DAIRYLAND LEAGUE LARGE - Whittlesey tightens Large logjam by sweeping Rapids Redhawks

DAIRYLAND LEAGUE LARGE

A doubleheader sweep Sunday over the Wisconsin Rapids Redhawks got the Whittlesey Reds back over .500 in Large Division play within the Dairyland Baseball League and kept them with a mathematical shot at still securing a piece of the title in what has been an anyone-can-beat-anyone division this summer.

A four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning pushed the Reds to a 7-3 win in the first of two seven-inning games played Sunday at Mike Roiger Stadium after Rapids had jumped out to a 3-0 lead through the top of the third.

Rapids rallied from a 4-1 deficit to tie game two in the bottom of the seventh but Whittlesey scored twice in the eighth to secure a 6-4 win to complete the sweep.

Going into the last weekend of regularseason play, Whittlesey is one of five teams in the seven-team Small Division that can still earn at least a title share.

The Everest Merchants are in the driver’s seat at 7-3 with games remaining against Rapids and Marshfield. The Marshfield Chaparrals have gotten hot down the stretch. Wins over Rhinelander and Everest this weekend have the Chaps sitting a half-game back at 6-3 and they have two games left with last-place Merrill.

The losses to Whittlesey dropped Rapids to 6-4, while Rhinelander is still in the mix at 5-5. Whittlesey is at Rhinelander for a game that is currently scheduled for noon on Saturday. The River Monsters also have a game at Minocqua (3-6) on Sunday.

For Whittlesey to finish in a four-way tie at 7-5, the Reds must beat Rhinelander, Everest must lose to Rapids and Marshfield, Rapids must lose to Minocqua Saturday and Merrill must upset Marshfield twice.

The Reds’ turnaround in game one Sunday started with Nick Meyer belting a three-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. That followed singles by Cade Alexander and Nate Retterath that were Whittlesey’s first hits of the game off Rapids starter Jordan Tibbetts.

The game stayed 3-3 until the bottom of the sixth. Brent Mueller singled and scored the go-ahead run all the way from first on Cody Loertscher’s double to the rightfield corner. Parker Lissner followed with an RBI double to right-center. After Spike Alexander drew a one-out walk, Retterath’s groundout drove in Lissner and Meyer added an RBI single.

Spike Alexander got the win in relief of his brother Cade. Spike went three scoreless innings, striking out three, walking one and allowing one hit. Cade hit a batter and walked two in the top of the first, but escaped with Ben Fonti’s two-out RBI single being the only damage. Two hits in the third led to Gavin Obremski’s sacrifice fly and Fonti’s RBI double.

Meyer, Retterath and Lissner each had two hits off Tibbetts.

Lissner’s leadoff double sparked the tworun eighth that won game two. The Redhawks had an error on Spike Alexander’s bunt, allowing Lissner to score the go-ahead run. The Redhawks didn’t get an out on Cade Alexander’s bunt either, putting runners on the corners and Darren Leonhard’s bunt moved Cade Alexander to second. Meyer then knocked in Spike Alexander with a sacrifice fly.

Logan Baumgartner finished things off by working around a walk in the bottom half.

Meyer led off the game with his second homer of the day. The Reds added two more in the second off Rapids starter Ryan Sering. Mueller was hit by a pitch, Lissner singled and both runners advanced a base on Ben Meyer’s sacrifice bunt. Cade Alexander drove in Mueller with a groundout and Leonhard doubled to deep center to score Lissner.

The Reds answered Payton Nelson’s solo home run with Leonhard’s RBI single that made it 4-1 in the top of the sixth.

But the Riverhawks extended the game with their seventh-inning rally. Obremski drew a walk from Baumgartner, who was in his second relief inning. Nick Weiland and Tibbetts hit one-out singles to load the bases. A passed ball scored Obremski. Errors on bouncers hit by Sering and Nelson allowed the next two runs to score.

Nick Retterath started for Whittlesey and allowed one run, four hits and no walks while striking out two in five innings. Baumgartner walked two, hit one and struck out two while allowing two hits.

Lissner was three for four for the Reds. Leonhard and Meyer had two hits apiece. Nelson pitched the eighth and took the loss for Rapids, who got five innings from Sering and two from Fonti.