STAR JOURNAL REPORT

A one-out double by Jacob DeMeyer in the top of the eighth drove in the game-winning run Tuesday when the Rhinelander High School varsity boys baseball team won its non-conference season opener on the road against Wittenberg-Birnamwood, 5-4.

RHS fell behind by a run in the second inning when the Chargers’ Trevor Groshek hit an RBI single off Hodags starting pitcher Matthew Rudolph.

RHS took its first lead of the game in the top of the third when senior catcher Tyler Blomdahl connected on a two-run homer. That was the final inning Wittenberg-Birnamwood starter MacLean Alwes would pitch.

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning. In the top of the frame, DeMeyer doubled to drive in Easton Senoraske before Brad Comer singled to bring in DeMeyer and give the Hodags a 4-1 lead.

The Chargers were able to send the game into an extra inning with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Alwes doubled to bring in a pair of runs and force RHS reliever Brad Quade off the mound before Gavin Scheuer stole home to tie the game at 4-4.

DeMeyer’s game-winning RBI double in the top of the eighth turned out to be his third hit of the game as he led the Hodags at the plate followed by Blomdahl tallying a pair of hits out of the eight the team recorded. Wittenberg-Birnamwood also had eight hits over eight innings with Alwes and Dalton Zeinert picking up two hits apiece.

Senoraske, who came in to finish the seventh inning on the mound, also retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth to record the pitching victory. Chargers reliever Kody Szews also pitched the final 1 2/3 innings and took the loss.

RHS will seek its second victory of the season in as many games Thursday at Merrill.

RHS 5, W-B 4 (8 innings)

RHS        0-0-2 0-0-0 2-1 – 5 8 1

W-B        0-1-0 0-0-0 3-0 – 4 8 3

WP–Easton Senoraske; LP–Kody Szews