Last Updated: Saturday, July 19, 2008 9:28 PM CDT
Rebels thumped in regular season finale
By John Paul Norton
Special to the Daily News
It has been a tale of two seasons for the Rhinelander American Legion baseball team.
First there’s the impressive, take no prisoners unit that enjoyed a pair of three-game winning streaks and also defeated such powerhouse teams as Rothchild/Schofield/Weston, Plover (twice) and Stevens Point.
Then there’s the lackluster, not-ready-for-primetime unit that has shown up more than anyone cares to admit.
The latter description fit the bill perfectly Friday night at Stafford Field as the Rebels fell mightily to Merrill by a score of 15-2 in six innings in the final game of the regular season. Merrill swept the two-game season series by a combined score of 29-6.
“We just did not come out ready to play, it’s as simple as that,” Rhinelander assistant coach Dan Huhnstock said. “It’s unfortunate and bewildering, just the same, given our recent success.”
The loss came on the heels of an eye-opening, three-game winning streak for the Rebels where they defeated perennial behemoths Stevens Point and Plover twice.
“It’s not the way we want to roll into the regional tournament,” Huhnstock said. “What looked so promising now becomes a process where we’ve got to hunker down and focus.”
Although the Rebels didn’t have their A-game, much of Rhinelander’s demise should be credited to a free-swinging Merrill team that pounded out 14 hits, including five of its first six hitters accumulating a multi-hit game.
“Give them credit, believe me,” Huhnstock said. “I have a hard time thinking anyone would have beaten them (Friday night).”
Merrill southpaw Adam Cordova was both highly efficient on the mound and at the dish. He went the distance by giving up two runs on five hits while striking out five. His control was impeccable as he did not walk a batter although he did plunk one. At the plate, Cordova was 2-for-5, including five-RBI and two stolen bases.
On the other hand, Ben Prom, who has had a string of quality starts to his recent credit, was unusually wild. He only walked one batter but then proceeded to hit three hitters including two in succession in the fourth inning.
“That was mostly his curveball, which didn’t quite have as much bend on it as usual,” Huhnstock said. “He got deep in the count too much and against guys like these, trouble usually follows.”
This week marks the beginning of the post-season for Wisconsin American Legion teams. The Rebels will travel to their seven-team regional tournament in Medford this Thursday, which is a double elimination bracket. Their first game will be at 3 p.m. against, you guessed it, Merrill.
“The only advantage of tonight’s game is that we play them again in the next game and we have a few days to make some serious adjustments.”
The winner of the tournament then goes on to the state competition that starts next Saturday.
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