DAIRYLAND LEAGUE LARGE DIVISION - Merrill rebounds in game two for Sunday split with the Reds
What looked to be an easy afternoon for the Whittlesey Reds after two innings Sunday did not end that way at Mike Roiger Stadium.
The Reds jumped ahead 8-0 in those first two innings and wound up winning game one of a Dairyland League doubleheader with Merrill 11-5, but the Rangers used two big five-inning rallies to win game two 10-5 and earn a split of the afternoon twinbill.
Merrill left-hander Jayden Sus was knocked around for 10 hits in his short two-inning stint of game one. The Reds got three runs in the bottom of the first. Nick Meyer, Spike Alexander and Parker Lissner led off with consecutive singles. Logan Baumgartner drove in a run with a groundout and Brandon Loertscher smacked a two-run double.
In the second, Nick Meyer hit a two-run homer and then, with two outs, Lissner doubled and scored when Baumgartner blooped a single to right. Loertscher’s second double in as many at-bats scored Baumgartner and, after Zach Haynes singled, Cody Loertscher’s double made it 8-0.
Merrill’s lone rally came in the fourth. Zach Kriegel hit a two-run double, followed by RBI singles from Cale DeJong and Justin Pyan and a double steal that scored the fifth run.
The Reds, though, got a two-run single from Brigham Kelley in the fifth. That knocked in Nate Retterath and Restyn Kraschnewski, who had singled and moved up a base on a wild pitch. Lissner tripled to start the sixth and scored on Brandon Loertscher’s groundout.
Brandon Loertscher went two for four with two doubles and four RBIs in the seven-inning game. Lissner was three for four and was a homer away from the cycle.
Baumgartner started and went three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and one hit allowed. Ryder Kraschnewski and Restyn Kraschnewski pitched two innings each.
Virtually all of Merrill’s offensive damage in the bottom of the second and third innings in game two came with two outs and bumped the Rangers to 3-7 in the Dairyland’s Large Division.
The bases were loaded on walks with two outs in the second when Cameron Wallin walked to force in a run and Isaak Clapper hit a two-run double. Sus followed with a two-run single for a 5-0 lead.
Whittlesey got back within two in the top of the third as Haynes, Lissner and Baumgartner hit consecutive RBI singles with two outs.
But Merrill came back with another big rally in its half to go up 10-3. The Rangers loaded the bases, then pitcher Nick Retterath got two outs to nearly get out of the jam. But Wallin singled in a run, Clapper singled in two more and Sus drove in the last two with a long single.
Kelley singled in a run for Whittlesey in the sixth and Baumgartner singled in the last run in the seventh.
Shawn Schultz picked up the win for Merrill as the long-time Ranger scattered eight hits, struck out three, walked three and allowed three earned runs while pitching all seven innings.
Brandon Loertscher took the loss while going 1.2 innings in his start. He walked four, struck out two and allowed five earned runs on three hits. Nick Retterath covered the next 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five earned runs with one strikeout. Cade Alexander allowed two hits in two scoreless frames.
Baumgartner was two for three to lead the Reds offensively.
Whittlesey is 5-4 in Large Division play, good for a second-place tie with Minocqua. Both teams sit well behind the 5-0 Rapids Redhawks, who beat Minocqua Sunday 6-3. The Reds host Marshfield (35) this Sunday at 1:30 p.m.
