By Jeremy Mayo
RHINELANDER – As coach Elmer Suess has predicted all year, it finally came together in one game for the RHS Softball Team. The Hodags put up nine runs on 12 hits, played errorless defense and got a complete game shutout from Ashley Olson in a win over the Merrill Bluejays in the back half of a doubleheader at Mel Mode Field on Thursday.
It was night and day for the Hodags, who lost game one 9-2. The Hodags committed four errors in game one, allowing Merrill to score four unearned runs that blew a 3-1 game wide open after the fourth inning.
“It feels great,” Suess said of getting win number one. “The girls have been working hard and we’ve had our share of errors, but we’ve been in just about every game. It was only a matter of time and we put together in one game.”
The Hodags gradually built a 3-0 lead through five innings in game two and put any remaining doubt of the outcome to bed with a four-run sixth capped off by Jeanette Wendler’s third home run of the season.
Wendler also had a double, and finished 3-for-4 in game two, but Rhinelander got hitting across the board, including three hits from Dana White from the lead off spot, two hits from Megan Biscobing and two hits from Ashley Olson
“She’s just ripping the cover off the ball,” Suess said of Wendler. “She had some shots tonight that were unreal. She’s just a big hitter. What I liked is that Dana White came through with three hits. Rhea Mainhardt had a hit (in game one). Lindsay Schilleman (had a hit). We hit in that game. That’s what we’ve got to do to win.”
Olson had a double and an RBI at the plate and had a career game in the circle, facing just three over the minimum in a four-hit shutout. Olson’s emergence in her sophomore season has allowed Sara Rinka to move to third and significantly bolster Rhinelander’s defense.
“Our defense has really picked up,” added Suess. “The first game today was a little ugly, but other than that our defense has really improved. Ashley’s pitching well and we’re right where we want to be.”
Rhinelander had some defensive struggles in the late innings of game one, which was the varsity debut for freshman pitcher Lauren Biscobing (pictured above, right). She gave up 17 hits in game one, but got out of jams for the most part, stranding 13 Merrill baserunners. She finished with five earned runs in seven innings.
“Lauren did a very good job,” Suess said. “We just had a few of our innings again with errors. They must have got four or five unearned runs off her.”
The Hodags had eight hits in game one, led by the first two hits of the season for junior Danielle Gauthier. Sara Specht went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Suess did not give any major speech between games. The team just decided to turn it on in game two.
“Between games, I didn’t really say anything. I just said, ‘hey, you’ll win when you want to win.’ They wanted to win the last game, I guess, and everything went well for us.”
The nine runs scored in game two were a season high and the 12 hits matched a season best. Game two was the first time the Hodags have played errorless softball this season and the first time they have held a team to under four runs.
The Hodags are back at Mel Mode Field on Friday, facing the tenth-ranked Wausau West Warriors in the rematch of the season opener, which West took 7-4.
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BOX SCORE: Rhinelander vs. Merrill (Game 1) – Thursday, May 8, 2008
MER 210 032 1 – 9 17 1
RHS 000 110 0 – 2 8 4
Rhinelander
11 Dana White RF… 0-4
1 Sara Rinka 3B… 1-4
12 Sara Specht LF… 2-4, R
8 Jeanette Wendler 1B… 1-3, 2B, BB, K
7 Megan Biscobing SS… 1-3, RBI, R, BB
9 Rebecca Ristau C… 0-3
5 Rhea Mainhardt 2B… 1-3
18 Danielle Gauthier DP… 2-3, K
- 17 Lauren Biscobing P… 0-0
3 Lindsay Schilleman CF… 0-3
Runners Left on Base: 9
17 Lauren Biscobing (L, 0-1)… 7 IP, 9 R, 5 ER, 17 H, 2 K, 2 BB
Merrill
7 Abby Arndorfer SS… 3-5, 2 RBI, R, 2 SB
1 Mackinsie Osness P… 2-4, 2B, RBI, R, BB, SB
18 Stacey Marcum 3B… 0-4, BB
4 Abbey Kremsreiter CF… 1-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R
26 Rachel Wendorf 2B… 2-5, RBI, E
10 Amanda Jensen DP… 3-4, RBI, R
- 26 Torrie Welch LF… 0-1, K
28 Breanna Lemerande C… 3-5, RBI, R
11 Marissa Borchardt 1B… 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 R
19 Shatara Jahnke RF… 1-4, 2 K
Runner Left on Base: 13
1 Mackinskie Osness (W, 3-3)… 7 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 K, 2 BB
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BOX SCORE: Rhinelander vs. Merrill (Game 2) – Thursday, May 8, 2008
RHS 101 104 2 – 9 12 0
MER 000 000 0 – 0 4 2
Rhinelander
11 Dana White RF… 3-5, 2 RBI, 2 R
12 Sara Specht LF… 0-4, R, K, SAC
8 Jeanette Wendler 1B… 3-4, HR (3), 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R
7 Megan Biscobing SS… 2-4, RBI, K, SB
9 Rebecca Ristau C… 0-2, 2 BB
1 Sara Rinka 3B… 1-4, R
5 Rhea Mainhardt 2B… 0-2, 2 R, BB, SAC, SB
13 Ashley Olson P… 2-4, 2B, RBI, R
3 Lindsay Schilleman CF… 1-3, BB, K
Runners Left on Base: 7
13 Ashley Olson (W, 1-3)… 7 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 2 K, 2 BB
Merrill
7 Abby Arndorfer SS… 0-2, BB, SB
1 Mackinsie Osness 3B/P… 1-3, K
18 Stacey Marcum P/3B… 0-2, SAC
4 Abbey Kremsreiter CF… 1-3
26 Rachel Wendorf DP… 1-3
- 21 Erin Weix LF… 0-0
10 Amanda Jensen C… 0-0, BB
- 28 Breanna Lemerande C… 0-2
11 Marissa Borchardt 1B… 0-2
2 Brooke Hartwig RF… 1-2, K
9 Leah Monti 2B… 0-2
Runners Left on Base: 3
18 Stacey Marcum (L, 0-4)… 5.2 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 10 H, 2 K, BB
1 Mackinsie Osness… 1.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 H, K, 2 BB
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Rhinelander (1-10, 1-9 WVC) vs. #10 Wausau West, 5/9
Merrill (3-7 WVC) vs. Marshfield (DH), 5/10
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