By Kelly O’Day
Merrill’s American Legion baseball team slapped two slices of win around each side of a three-heap of loss in a busy week of action over the past week.
Post 46 knocked off Rhinelander 12-10 in a bit of vengeance last Tuesday before whitewashing RSW 7-0 on Thursday.
The boys stumbled 18-11 to Wausau on Friday and 14-5 to Marshfield in the opening game of Saturday’s double-header. But a 4-3 loss to Marshfield in the second game seemed to turn the tide and Post 46 turned that into W’s with Monday’s 7-0, 5-2 twin-bill sweep at Wis. Rapids.
“It was good to play well,” Merrill manager Shawn Schultz said. “I don’t think we played so poorly in the second game Saturday, but we didn’t hit as well as we wanted. We got some timely hits today.
“We’ve got a chance to get back to .500 on Wednesday night, and then we’ll see what happens in the tournament.”
Merrill clung to a 1-0 lead for 5 innings in Monday’s opener, after scoring Alex Cordova on the first of three Jake Schlueter doubles. Cordova had reached on his 1st of three singles, and both ended up 3-4 for 6 of Merrill’s 9 hits. A Michael Detert double scored them in the 6th for a 3-0 lead, and Cordova hit a bases-loaded 2-run single in the 7th. Luke Golisch scored on Schlueter’s last 2-bagger. and Detert capped the scoring at 7 with a sac fly.
“I know we didn’t see their #1 (pitcher), but they didn’t hit us,” Schultz said. “Zach (Wendorf) threw well in the first game and Pascal (Paul) and Alex did a great job in the second game, too.”
Only two baserunners reached scoring position on Wendorf (4 H, 1 W, 4 K in 7 I).
Cordova hit an RBI double to give Post 46 a 1-0 lead in the 3rd inning of the 2nd game, but Rapids tied it in the 4th and edged ahead 2-1 in the 5th.
Schlueter doubled home Golisch??¢????????who had singled and moved up on an error??¢????????in the bottom of the 5th, and another error gave Merrill a 3-2 edge.
Ted Porath walked and Jordan Annis singled in the 6th, and both ended up scoring on a series of wild pitches.
Golisch hit 3-4 in the contest as Merrill finished with 7 hits and 4 walks.
Paul (2 H, 3 W, 7 K, 2 R, 0 ER in 5 I) and Cordova (3 W, 2 K in 2 I) both put up good numbers.
The wins put Merrill at 7-8 overall and 6-7 in the Valley Legion league.
Rhinelander rally
Merrill jumped out 3-0 in last Tuesday’s game with Rhinelander, fell behind 9-6 by the 5th, then rebounded with 3 apiece in the 6th and 7th innings.
“I liked the way we got out in front early, and then scored six runs in the last two innings,” Schultz said. “They scored 15 against us in Merrill (in a 15-6 loss on July 1) and we didn’t answer.”
Schlueter (3B), Jared Rothmeyer and Kyle Rajek all went 2-4 in the game. Post 46 had 10 hits a innings, striking out 2.
“Cordova pitched a three-hitter and had four hits himself,” Schultz said. “We just played well.”
An Annis single, Cordova double, Golsich RBI single, Schlueter 2-run triple and Detert RBI sac fly powered a 4-run third. Wild pitches aided two scores in a 3-run sixth, althogh singles by Annis, Schlueter and Lucas Thiel and a Cordova double provided the firepower.
Cordova (4-5, 2-2B), Schlueter (3-4, 3B, 2B) and Annis (2-2) pushed Merrill to 14 hits and 4 walks.
Too little, too late
Wausau jumped out 12-0 on Friday, then tacked on 6 in the 6th for an 18-1 lead. Post 46 fought back, scoring 4 in the 6th and 6 in the 7th??¢????????with 3-run blasts from Wendorf and Schlueter??¢????????to make it interesting.
Cordova (3-5), Annis (2-2), Detert (2-4), Wendorf (2-4, HR, 3 RBI), Golisch (2-5, 2B) and Schlueter (2-5, HR, 4 RBI) pushed the post to 15 hits and 4 walks. Annis, Porath and Schlueter shared pitching.
Different routes, same destination
Merrill trailed 14-1 after 4-1/2 innings of the first Marshfield game on Saturday and 5 late runs didn’t even halve the margin. Golisch was 2-3 as Merrill had 7 hits and 8 walks.
Boyd, Kyle Kubichek and Wendorf pitched.
Merrill grabbed a 2-0 edge in the 2nd of the 2nd game, but Marshfield immediately answered with 3 and bumped it to 4-2 in the 5th. Merrill cut it to 4-3 in the 7th on a Detert RBI double and loaded the bases with one out, but stranded them there.
Cordova 2-4 helped Merrill to 7 hits and 6 walks. Wendorf (5 H, 1 W, 2 K, 2 R in 2 I) and Golisch (2H, 5 W, 5 K in 5 I) pitched. nd 12 walks.
Golisch (10 H, 3 W, 7 K, 10 ER in 7 I) won.
Nary a run for RSW
Cordova blanked RSW on 3 hits and 3 walks over 7