The Rhinelander High School softball team dropped a conference game to the Merrill Bluejays 8-4 Tuesday, May 12 at home, with a string of defensive miscues opening the door for the visiting team to pull away after a promising start.
The Hodags actually jumped out to an early lead. After Merrill scratched across a run in the top of the first inning against Rhinelander pitcher Aleece Johnson, the Hodags responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 3-1 advantage.
That lead, however, would be the high-water mark for Rhinelander. The offense went quiet from the second inning on, and the defense behind Johnson began to crack. The Bluejays took advantage of numerous Hodag errors to plate seven more runs over the course of the game, eventually pulling away for the 8-4 final.
Johnson was largely solid in the circle despite absorbing the loss, surrendering just two earned runs on nine hits while walking three and striking out two. The bulk of the damage against her came courtesy of Rhinelander’s defensive struggles rather than Bluejay bats.
Offensively, catcher Saige Mutter was the standout for the Hodags, reaching base all four times she came to the plate. She went 2-for-2 with an RBI, added a walk and was hit by a pitch. Kendall Vanney also contributed, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
The Hodags were hoping to bounce back Thursday when Mosinee came to town to close out conference play, but the visitors pitched a shutout.
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