River Monsters keep playoff hopes alive with dramatic rally

With their season on the line, the Rhinelander River Monsters adult baseball team pulled off a stunning comeback on July 27, defeating Whittlesey 10-9 in walk-off fashion in the Dairyland League regular season finale.
Trailing 9-6 entering the bottom of the ninth, the River Monsters rallied with two outs to score four unanswered runs and claim the win. Chad Huebner’s ground ball to second appeared to be the final out of the game, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score and extended the inning.
After Jesse Robinson was hit by a pitch, Sawyer Bishop—a junior at Rhinelander High School—delivered a clutch single on the first pitch he saw, driving in Huebner to tie the game. With Robinson now on second, Owen Kurtz smashed a ball to the right-center field wall, bringing Robinson home for the dramatic walk-off.
The comeback kept Rhinelander’s postseason hopes alive. The team later learned it will travel to River Falls for a three-team playoff bracket with Hudson and Tilden on Aug. 9–10. The bracket winner will earn a spot in the state tournament.