HEADING BACK TO STATE

Huge 11-run 6th inning clinches regional title

With double-elimination formats and pitch-count limits, it requires every available pitcher to contribute for a team to win an American Legion baseball post-season tournament.

That’s a big reason why Medford’s Post 147 squad was down, but certainly not out of Monday’s Class AA regional championship battle with host Rhinelander.

Having already lost the first game of the day to the Rebels 10-1 to force a winner- take-all finale, Medford dug itself a 5-0 hole in the third inning of game two.

But the team’s last option to eat innings, Tanner Hraby, stopped the bleeding with five huge relief innings and, in one huge swing of momentum, the offense put together a monster 11run sixth-inning rally when the Rebels had to dig deep into their pitching staff in both teams’ fifth game of the four-day tournament.

Having that last stopper was the difference in an 11-6 win that clinched Medford’s third straight appearance in a Wisconsin American Legion state tournament, of course excluding the season cancellation of 2020.

“What a great run for these boys,” head coach Justin Hraby said. “By far the most inexperienced and youngest team in this tourney, they just kept battling and getting better. I’m super proud of them.”

After qualifying in Class A in 2018 and 2019, Medford moves up a class level and will see some strong competition in this year’s state tournament, which runs Friday through Tuesday at Kretz Field in Antigo. Post 147 will face the Ahnapee Trailblazers, based out of Sturgeon Bay, at 4 p.m. Friday in its first-round game. The other three games on opening day feature Waupaca and Onalaska at 10 a.m., River Falls and Kaukauna at 1 p.m. and Beaver Dam against the host team, Antigo, at 7 p.m.

How it happened

After the game one blowout, Medford put its trust in Brigham Kelley and Tanner Hraby to get 21 outs in the third matchup of the tournament between the Rebels and Post 147, while Rhinelander still had its ace, Isaac Bixby, available for a limited number of pitches. Bixby sailed through the first innings before being replaced by Jacksen Smith and the Rebels’ offense drew first blood.

Walker Hartman walked in the top of the second, moved to third on Kolby Ridderbusch’s single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe Schneider, the winning pitcher in game one. In the third, Rhinelander loaded the bases with no outs against Kelley and scored runs on a passed ball and back-to-back singles by Bixby and Ryan Jamison. Hraby relieved Kelley and another run scored on an error on a ball hit by Ian Miller, but Hraby got two ground balls and a fly ball to keep the deficit at five.

Hraby got another big out in the top of the sixth, as Bixby popped out with the bases loaded, giving Medford a positive vibe as the team returned to the dugout for the bottom of the sixth, knowing the top of the order was due up.

Seth Mudgett provided the first spark, singling up the middle and Tanner Hraby walked, but he was forced out at second on Logan Baumgartner’s grounder. Aiden Gardner banged a double to deep right-center to score Mudgett and finally put Medford on the board. Max Dietzman singled to drive in Baumgartner.

With one out and runners on the corners, Smith was relieved by Walker Hartman and, unfortunately for him, Post 147 feasted.

Steve Hraby walked to load the bases and a wild pitch moved the runners up, making it 5-3. Kelley singled in Dietzman and Tucker Kraemer beat out an infield hit to re-load the bases. After a 10-pitch at-bat, number-nine hitter Colby Elsner grounded into a fielder’s choice that knocked in Steve Hraby with the tying run.

Mudgett and Tanner Hraby walked to give Medford a 6-5 lead.

Baumgartner then launched a groundrule double to deep left that scored two. On the very next pitch, Gardner blasted a three-run homer over the fence in leftcenter. Just like that, Medford went from down five to leading by six.

“It was great to see the boys not give up,” coach Hraby said. “They had a tough first 12 innings to the day. They allowed themselves to hang around by throwing strikes and making just enough plays on defense. Once we got a little momentum going, things started to fall in place. On two first-pitch fastballs, Aiden and Bummy jumped all over them and ended up driving five runs in on two pitches to put them away.

“And how about those big at bats with two strikes?” he added. “Steve, Brigham, Tucker, Colby and Tanner. All of those were great at-bats and all of them got on base and drove runs in.”

Rhinelander scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh, but that wasn’t nearly enough to erase the sixth-inning damage.

In his five relief innings, Hraby, who barely snuck in under his allowable pitch count, allowed three hits. He walked one and struck out one. Throwing strikes and relying on the defense to make plays behind him kept his pitch count where it needed to be. Gardner was three for four with four RBIs, Mudgett was three for three with a walk and five others had a hit apiece.

Medford would’ve clinched the state berth with a win in Monday’s first game, but Schneider was tough, allowing just three hits and four walks while striking out four. Tanner Hraby actually started this game, but the Rebels jumped ahead quickly, scoring four runs in the first, which prompted an early pitching change that wound up helping Medford at the end of the day. The Rebels added one in the second to take a quick 5-0 lead.

Kraemer and Ty Metz ate up the last six innings on the mound. Rhineland- er put it away with a five-run top of the sixth.

Medford got its run in the bottom of the sixth when Tanner Hraby walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored after singles by Baumgartner and Dietzman that broke up Schneider’s nohit bid.

Medford third baseman Brigham Kelley tags out Rhinelander’s Ryan Jamison on a third-inning fielder’s choice during Post 147’s 11-6 win over the Rebels in Monday’s Class AA regional title game.BOB MAINHARDT/NORTHWOODS RIVER NEWS