STAR JOURNAL REPORT

The first battle of the Great Northern Conference’s top-two baseball teams this season took place Tuesday in Antigo with Rhinelander High School coming out on the losing end.

The Red Robins remained undefeated in conference play after defeating the Hodags, 7-2.

RHS scored first in the top of the second when Brad Quade reached base on an error, advanced to third on a singled by Cole Spaulding and then made it home on another single by Alec Modrow.

Antigo took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second when A.J. Kirsch led off with a single, Hunter Kirsch walked and Garret Held hit a three-run homer off Hodags starting pitcher Jacob DeMeyer.

The Red Robins added a run in the fifth inning with two outs when A.J. Kirsch, Hunter Kirsch and Held each singled.

Antigo got three more runs after two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Arndt doubled and scored on a double by Matt Winter, who was the final batter DeMeyer faced. RHS reliever Easton Senoraske then walked Brady Tatro before giving up a 2-RBI triple to A.J. Kirsch.

The Hodags picked up their final run in the top of the seventh when the Red Robins’ starter, Tatro, gave up a leadoff single to Tait Spencer and walked Josh Randolph before getting Senoraske to fly out to left field and leaving the mound. DeMeyer then singled off Antigo’s reliever, Hunter Kirsch, to drive in Spencer.

DeMeyer was charged with the loss after working 5 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs on 10 hits with two walks while striking out two. Tatro picked up the win after 6 1/3 innings on the mound, giving up an earned run out of the two scored on seven hits with three walks while striking out five.

The loss dropped RHS’s season record to 7-2 in the GNC and 12-4 overall going into Thursday’s home conference game against Tomahawk. Antigo improved to 10-0 in the conference and 19-2 overall going into Thursday’s GNC game at Mosinee. The Hodags and Red Robins have a rematch Monday at Stafford Field.

Antigo 7, Hodags 2

Hodags 0-1-0 0-0-0 1 – 2   8 0

Antigo   0-3-0 0-1-3 X – 7 11 1

WP–Brady Tatro; LP–Jacob DeMeyer