and Steliga pitched a complete game seven-hitter in Medford’s 12-1 win over Rhinelander Thursday at Stafford Field.

The Raiders took early control, grabbing a 6-1 lead through two and a half innings. A three-run sixth and two-run seventh capped Medford’s second win over the Hodags in three days. The game was moved up a day to avoid potentially inclement weather that was forecasted for Friday.

Steliga struck out five and walked only one, really settling in after the Hodags put pressure on Medford’s defense in the first two innings. Rhinelander scored once in the first but left two runners on. They left two more on in the second.

“Nick was tough on the mound,” Justin Hraby said. “After a struggle in the first inning he really settled in and pitched to contact and let our defense do the work.

Hayden Strebig and Tanner Hraby had some big plays behind Nick that really set the tone defensively for us in this game. Hayden and Tanner both laying out and making plays that kept us out of big innings.”

Tied 1-1 going into the second, Medford went ahead for good when Strebig was hit by an Oscar Hanson pitch with the bases loaded, Evan Wilkins walked with the bases loaded and Lissner added a sacrifice fly.

In the third, Dietzman reached on an error. Dietzman was retired at second when Steliga’s ball fell in short center. Carbaugh followed with his double and two runs scored when reliever Dylan Vanderbunt misplayed Charlie Gierl’s grounder.

Strebig doubled in Carbaugh in the fifth. The three-run sixth was keyed by Carbaugh’s bases-loaded single that drove in courtesy runner Jack Wojcik. Gierl drew a bases-loaded walk and Strebig drove in one with a groundout.

Steliga and Carbaugh drove in runs with hits in the seventh.

“Carson Carbaugh had quite the day at the plate,” Justin Hraby said. “He was four for four and had some really good at-bats. Charlie Gierl and Hayden Strebig were RBI guys for us grinding out some quality atbats.”

Strebig was two for three with three runs batted in. Weissmiller was three for five as Medford pounded out 13 hits, drew six walks and were hit twice against three Rhinelander pitchers. Hanson was charged with four earned runs and the loss after allowing three hits, two walks and hitting back-to-back hitters in oneplus inning. Vanderbunt went 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits and eight runs, five of which were earned. He struck out four and walked four.