MEDFORD BASEBALL - East jumps out early, beats Raiders
MEDFORD BASEBALL
Wausau East pressured the Medford baseball early with heavy traffic on the bases in three of the first four innings Friday and the Raiders couldn’t recover in a 6-2 season-opening, non-conference loss at Raider Field.
The Lumberjacks scored twice in the first, third and fourth innings to build a 60 lead. The Raiders had one big chance to get back in it, but a diving catch in centerfield by Ian Stahel killed the threat.
Medford managed just two hits, both by Hayden Strebig, against East starter Davis Winter, who struck out two and walked four in six innings. Broden Schilling added a seventh-inning single off reliever Zach Pagel.
Down 6-0, Strebig started Medford’s fourth-inning threat with a one-out single. Parker Lissner and Charlie Gierl walked to load the bases. Sam Hierlmeier’s groundout scored Strebig. Restyn Kraschnewski followed with a sinking liner to center that might have scored both Lissner and Gierl, but it hung up just long enough for Stahel to make his diving catch and keep it a 6-1 game.
Gierl added a sacrifice fly in the sixth to score Strebig.
The Lumberjacks turned two hits, two hit batters and a passed ball into their two first-inning runs. What could have been a disastrous third inning for Medford turned into just minimal damage with two runs scored. Davis Winter led off with a line-drive double that Medford rightfielder Sawyer Elsner missed snagging by an inch or two. Ryan Rodemeier followed with an infield hit and walks to Pagel and Jed Vander Sanden forced in a run with still nobody out. Bodee Beversdorf popped out on the infield. Karson Baumann singled to left to drive in a run, but Hierlmeier fired a perfect strike to catcher Evan Czarnezki to cut down Pagel by plenty for the second out. Gierl then got Keyton Laszewski to fly out to end the inning. But East extended its lead in the fourth on one hit, a walk, a hit batter and an error.
Gierl took the loss. He pitched one batter into the fourth and was charged with five runs, four of which were earned. He struck out one, walked three, hit two and allowed five hits. Strebig threw four solid relief innings. He struck out five, walked one, hit one and allowed two hits and one unearned run.
Winter and Rodemeier each had two of East’s seven hits.
Medford’s Great Northern Conference opener at Mosinee Tuesday was pushed back to today, Thursday, and is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. The Raiders will host the Lakeland Thunderbirds Friday at 5 p.m. Next week has the Raiders going to Marshfield for non-conference play Monday with a first pitch at 4:30 p.m. The Raiders go to Tomahawk on April 17.
