STAR JOURNAL REPORT

The rematch between this season’s top top-two baseball teams in the Great Northern Conference ended up with the same winner as the first game.

Rhinelander, which fell 7-2 last Tuesday at Antigo, led by a run after three innings Monday before being scored on four times in the top of the fifth and allowing three more runs in the sixth inning en route to losing at home to the Red Robins, 7-4.

The Hodags took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Jacob DeMeyer walked, stole second base, advanced to third on a groundout by Tyler Blomdahl and scored on a double by Brad Quade off of Red Robins starting pitcher A.J. Kirsch.

DeMeyer started on the mound for RHS and kept Antigo scoreless until the top of the fifth when the Red Robins tallied four runs off of four hits that included a leadoff double by Collin Meinert followed by three consecutive singles by Matt Arndt, Matt Winter and Brady Tatro.

That was the final inning in which DeMeyer pitched. He ended up with the loss after allowing two earned runs out of the four scored on five hits with four walks while striking out four.

Easton Senoraske pitched the final two innings for the Hodags and gave up the final three Antigo runs in the top of the sixth when Wade Farmer singled and scored, Meinert doubled again and scored and Winter recorded another single and scored.

RHS got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth when Quade and Cole Spaulding each singled and both scored on passed balls thrown by A.J. Kirsch.

Senoraske scored the Hodags’ final run in the seventh inning when he reached base on an error, advanced to second on a single by DeMeyer and reached home on a double by Tyler Blomdahl off of Red Robins reliever Hunter Kirsch.

A.J. Kirsch recorded Antigo’s pitching victory for six innings of work, allowing an earned run out of the three he gave up on seven hits with a walk while striking out six. The Red Robins, who have clinched the conference title, improved to 11-0 in the GNC and 20-2 overall.

RHS saw its season record drop to 8-3 in the GNC and 13-5 overall going into Tuesday’s conference road game at Northland Pines. The Hodags play a non-conference home games Thursday against Merrill and Friday against Ashland to close out the regular season before beginning WIAA Division 1 Tournament action at home May 30 against Green Bay Southwest.

Antigo 7, Hodags 4

Antigo  0-0-0 0-4-3 0 – 7 8 2

Hodags 0-0-1 0-0-2 1 – 4 9 3

WP–A.J. Kirsch; LP–Jacob DeMeyer