STAR JOURNAL REPORT

Despite a seventh-inning comeback with four runs, the Rhinelander High School varsity girls softball team wasn’t able to pull out a Great Northern Conference victory Thursday at Tomahawk.

The Hodags lost in nine innings to the Hatchets, 6-5.

RHS, which went scoreless the first five innings, was one out away from watching the game end in the top of the seventh when Makayla Kuester pounded out a grand-slam homer to pull in front 5-3.

The Hatchets forced extra innings in the bottom of the seventh on a 2-RBI single by Katy Volz, before winning the game in the ninth inning on a walk-off single by Holley Winker.

The loss closed out the Hodags’ regular-season record at 8-4 in the GNC and 12-9 overall. RHS begins postseason play Wednesday as the No. 4 seed in its WIAA Division 2 Regional by hosting No. 5-seeded Merrill.