Post 147 strikes in late innings for Monday sweep

LEGION BASEBALL

Medford’s American Legion Post 147 baseball team broke ties in the fourth inning of both five-inning games Monday and swept a doubleheader with its northern neighbors from Rib Lake for the second time in 11 days.

Clutch two-out hits from Parker Lissner and Braxton Weissmiller drove in the goahead runs in a 5-3 win in game one. Medford used a five-run rally to break a scoreless tie and eventually take game two 5-1.

Amazingly, all 10 innings were played despite the storm clouds that circled Jaycee Field from about the third inning of game one through the finish. Yet barely a drop of rain ever fell on the field and the third doubleheader of the summer between the two teams was completed as planned.

Post 147 improved to 9-3 for the summer, including a 5-1 record against Rib Lake, who is 7-7 overall and 6-2 against everyone it’s played besides Medford.

Rib Lake started strong in game one, jumping ahead 2-0 in the first inning. Talon Scheithauer led off by drawing a walk from Medford pitcher Hayden Strebig. He stole second and scored on an error on a ball hit by Jackson Blomberg. Blomberg eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Brady Heiser.

Post 147 countered with a three-run rally in the second. Carbaugh led off with a base hit, stole second and went to third on an error on a ball hit by Jack Wojcik. With two out, Evan Wilkins’ tapper went for an infield hit that scored Carbaugh. Lissner’s infield hit drove in Wojcik with the tying run and Wilkins scored on a wild pitch.

Rib Lake had a big chance to regain control in the top of the fourth, loading the bases with no outs on two hit batters and a base hit by Heiser. Wojcik, who relieved Strebig after the two hit batters, induced a double-play ground ball from Tyler Matyka that did bring in the tying run. But it allowed Medford to get out of the inning without further damage when Wojcik got a strikeout for the third out.

Medford took the lead for good in its half. Logan Kawa walked and Wojcik bunted for a hit. Kawa wound up getting thrown out at home on a bouncer hit by Wilkins to Blomberg at short. That was the second out of the inning. But Lissner and Weissmiller singled in runs to break the tie and provide the home team’s winning margin.

Wojcik got the relief win, striking out two and allowing a hit in two innings. That fourth-inning hit by Heiser was the only one Rib Lake had in the game. Talon Scheithauer pitched all four innings for Rib Lake, striking out three and walking one while allowing eight hits. He pitched out of a first-inning spot where Medford had runners at the corners with one out. Lissner was three for three for Post 147.

Carbaugh shut out Rib Lake for four innings in game two, allowing just one hit, a first-inning single by Andrew Wudi. Rib Lake’s Dominic Quednow held Medford scoreless through three on three hits. But the home team broke through in the fourth.

Carbaugh and Kawa were hit by pitches and Wojcik walked to load the bases with no outs. Quednow struck out Strebig but a wild pitch scored Carbaugh and a walk to Wilkins re-loaded the bases. Wudi took over the pitching duties and was greeted by an RBI single from Lissner. Weissmiller walked to drive in a run, Max Dietzman hit a sacrifice fly and an error on a ball hit by Charlie Gierl plated the fifth run.

Carbaugh ran out of gas in the fifth, walking the first three hitters. Lissner took over and immediately got Wudi to ground into a double play that did score a run but for all intents and purposes, killed Rib Lake’s potential rally.

Medford outhit Rib Lake 5-1. Lissner had two of Medford’s hits.

Rib Lake hosts Merrill tonight, Thursday, at 6 p.m. and Tomahawk on Tuesday, also at 6 p.m. Medford was scheduled to play at Chequamegon Wednesday and host Auburndale on Friday, Marathon on Monday and Tomahawk on July 19, all at 6 p.m.

Medford then begins post-season play by hosting a five-team Class AA regional tournament starting on July 21.