RHS next faces top-seeded Green Bay Preble

STAR JOURNAL REPORT

The Rhinelander High School baseball team led by four runs after four innings Tuesday when the No. 8-seeded Hodags held on to win their WIAA Division 1 Regional opener at home over No. 9-seeded D.C. Everest, 5-3.

Brad Comer drove in RHS’s first two runs with a first-inning single and a third-inning double. The Hodags’ final three runs came on a pair of long balls when Tyler Blomdahl homered in the bottom of the fourth to drive in two runs and added a solo round-tripper in the sixth inning.

At right, the Hodags’ Brandon Reinthaler rounds third base to score the first run.

RHS’s other three hits came on singles from Easton Senoraske, Brad Quade and Brandon Hess.

Two Evergreen players accounted for four of their five hits. Tre Lemmer doubled and singled with a run scored, while Jordan Steinagel added a pair of singles with an RBI. Bryce Behrens also singled with an RBI.

Hess pitched the first 6 1/3 innings and recorded the victory for RHS, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with six walks while striking out two. Brandon Reinthaler picked up a save recording the final two outs in the seventh inning when he walked one batter and struck out another.

Logan Langbehn pitched all six innings for D.C. Everest and took the loss, giving up four earned runs out of the five scored on seven hits with a walk while striking out five.

The win advances the Hodags to the regional final at 1 p.m. Thursday at Joannes Park in Green Bay against the top-seeded Preble Hornets.

RHS 5, DCE 3

DCE        0-0-0 0-2-0 1 – 3 5 3

RHS        1-0-1 2-0-1 X – 5 7 1

WP–Brandon Hess; LP­–Logan Lahnbehn