Five-game run puts Raiders at 9-2 with big stretch ahead

MEDFORD BASEBALL

The Medford Raiders sit atop the current Great Northern Conference baseball standings and are climbing up the Division 2 state rankings as they sit at 7-0 and 9-2 while nearing the mid-point of this quickly-moving 2021 regular season.

The sixth-ranked Raiders extended their current win streak to five Tuesday by making quick work of Tomahawk 8-0 on Parents’ Night at Raider Field. A win at Tomahawk in the rematch Friday would set up a pretty important week of GNC play next week when the Raiders go to Antigo Monday and host the Red Robins May 20. Antigo is 5-0 in league play, is ranked seventh in this week’s Division 2 state poll and will close out its week against Lakeland, who it beat 16-2 on Tuesday.

The Raiders’ full-bore May schedule also includes a trip to the Adams-Friendship tournament on Saturday where they will take on East Troy in their first game at 12:30 p.m. Portage and the host Green Devils get the tournament started at 10 a.m. Medford also has two Wisconsin Valley Conference challenges next week, visiting Wausau East Tuesday and Stevens Point for a doubleheader May 21.

As for Tuesday’s win over the winless Hatchets, the Raiders got three hits from Spike Alexander and two apiece from Caleb Guden, Blaine Seidl, Nate Retterath and Aiden Gardner as part of a 14hit attack. Alexander went five innings on the hill, striking out seven, walking one and allowing just three hits. Tanner Hraby covered the last two innings and, after allowing a single and a hit in the seventh, ended the game by getting a comebacker for a double play off the bat of Isaiah Scheffler and striking out Brayden Jones.

All 14 players got into the game and contributed, always a plus on Parents’ Night.

“Parents’ Night is always a special night,” head coach Justin Hraby said. “I am happy that we were able to get all 14 boys in the game. I was really pleased with what all of them gave us. I am thankful that we have good parents in the program.”

The offense did most of its damage in the second and third innings. Guden had the key hit that ignited a five-run second. With two outs and runners on second and third, the Hatchets chose to pitch to one of the GNC’s hottest hitters and he made them pay, sharply bouncing a rundouble down the rightfield line. Tanner Hraby bounced a single through the left side to plate Guden. Alexander dumped a double into left-center and Blaine Seidl lined another double to deep center to score two runs.

Nate Retterath doubled and went to third on an errant throw to start the third. He scored on a throwing error on Gardner’s infield single. Guden laced a two-out triple to the fence in right to later score courtesy runner Desmon Firnstahl.

Brigham Kelley tripled with two outs in the fourth and scored on a base hit by Retterath.

Marcus Matti took the loss for Tomahawk. He went the distance, allowing eight hits, eight earned runs and a walk.

“Spike pitched well and looked really comfortable at the plate,” Justin Hraby said. “He has been a big-time contributor for us this season. Caleb and Blaine continued to be feared hitters in our lineup. Both played a big role in our win.”

Raiders 8, Tigers 3

Medford came up with a few clutch hits, Marshfield didn’t and that was the difference in the Raiders’ 8-3 non-conference win at Jack Hackman Field Monday.

Guden had the big shot, splitting Marshfield’s left and centerfielders for a three-run double off reliever Nick Urban with two outs in the top of the fourth. That broke a 1-1 tie. Ahead of Guden, Retterath had walked, Alexander had singled and after a popout and a fielder’s choice, Emett Grunwald had walked.

Leading 4-2 in the seventh, Medford opened up some breathing room with a four-run rally. Guden singled to cap a three for three day. Tanner Hraby’s hitand- run grounder pushed Guden to third. One out later, Seidl singled in Guden. Retterath singled and Alexander singled in Seidl. Aiden Gardner’s two-run single made it 8-2.

“The difference in the game was clutch hitting with two outs,” Justin Hraby said. “I don’t think our pitchers had a clean inning all night. They left 14 runners on base. There was traffic out there all night. Our pitching and defense did a good job of making plays and pitches when needed. All eight of our runs came with big hits with two outs.”

Medford’s first run came in the top of the first on Seidl’s two-out single, which scored Guden.

Seth Mudgett dodged a lot of bullets but got the win. In four innings, he struck out four, walked two and allowed seven hits and two earned runs. Kelley made his pitching debut for 2021 and covered 2.2 innings, striking out two and walking five. He allowed an unearned run and a hit. The Tigers loaded the bases and scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Alexander shut down the rally with a four-pitch strikeout.

“Seth did a great job of getting out of jams,” Hraby said. “He kept his cool and made some big pitches to minimize the damage in his four innings. Brigham was good in his first two innings. He just struggled to get that last out. Spike did what he does and closed down the game.”

Alexander was three for four and Seidl was two for four. Medford had 12 hits off three Marshfield pitchers. Cody Donahue got the start and took the loss, going 3.2 innings. He allowed five hits, four earned runs and three walks while striking out three.

“Spike had some big hits,” Hraby said. “If we can get his bat going we are going to score more runs.”

Doubleheader sweep

Medford’s pitching was again superb and the offense did its part in 10-0 and 6-2 Great Northern Conference wins over Lakeland Saturday at Raider Field.

Guden and Mudgett teamed up to limit Lakeland to four hits in the five-inning first game. Guden struck out eight in four innings. Mudgett struck out one in a 1-2-3 fifth.

“Caleb was good again for us on the mound,” Justin Hraby said. “He continues to go after hitters and keep his pitch count down. If he continues to pitch like that, we will be tough to beat with him out there.”

He got all the support he needed with a five-run rally in the bottom of the first. Guden led off with a base hit and Tanner Hraby reached on an error. Seidl doubled to drive in Guden. Kelley’s base hit knocked in Hraby. Seidl scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Alexander that forced Kelley at second. Logan Baumgartner reached on an error to score Alexander. Retterath later knocked in Baumgartner with a base hit.

Seidl extended the lead to 6-0 with a two-out solo home run to left in the second.

Alexander and Grunwald singled to set the table for Guden who, while hitting from the right side, blasted his second homer in three days, a three-run bomb to left-center with two outs in the third.

Alexander drove in the final run with a ground ball in the fourth.

Guden and Kelley both went two for three in the win. Seidl was two for two. The Raiders collected eight hits and six earned runs off Lakeland lefty Alex Fortier in his three innings. Keaton Brewer walked two and allowed a hit and a run in the fourth. Max Toijala was two for three for Lakeland.

“Blaine and Caleb are very dynamic hitters,” Hraby said of his home run hitters in the win. “You know when they are at the plate they have the capability of getting us some runs with one swing.” Baumgartner took a no-hitter into the sixth inning of game two but had to settle for a four-hitter in a complete-game, 104-pitch effort in Medford’s 6-2 win. Baumgartner struck out 10 and walked two.

“Logan was impressive on the mound,” Justin Hraby said. “His fastball location was great and his curveball was sharp and tough to hit. It was a great start. I was most impressed with how he wiggled himself out of the jam in the sixth, striking out their four and five hitters.”

Medford again jumped ahead quickly. The Raiders got two in the top of the first when Guden singled, went to second on a wild pitch and scored in Hraby’s single. Hraby later scored on a wild pitch by Lakeland starter Zach Petersen. Mudgett walked in the fourth, advanced on a Retterath single and a Grunwald fielder’s choice and scored on a wild pitch. Kelley’s sacrifice fly scored Hraby in the top of the fifth to make it 4-0.

Lakeland’s sixth-inning rally started with the T-Birds’ first hit, a single to left by Will Bronoski. Toijala bounced a one-out single to right and Petersen singled to right to knock in Bronoski and Toijala scored on a throwing error. Will Fortier singled and a bad throw put runners at second and third, but that’s when Baumgartner got his big strikeouts of Alex Fortier and Garrett Tobias to get out of it.

Tanner Hraby, who went three for four and scored three times, led off the top of the seventh with a single, Joe Gierl walked and Seidl singled to load the bases with no outs against reliever Will Fortier. Kelley’s fielder’s choice scored Hraby and Alexander bunted for a hit to drive in Gierl.

“Tanner had a good game at the plate,” Justin Hraby said. “He set the table by getting on and stealing three bases. He scored three of our six runs. That’s what he needs to do as he has a lot of good hitters behind him.”

Guden and Retterath each went two for four in the win.

Petersen took the loss, allowing six hits and four runs, two of which were earned in 4.2 innings. He struck out four and walked two. Will Fortier went 2.1 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs. He walked one.

Medford 5, Hodags 1

Guden homered to lead off the bottom of the first and Alexander came within one pitch of a shutout in his second straight solid outing to start the spring in a 5-1 win over Rhinelander Thursday at Raider Field.

Alexander was the second Raider pitcher in a four-day span to come up one out shy of a complete game. He went 6.2 innings, allowing just four hits and three walks while striking out eight. Rhinelander’s seventh-inning run was unearned and scored on Isaac Bixby’s two-out single up the middle.

With runners on the corners, Baumgartner needed one pitch to end the game, getting Joe Schneider to bounce out to Nate Retterath at first base.

Offensively, the Raiders didn’t make a ton of solid contact against Schneider and reliever Quinn Lamers, but they took advantage of their opportunities to build a comfortable lead by the middle innings.

Guden’s first-inning homer to rightcenter came on a 2-2 pitch from Schneider, who pitched the first four innings for the Hodags. Guden was the Raider who pitched 6.2 innings on May 3 in a 3-1 win at Rhinelander. Tanner Hraby followed the homer with a base hit and he advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw and wild pitch. He scored on a sacrifi ce fly to right by Seidl.

The Raiders doubled their lead in the third. Seidl singled, stole second and went to third on a passed ball. After Alexander walked with one out, Baumgartner hit a fly ball to shallow center that Hodag Tim Fox had to make a diving catch on. That allowed Seidl to walk home on the sacrifice fly. Retterath beat out an infield hit and Grunwald beat the throw after a bobble on his ground ball to third to drive in Mudgett, who courtesy ran for Alexander.

Hraby doubled to right-center in the fourth and scored on a two-out error on a ball hit by Brigham Kelley.

Grunwald went two for three and was on base three times out of the ninth spot in the batting order. Hraby was two for four. The Raiders got six hits off Schneider, who struck out four and walked three. Lamers allowed two hits in two innings, struck out one and walked one.

Caleb Guden is happy about his leadoff home run during Medford’s 5-1 win over Rhinelander last Thursday.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS