Hodag Highlights: Baseball goes 1-2

The Rhinelander High School baseball Hodags played three close games last week and ended up 1-2 by week’s end.
On Monday, the team was at DC Everest. The Hodags managed a comeback in the top of the 7th to tie the game only to have the Evergreens have runners on base in the bottom of the 7th and score the game winner on a passed ball.
On Tuesday, the Antigo Red Robins visited Stafford Field and the Hodags won by a 3-1 margin. Rhinelander scored runs in the 2nd, 4th and 5th innings while Antigo scored in the top of the 7th for their only run off reliever Conner Rappley. Jackson Waydick pitched six innings striking out eight batters and did not allow a run.
Dylan Vanderbunt drove in 2 of the runs and Abe Gretzinger drove in the 3rd. Sawyer Bishop had 2 hits for the Hodags.
On Friday, the Hodags traveled to Eagle River. Northland Pines scored in the bottom of the first and the Hodags scored a single run late in the game. The score was tied in the bottom of the 7th, at 1-1, and the Eagles had the bases loaded. A Pines’ batter squared to suicide squeeze the runner from third home but the bunt was missed and Hodag catcher Jackson Waydick tagged the runner out at home. The game went to extra innings with neither team able to score in the 8th or 9th. In the 10th, the Hodags were unable to score.
In the bottom of the inning, relief pitcher Dylan Vanderbunt loaded the bases and then a pitch got by catcher Waydick to score the winning run for Pines.