14-run inning caps sweep of Tomahawk Cubs

POST 147 LEGION BASEBALL

Medford’s American Legion Post 147 baseball team ended Great Northern Legion Conference play with an offensive explosion Monday, scoring 14 fourth-inning runs to bury the host Tomahawk Cubs 19-1.

The win completed a sweep of the Cubs in a four-day span and put Medford at 6-2 in league play and 10-3 overall for the summer. Post 147 will, in all likelihood, finish second in the five-team conference. Undefeated Rhinelander was scheduled to play at Minocqua Wednesday and host Minocqua Friday. A win in either of those games clinches the outright GNLC title for the Rebels.

Medford already held a 5-1 lead before the big fourth inning in Monday’s win. The team scored twice in the second. Nick Steliga was hit by a Marcus Matti pitch with one out, Miles Searles singled with two outs and Tucker Kraemer singled to drive in Steliga. Searles scampered to third and scored on an errant throw by catcher Tyler Jablonski.

In the top of the third, Parker Lissner walked, Braxton Weissmiller singled and both advanced on a wild pitch. Max Dietzman’s single scored Lissner, Weissmiller scored on Ty Metz’s groundout and Dietzman eventually scored on a bases-loaded walk by Searles.

Hard singles to left by Hraby and Lissner off reliever Monte Framke got the big fourth inning started. Weissmiller tucked a bouncer just fair down the leftfield line for a double to drive in the first run of the rally. Dietzman and Metz singled in runs to make it 8-1.

Left-hander Ethan Ihn took over on the mound for Tomahawk and the first batter to face him, Steliga, reached on an error, scoring Dietzman. Metz scored on Dittrich’s groundout. Searles hit an RBI single to make it 11-1. Kraemer and Gavin Fuchs walked to load the bases for Tanner Hraby, who hit a tapper to third but the throw home was high, allowing Searles to score. Lissner walked in a run, Weissmiller hit a sacrifice fly and Dietzman walked to re-load the bases. Metz lined an RBI single to left-center, Steliga dropped an RBI single into shallow center, Dittrich dumped an RBI single to right, Tomahawk dropped an infield pop-up by Searles and another error on a Kraemer ground ball brought in the 14th run of the inning.

Hraby went three for five, while Weissmiller, Dietzman, Metz and Searles had two hits apiece. Medford outhit Tomahawk 16-2. The Cubs got their run on a wild pitch in the third.

Metz was the winning pitcher, striking out seven, walking three and allowing a hit and a run in three innings. Fuchs struck out four and allowed a hit in two innings. Grant Albrecht was Tomahawk’s most effective pitcher, allowing a hit and a walk while getting the last four outs.

Medford is scheduled to close out its regular season with a non-conference game at Merrill on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.

The Class AA regional tournament will be held in Merrill starting on Friday, July 22. Medford plays Rhinelander in game one at 5 p.m., followed by Antigo against Merrill. Those four teams will continue the double-elimination tournament through the weekend with the champion advancing to state play in Fort Atkinson July 29-Aug. 2.

Medford 6, Tomahawk 1

Three pitchers combined to strike out 11 Cubs, Logan Baumgartner crushed a long home run in the third inning and Jacob Eckert’s two-run single gave Medford an early cushion during a 6-1 home win over Tomahawk on Friday night.

Eckert’s hit pushed Medford’s lead to 4-0 in the second inning, which Baumgartner extended to 5-0 the next inning when he crushed a Brady Marten pitch, sending it deep into the tennis courts beyond the leftfield fence.

Baumgartner also started the game on the mound, striking out six, walking two and allowing one hit in three innings. Seth Mudgett struck out three, walked three and allowed two walks and a hit in in three innings, while Metz struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning.

Medford took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first innings. Hraby reached on a one-out error and stole second. He scored on Dietzman’s double. Dietzman scored on Metz’s bloop single to right.

Eckert’s two-out bouncer up the middle in the second drove in Kraemer, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, and Dittrich, who had singled and advanced a base on a wild pitch.

Tomahawk got its run in the fifth when Tanner Graham walked, stole second, took third on a ground ball and then got a great break off third and stole home. Post 147 got that run back in the sixth on Kraemer’s single to left, which was misplayed, allowing him to advance an extra base and Steliga to score easily from second.

Metz led Medford at the plate by going three for three. Dittrich was two for three.

Marten went the distance for Tomahawk, allowing nine hits and six runs, four of which were earned. He struck out two and walked three.

Members of Medford’s American Legion Post 147 were on hand for the singing of the National Anthem before Friday’s baseball game with Tomahawk.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

Medford Post 147 third baseman Nick Steliga tags Tomahawk’s Tanner Graham, who is an easy out at third base while trying to stretch a double into a triple during Friday’s 6-1 win for Medford. Graham hit the baseball to deep leftfield, but throws from Jacob Eckert and Logan Baumgartner beat him to third base by plenty.