Reds rally to beat Westboro; local teams drop first games
DAIRYLAND LEAGUE
The Dairyland League kicked off its 2021 baseball season this past weekend by getting in four games, three of which did not go well for local teams and another where local squads squared off.
In that all-local contest, the Whittlesey Reds rebounded from a disastrous top of the fourth inning that put them behind by five runs and beat the Westboro Trojans 10-8 at Mike Roiger Stadium Sunday.
Down 8-3 after giving up seven runs and committing five errors in the fourth, the Reds got two runs back in the fifth, got an unearned run in the sixth and then won it with four runs in the seventh, keyed by a hit batter, a double from Ryan Kraschnewski and three walks.
Dustin Freeman doubled in the game’s first run for Westboro in the top of the first. Whittlesey countered with two in its half, getting an RBI double to deep right-center from Jeff Kraschnewski and a sacrifice fly by John McMurry.
BJ Wiegel’s opposite-field double to left started the big fourth inning for the Trojans and Matt Krueger reached on an error. A misplay on a ball hit by Javon Penney scored a run and two runs scored on an errant throw on Taylor Brayton’s bunt. Connor Westfall, Marcus Klemm and Cameron Diedrich all singled, another error, a bases-loaded walk by Wiegel and Krueger’s RBI groundout capped the long inning.
Whittlesey pitching, however, shut down Westboro over the last five innings, allowing the Reds to come back.
Whittlesey has a key early-season matchup at Wausau Saturday. First pitch is at 1:30 p.m. Westboro is at rival Rib Lake for a 7:30 p.m. game on Friday.
Elsewhere in the league’s opening weekend:
_ John Roberts went five for six with five runs batted in, including a three-run homer in a five-run eighth inning that put away the Wausau River Hawks’ 14-1 win at Medford Saturday night.
Jordan Huehnerfuss pitched all eight innings for Wausau, striking out 10 and walking one while allowing just five hits. Taylor Shaw and Austin Davies both had two of Medford’s hits.
Wausau scored three in the first and the Moondogs countered with their only run in the bottom half. Shaw and Trenton Woebbeking singled and completed a double steal with an errant throw allowing Shaw to score.
It was a 6-1 game until the seventh when Wausau started to pull away with three more runs. Alex Osness and Roberts hit RBI singles. The five-run eighth put it way out of reach.
Brett Paul went 6.1 innings and took the loss for Medford, who visits Pittsville this Sunday 1:30 p.m.
_ Speaking of Pittsville, the River Bandits traveled to Rib Lake Sunday and shut down the Interwald Woodticks 7-1.
Sawyer Ladick shut down Interwald, allowing just six hits and one earned run in six innings. He walked five and struck out five.
Eric Neve had three hits for the visitors and Ryan Schwanebeck and Nathan Dupee both homered.
Interwald is scheduled to visit Everest Friday at 7 p.m. for the Merchants’ league opener.
_ Rib Lake fell 5-3 at Tomahawk on Saturday night. The Osprey took a 1-0 lead in the first but then fell behind 3-1 by the end of the third. Austin Zondlo’s RBI single got Rib Lake within 3-2 in the fourth and the Osprey got within 4-3 in the seventh, but they never got over the hump as Titan pitchers Eli Wurl and Caleb Armstrong held them down.
_ Merrill at Marshfield was rained out Sunday afternoon.
Cash Thums steps in for mayor Mike Wellner and throws out the first pitch during the Medford Moondogs and Chamber of Commerce season kickoff Saturday night.
Medford third baseman Mikel Delzer throws out Wausau’s Nick Stubbe during Saturday’s third inning.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
