Raiders rally late to beat Rails; defense struggles with Viroqua

MEDFORD BASEBALL

A major winter storm forced numerous schedule changes, but the Medford Raiders did get to start their season at the Woodside Sports Complex’s High School Baseball Challenge Saturday, getting a thrilling come-from-behind win over Spooner and a good test against highly-ranked Viroqua.

Medford scored six runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth inning to knock off Spooner 10-9 in the opener. The Rails led 4-0 early and 8-4 through five and a half innings before the Raiders finally took the lead and then held on in the top of the seventh when Spooner loaded the bases with no outs.

Freshman Hayden Strebig got a big double play ground ball to shortstop Loof gan Baumgartner to help Medford escape the seventh-inning jam and pick up the save for winning pitcher Gavin Fuchs. The Rails did get a run on that double play and still had the tying run on third base, but Strebig retired Jesse Morales on a check-swing comebacker to end the threat and the game.

Offensively, the Raiders kept chipping away at Spooner’s lead throughout the game. Medford collected 15 hits and made them count in the big sixth inning rally.

“Our first game of the year was surely sloppy,” Medford head coach Justin Hraby said. “However, we did a good job of overcoming that and pulling out a nice win. Our offense found a way to keep us in the game and eventually pull it out.”

The rally started with one out. Baumgartner singled sharply to rightfield and scored on Braxton Weissmiller’s double to deep left. Max Dietzman and pinch hitter Charlie Gierl both walked to load the bases for Jacob Eckert, who punched an 0-2 pitch for a single up the middle that scored courtesy runner Alex Dittrich and Dietzman and pull the Raiders within 8-7. Miles Searles dropped a single just out of the reach of Spooner’s centerfielder to drive in pinch runner Evan Wilkins with the tying run.

“Jake Eckert probably had the at-bat of the game,” Hraby said. “The swing before that he hit a ball fair down the line that was called foul. A great job of bouncing back.”

Peyton Gilles drove in the go-ahead run with some hustle, just beating out the relay throw on a potential double play to score Eckert. Searles then scored what wound up being a big insurance run on Parker Lissner’s double on an 0-2 pitch that just stayed fair down the rightfield line. That run was the difference after Spooner’s threat in the top of the seventh.

“Hayden Strebig did a great job coming in and getting us out of a jam,” Hraby said. “It was a big spot for a young guy. It wasn’t too big for him.”

Spooner took a 3-0 lead right off the bat with an RBI groundout from Tryden Wilson, an RBI triple from Evan Potacek where Medford leftfielder Tucker Kraemer and Searles nearly collided on the drive hit to the gap in left-center and a wild pitch that scored Potacek. The Rails added one in the top of the third inning. An error on a ball hit by Weissmiller scored Medford’s first run of the season in the bottom half, but Spooner got that run back in the top of the fourth to lead 5-1.

Lissner drove in a run with a double and Baumgartner tripled him in to make it 5-3 after four. Eckert’s sacrifice fly got it to 5-4 in the fifth, the Rails got three in the top of the six to open up another fourrun lead with Wilson’s RBI triple being the big hit.

Baumgartner was four for five at the plate for Medford, Lissner was two for five with two RBIs and Tanner Hraby was two for four at the top of the order. Searles helped turn the order over by going three for three out of the eighth spot.

“Parker, Tanner and Logan at the top of the order did a good job of setting the table,” coach Hraby said.

Fuchs got the win in three innings of relief work. He did give up five runs and five hits, but he also struck out four while walking only two. Ty Metz went three innings to start the game, striking out six, walking four and allowing four earned runs and four hits.

Reliever Jesse Morales got the loss. In two innings, he allowed seven runs on eight hits.

Viroqua 7, Medford 2

The Raiders took a 2-1 first-inning lead in their second game Saturday, but a three-run second-inning rally turned the game around for the Viroqua Blackhawks, who are ranked fifth in Division 3 in the coaches pre-season baseball poll.

Pitchers Cooper Gelhaus and Ben Zahm combined to hold Medford to four hits and just one earned run, while Miles Frye, Casey Kowalczyk and Tyler Quackenbush had two hits apiece to lead Viroqua, who also beat Northwood-Solon Springs 10-9 Saturday.

“Viroqua is good,” Hraby said. “They will win a lot of games, putting a lot of pressure on opponents this season.”

Viroqua got a run off Baumgartner in the top of the first inning on two singles and a wild pitch. Medford answered that in the bottom half. Lissner led off with a base hit but was forced out at second on Hraby’s ground ball. Hraby went to third on Baumgartner’s double to the rightfield corner and scored on Weissmiller’s sacrifice fly to right. Baumgartner scored when Viroqua dropped Dietzman’s pop fly.

Medford’s lead didn’t last long. Jackson Hoyum led off the top of the second with a clean single to left and Clayton Weston beat out a bunt single. Baumgartner’s high throw to third on a Mason Hopkins sacrifice brought in a run. With one out and two runners in scoring position, Frye put down a safety squeeze bunt that drove in a run and Kevin Lendosky singled in the third run of the inning to put the Blackhawks up 4-2. The inning ended when Weissmiller threw out Lendosky trying to steal second base.

Viroqua put the game away in the fifth, scoring on an error, a wild pitch and a passed ball.

Baumgartner went three innings, striking out five, walking one and allowing five hits and four runs, three of which were earned. Tanner Hraby covered the last four innings, allowing three unearned runs in the fifth, three hits and three walks. He struck out four.

Lissner was two for four to lead Medford’s offense.

“Viroqua’s small ball execution is impressive,” Justin Hraby said. “Logan and Tanner pitched well for us. Defensively we let ourselves down. We botched a few bunts and gave them extra bases in the pitching and catching game. We have to eliminate that to beat good teams.”

Medford’s games with Merrill Tuesday and Crandon today, Thursday, were canceled. The Raiders are scheduled to face Great Northern Conference favorite Mosinee on the road Monday and at home April 13. They are also scheduled to host Division 4 power Northwood-Solon Springs in an 11 a.m. doubleheader on April 15 if field conditions allow.