Down to last strike, Medford battles way into Monday’s final

CLASS AA LEGION REGIONAL

By losing its first game on Friday, Medford’s American Legion Post 147 baseball played with its backs against the wall the rest of the weekend in the Class AA Medford regional tournament.

Twice, the team was down a run going into its potential final at-bat in its second game of Sunday, an 11-inning thriller against Merrill. But Post 147 never said die and with its 6-5 win, its third straight win of the tournament, Medford worked its way into Monday night’s championship game in the five-team, double-elimination tournament.

Down to its last strike Sunday, Medford tied Merrill Post 46 at 4-4 on Logan Kawa’s RBI infield single in the bottom of the seventh and tied it again at 5-5 in the ninth on Max Dietzman’s RBI single. Then, thanks to 5.2 innings of relief pitching with no earned runs allowed by Hayden Strebig, Medford finally won it in the 11th on an error by Merrill on bases- loaded ground ball hit by Nick Steliga.

Merrill would have clinched the tournament championship without a loss had it been able to close the game out in the seventh or ninth innings. Instead, Medford came from behind again on Monday to beat Merrill 5-4 and win the tournament (see page 1).

“It was definitely fun, but it’s hard to have that kind of a battle especially after playing two games in one day and having one go to the 11th inning,” Dietzman said of the extra-inning win. “That was, what, six and a half hours of baseball? What a long night.”

“We just kept battling the whole tournament,” infielder and leadoff hitter Tanner Hraby said. “We didn’t give up.”

Merrill stranded the potential goahead run at second in the top of the 11th and, with the top of the order due up, Medford was poised to strike in the bottom half. Tanner Hraby led off with a base hit to left. Parker Lissner tried to sacrifice him to second, but his bunt flew over Merrill pitcher Isaak Clapper, who recovered to throw out Hraby at second base, though it was a close call as the ball was dropped, but it was ruled to have happened after the out was recorded.

Braxton Weissmiller then doubled to the gap in left-center. This time, it was Medford getting the benefit of the doubt on a close call as Merrill very nearly got Lissner, who had to dive back into third base after rounding it a bit too far.

Merrill intentionally walked Dietzman to load the bases and set up a force at any base. Post 46 got the bouncer to second it was looking for from Steliga, but the throw home was mishandled, allowing Lissner to score.

Medford had a 3-1 lead through four innings, but Merrill grabbed its first lead over the next two innings. Nick Palecek and Clapper hit back-to-back doubles to start the top of the fifth to make it 3-2 and Connor Cortright walked, but the rally fizzled when Sam Reimann hit a bouncer to third. Medford’s infield got the out at second, was late trying to complete the double play at first, but Clapper tried to score and was cut down on a throw from Dietzman to Kawa.

In the sixth, Merrill’s Nathan Brzoznowski led off with an infield single and was sacrificed to second by Brady Norton. After Braiden Voigt walked, Palecek singled to left to score Brzoznowski. Strebig relieved starter Carson Carbaugh at that point and was greeted by the go-ahead single from Clapper. But Cortright lined into a double play that kept Merrill’s lead at one. Post 46 stranded two runners in the seventh and that inability to add to the lead cost it in the bottom half.

Lissner drew a leadoff walk and Weissmiller singled to right. Clapper struck out Dietzman and got one out away from ending it when Steliga grounded into a fielder’s choice, wiping out Weissmiller at second. But Kawa, on an 0-2 count, grounded a ball deep into the hole at short and beat out Reimann’s throw to drive in Lissner with the tying run.

“Not much was going through my head,” Kawa said. “All I knew was see ball, hit ball and that’s what I tried to do. Luckily I had enough speed, because I’m really not fast.”

Merrill loaded the bases in the ninth with one out. Medford had a chance to get out of it unscathed when Norton hit an infield fly, but an error on a ball hit by Voigt made it 5-4. Strebig struck out Palecek to keep it there. Post 147 answered with a one-out single by Weissmiller, a passed ball and Dietzman’s seeing-eye single up the middle.

Medford’s early offense included a Hraby double and a run-scoring groundout by Lissner in the first, an RBI single by Hraby in the second that made it 2-0 and Hraby’s second RBI single of the game in the fourth that answered a long solo home run by Merrill’s Brady Kanitz in the top half of that inning.

“Scoring early was key,” head coach Justin Hraby said. “Putting the pressure on them early is what I think kept us in the game. Tanner and Braxton swung the bat well and either set the table or drove guys in. Logan Kawa had a huge at-bat in the seventh to tie the game. He got down 0-2 and found a way to put the ball in play on his infield hit.”

Hraby went four for six for Medford, while Weissmiller had hits in three atbats against Clapper to go three for five. Medford outhit Merrill 13-10. Clapper and Palecek had two hits apiece for Merrill.

Carbaugh pitched 5.1 innings for Medford, allowing four earned runs on seven hits. He struck out two, walked five and hit one. Strebig allowed just three hits with six strikeouts, four walks and two hit batters. Clapper took the relief loss, going 5.1 innings and allowing eight hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out six and walking three. Tyson Glisch covered the first five innings. He allowed five hits and three runs, two earned, while striking out three and walking four.

“Carson Carbaugh got the start and did a great job for us,” Justin Hraby said. “He got us into the sixth. The youngster, Strebig, then came in and pitched us through the 11th. Both made some huge pitches with two outs and runners on.”

Medford 8, Rebels 4

Medford’s first game on Sunday offered some sweet revenge as Post 147 knocked out the Rhinelander Rebels 8-4. Rhinelander beat Medford 8-1 on Friday.

This time, Post 147 took advantage of the bottom of the Rebels’ pitching rotation and some defensive miscues to build a quick 6-0 lead and basically coast from there. Tanner Hraby pitched 5.1 solid innings to get the win, allowing six hits and four runs on five strikeouts and just two walks. Carbaugh pitched a quick 1.2 innings, allowing a hit and getting a double-play ball to end the game. “Tanner did a great job of mixing and keeping a solid lineup in check,” Justin Hraby said. “Carson came in and was very efficient getting the last five outs. Our bats came alive early and we were able to tack on runs throughout the first few innings.”

Post 7 from Rhinelander was not as fortunate as starter Dylan Vanderbunt got just three outs and was lifted with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the second inning.

Charlie Gierl’s RBI single capped a two-run first. Carbaugh was hit by pitch –– the first of three straight times that happened –– to start the second, Evan Wilkins and Hraby walked to load the bases and an error on a ball by Lissner made it 3-0. Weissmiller followed with an RBI single to end Vanderbunt’s day. Sam Schneider walked Dietzman and Steliga hit a run-scoring grounder for a 6-0 lead.

Lissner’s RBI single in the third made it 7-1 and an error on a ball hit by Gierl in the fourth drove in Medford’s last run, making it 8-2.

Weissmiller and Gierl both went two for four to lead Medford’s seven-hit attack. Wilkins had the defensive highlight of the win, fully extending on a diving catch in centerfield that robbed Ryan Jamison of extra bases and at least one RBI in the second, keeping it a 6-1 game at the time.

Medford 7, Minocqua 0

Steliga threw a complete-game fourhit shutout, Dietzman homered and the offense took advantage of five errors Saturday night while eliminating the Minocqua 89ers 7-0. Steliga gave up just four hits, struck out eight, walked three and hit one. Medford had just five hits off Minocqua’s Logan Gray Ives and Cooper Johnson, but one of those was Dietzman’s solo homer to right that put Medford on the board in the bottom of the second and wound up being the only run Post 147 needed.

Of course, Post 147 got several more runs than that. Hraby’s run-scoring grounder made it 2-0 in the third. A threeerror fourth by Minocqua in the fourth paved the way for two more runs. Jack Wojcik hit a sacrifice fly in the inning.

A three-run sixth put it away. Carbaugh and Hraby had run-scoring singles in the rally and Lissner drove in a run with a groundout.

Minocqua only had multiple base runners twice.

“Nick Steliga pitched one of the best games he’s ever pitched,” coach Hraby said. “He took the ball and was lights out for us.”

Rebels 8, Medford 1

Having momentum from a 6-3 win over Eagle River earlier in the day, Rhinelander handed Medford an 8-1 loss Friday evening in the last game of day one in the tournament.

A 3-0 game got away from Post 147 in a three-run bottom of the fifth, highlighted by a two-run triple by Jacksen Smith, who was singled in by Vanderbunt. Max Ratty’s two-run single in the sixth made it 8-0 before Medford finally got on the board in the top of the seventh. Steliga hit a bad hop single over second baseman Cody Everson and Jack Wojcik reached on an error. Jamison finally reached his 105-pitch limit and was relieved by Smith. He got two outs, then Lissner reached on an error, allowing Steliga to score but Wojcik was cut down on a close play also trying to score to end it.

Ty Metz started for Medford and went 4.1 innings, allowing six runs, five of which were earned, on six hits. Carbaugh covered the last 2.2 innings. Ratty had three RBIs for the Rebels.

Jamison was tough, not allowing an earned run and just two hits in six-plus innings. Lissner broke up the no-hitter with a two-out single in the fifth. Jamison struck out eight and walked five.

Medford pitcher Carson Carbaugh closed out Sunday’s win over Rhinelander by quickly recording the last five outs. He started the second game of the day with Merrill and pitched into the sixth.BOB MAINHARDT/NORTHWOODS RIVER NEWS

Medford third baseman Parker Lissner makes a strong throw to first baseman Max Dietzman to retire Merrill’s Nate Palecek and end the top of the sixth inning during Monday’s 5-4 win at Jaycee Field. Shortstop Tanner Hraby backs up the play. The out stranded a runner at second to keep the score 3-1. Medford then rallied to score four runs in the bottom half of the inning.MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS