MEDFORD BASEBALL - Raiders rebound from Pines loss with needed win over Hodags

MEDFORD BASEBALL

The Medford Raiders made the most of their five hits and survived some anxious moments in the bottom of the seventh while earning a 5-3 win at Rhinelander Tuesday afternoon.

The Raiders led 5-1 going into the last half-inning, but the Hodags got a single from Abe Gretzinger and a one-out RBI double from Dylan Vanderbunt, who also wound up scoring on the play due to a throwing error. But reliever Ryder Kraschnewski retired the next two batters to secure the win for starter Hayden Strebig and the Raiders, who moved into second place in the Great Northern Conference with the win.

The standings are tight behind firstplace Mosinee, who the Raiders will host Friday after a trip to Tomahawk today, Thursday. Mosinee is in front of the pack at 5-1 following its 12-7 win over Lakeland Tuesday.

Now 3-2 in league play and 3-5 overall, Medford holds a half-game lead over 3-3 Lakeland and 2-2 Antigo and a one-game lead over 2-3 Rhinelander and Northland Pines.

Strebig struck out seven batters, walked four and gave up just five hits in 6.1 innings pitched. He also had a hit and a run driven in at the plate. Evan Czarnezki was two for four and is now hitting .429 for the season.

Medford got a two-out run in the top of the first. Parker Lissner drew a walk from Rhinelander starter Jackson Waydick, Czarnezki singled and Lissner scored on a hit by Strebig.

The Hodags tied it in the second inning on Sawyer Bishop’s RBI groundout, but the Raiders took the lead for good in the fourth with some help from the Hodags. Strebig reached with one out on a dropped third strike. Courtesy runner Sawyer Elsner stole second, went to third on an infield hit by Evan Wilkins and scored on an error when Medford tried a double steal. After Charlie Gierl walked, Sam Hierlmeier bunted Wilkins home.

Medford got another two-out run in the fifth when Lissner singled, got to second on a passed ball and scored on Czarnezki’s hit. Two Hodag errors got Medford an insurance run in the top of the seventh.

Waydick went six innings for Rhinelander. He struck out eight, walked only two and allowed five hits and four runs, one of which was earned. Vanderbunt was charged with the unearned run in the seventh. After Medford’s games today and Friday, the team heads to Lakeland Monday, looking to avenge a 9-8 loss from April 11. The Raiders host Wausau West in non-conference play May 9. All upcoming games start at 5 p.m.

Pines 8, Medford 4

Medford was unable to build off the momentum generated by its thrilling comeback win over Antigo on April 22 as it fell behind 6-0 by the end of the second inning Friday and fell 8-4 at Northland Pines.

The win was the first of the season in conference play for the Eagles, who got six solid innings out of starting pitcher Jonathan Miller. He allowed six hits, two walks and four runs, two of which were earned, and struck out five.

Czarnezki led Medford by going three for three, accounting for half of the team’s hit total.

A five-run bottom of the second for the Eagles was the turning point. Already up 1-0 thanks to Miller’s RBI single in the first, Pines got a leadoff walk from Nolan Huelskamp to start the rally. Jonah Will bunted for a hit. Huelskamp scored when Medford didn’t record an out on a fielder’s choice grounder by Brody Hoeft. Gierl came within an out of avoiding further damage as he induced a comebacker and shortstop Parker Lissner threw out Will at the plate on a fielder’s choice. But Griffin Beyer was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, two runs scored on an error on a ball hit by Miller and the final run scored on a wild pitch.

Gierl lasted just 1.2 innings. The Eagles only got two hits against him, but three walks, two wild pitches, a hit batter and the error allowed to get six runs, three of which were earned. Ryder Kraschnewski covered the last 4.1 innings and gave Medford a chance to get back in it. He struck out two and didn’t walk anyone.

Medford finally got on the board in the fourth. Lissner walked and Czarnezki singled with one out. They pulled off a double steal. Lissner scored on a passed ball and Czarnezki scored onStrebig’s groundout to make it 6-2.

But the Eagles went right back up by six in the fifth when Will and Hoeft hit backto- back RBI doubles with two outs. Singles by Lissner and Czarnezki led to an RBI single by Strebig and a run on a passed ball in the sixth.