Raiders bounce back against Loggers after losing twice at Shawano Quad
MEDFORD SOFTBALL
After tasting defeat for the first time this softball season, the Medford Raiders got back on track Monday using a four-run rally in the bottom of the third inning to spark a 7-2 Senior and Youth Night win over Phillips.
The Marawood North co-champions took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, loading the bases with no outs thanks to a walk and two sacrifice bunts that did not result in outs. A passed ball and a fielder’s choice hit by Jada Eggebrecht produced the runs.
Medford also loaded the bases with no outs in its half and got a little more production. Seniors Allie Wesle and Rachael Schreiber got it started by singling and reaching on a passed ball third strike and Martha Miller walked. With one down, Morgan Huegli took a close 3-2 pitch that was called a ball to drive in courtesy runner Katie Lybert. With two outs, the team’s third senior, Delani Clausnitzer, ripped a two-run single just over the glove of shortstop Rachel Callow to give the Raiders the lead. Makala Ulrich singled in Huegli for a 4-2 lead.
Wesle singled again to lead off the fourth and Lybert wound up scoring on a double steal. A run scored when Ulrich’s bouncer was misplayed and Katie Brehm singled in the final run in the fifth.
Miller pitched into the seventh, striking out seven, walking three and allowing three hits and two earned runs. Laurissa Klapatauskas got the last three outs with balls hit on the infield.
Clausnitzer and Wesle both went two for three to lead the offense.
Eggebrecht went three innings for the Loggers (14-3) and took the loss. She allowed four unearned runs on four hits, struck out one and walked two. Kendall Weik struck out two and walked three in three innings. She allowed three runs and two hits.
The 18-2 Raiders finish the regular season tonight, Thursday, at D.C. Everest. The top seed in their sectional halfbracket, the Raiders will host either ninth-seeded Colby-Abbotsford or eighthseeded Ashland Monday in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. The regional final is set for Wednesday, June 16. If Medford wins Monday, it would host either fifthseeded Hayward or fourth-seeded Rice Lake in that game.
0-2 at Shawano
Medford’s 17-game winning streak to start the season ended Saturday with losses to traditionally-strong programs New London and Shawano at the Shawano Quad.
In an outstanding round-one pitcher’s dual, New London (17-4) beat Medford 1-0 on Shelby Glodowski’s leadoff home run in the top of the fifth inning. That was one of just three hits allowed by Miller and the Medford defense. Miller struck out 14 batters, walked two and hit one.
New London had just one other threat, putting two runners on to start the seventh. The Raiders got a key forceout at second and Miller whiffed two batters to keep the score 1-0.
The Raiders, who twice got caught trying to steal second base in the first three innings, only had multiple runners on base once and that came in their last chance in the bottom of the seventh. Klapatauskas reached on an error and went to second on a wild pitch. Ulrich hit a one-out single and stole second. The runners, however, went no further as New London’s Paeton Kringel struck out Rynn Ruesch and Brehm to end it.
Ulrich’s single broke up Kringel’s no-hit bid. The junior walked five and struck out 10 Raiders. New London is the co-champion in the Bay Conference this season. The Bulldogs and Menasha went 10-2 to top that always-competitive league.
In round two, Shawano (11-7) manufactured enough early offense to take a 4-1 win over the Raiders, who finally scored a run in the last inning of the day when Klapatauskas, Clausnitzer, Ulrich and Hope Faude all walked against reliever Braylyn Babino.
Medford had just two hits against Shawano ace Taylor Johnson in the first six innings. Klapatauskas had both.
Klapatauskas allowed four hits, three earned runs and seven walks. Shawano got two first-inning runs, added an unearned run in the third and got an RBI single from Kendra Kristof in the bottom of the fifth.
Shawano was 6-6 in the Bay Conference this season and beat Great Northern Conference runner-up Antigo in round one of the quad 9-3. New London beat Antigo 7-5 in round two.
