Hodag Highlights: Softball team opens season with five wins

The Rhinelander High School girls softball team wasted no time making a statement this spring, going 5-1 over a demanding five-game stretch that included a tournament run and their first conference victory of the season.
The Hodags opened their season Thursday, March 26 with a doubleheader. In the opener, sophomore Aleece Johnson earned the win on the mound as Rhinelander defeated Crandon 7-3 for the program’s first win of the year. The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Hodags dropped the second game to Crivitz 7-1, with sophomore Kendall Vanney taking the loss. Rhinelander rebounded in a big way over the weekend in the Danny Mac Tournament March 28 and 29. In Saturday’s first bracket game against Athens, the Hodags found themselves in a back-and-forth contest before Kayden Taylor delivered a clutch home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the game as the time limit was reached. The game was forced into extra innings under international tiebreaker rules, with each team beginning their half-inning with a runner on second base. Athens failed to score in the top of the extra inning. The Hodags answered by bunting the runner to third before delivering the winning blow with a walk-off hit, securing a 6-5 victory and giving Kendall Vanney the winning decision.
Later that afternoon, Rhinelander kept the momentum going with a 7-3 win over Flambeau, with Aleece Johnson earning the victory on the mound and punching the Hodags’ ticket to the tournament championship game.
On Sunday, Johnson returned to the circle and delivered again, pitching Rhinelander to a 5-3 win over Phillips. The championship game was decided in four innings due to the time limit, capping off an impressive tournament run for the Hodags.
Riding high from the tournament title, Rhinelander opened Great Northern Conference play on Tuesday March 31 with a hard-fought 10-8 victory over the Lakeland Thunderbirds. Kadyn Taylor provided the big blow of the afternoon, launching a grand slam in the fourth inning to help build the Hodag lead. Maddie Paulson and Kendall Vanney each collected three hits and drove in two runs to pace the offense.
The game was not without drama. Lakeland threatened to rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring two runs before Paulson grounded into a double play to slow the comeback. With the tying run at the plate, Aleece Johnson struck out Bretta Kenmitz to end the game and secure the conference win.
With the victory, Rhinelander improves to 5-1 on the young season, showing early signs that this could be a strong year for Hodag softball.