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RHINELANDER – A wild finish gave the Auburndale softball team its first victory of the season and a seventh-place finish in Bracket 1 of the Danny Mac Tournament at the Hodag Dome on Friday.
The Eagles lost 6-1 to Rice Lake on Thursday and fell 3-2 to Lakeland in a consolation bracket game on Friday, sending them to a seventh-place matchup against Hayward.
Auburndale led 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh inning when, with two outs and the bases loaded, Greta Woelber hit a home run, seemingly giving the Hurricanes the victory. However, the runner in front of Woelber did not touch home plate and after Woelber then touched the plate, therefore passing the runner in front of her, she was called out. Only two runs scored sending the game to extra innings.
Tournament tiebreaker rules give teams a runner at second base to start extra innings. Auburndale scored once in the top of the eighth on an RBI single by Chesney Nagel before Hayward rallied again. The Hurricanes bunted the runner over to third and the next hitter hit a fly ball to Nagel, the Auburndale centerfielder, who caught it and a relay throw home nailed the runner at the plate for a game-ending double play, and the Eagles’ first win of 2025.
Nagel and Myah Katzenberger each had two hits in the win for Auburndale.
Morgan Griesbach went the distance on the mound, striking out five and allowing two earned runs, five hits and one walk, to grab the victory for the Eagles.
In Thursday’s loss to Rice Lake, Auburndale was held to four hits, two coming from Danika Blomberg. Madi Rowe homered and Aubrey Musil drove in three with a pair of hits for Rice Lake.
Auburndale scored twice in the bottom of the first inning in its game against Lakeland, only to see the Thunderbirds rally with a pair of runs in the third and they held on for the one-run win.
Griesbach took the loss in both games, finishing with nine strikeouts against Rice Lake and 15 versus Lakeland.
Medford ended up taking the Bracket 1 title with a 10-9 win over Rice Lake in the championship game.
Warriors 6, Eagles 1
Auburndale 100 000 0 – 1 4 0
Rice Lake 100 203 x – 6 7 0
WP: Kamryn Kunz. LP: Morgan Griesbach.
SO: Griesbach 9; Kunz 14. BB: Griesbach 1; Kunz 1.
Top hitters: A, Griesbach 2B; Danika Blomberg 2×3, 2B, RBI. RL, Madi Rowe 3×3, HR, 3 runs; Aubrey Musil 2×3, 2B, 3 RBI; Addison Seelow 2 RBI.
Records: Auburndale 0-1; Rice Lake 1-0.
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Thunderbirds 3, Eagles 2
Lakeland 102 000 0 – 3 2 2
Auburndale 200 000 0 – 2 2 5
WP: Saylor Timmerman. LP: Morgan Griesbach.
SO: Timmerman 15; Griesbach 15. BB: Timmerman 5; Griesbach 1.
Top hitters: L, Karlin Williams 2×3, 2 RBI.
Records: Lakeland 1-1; Auburndale 0-2.
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Eagles 4, Hurricanes 3 (8 inn.)
Auburndale 012 000 01 – 4 9 1
Hayward 000 100 20 – 3 5 2
WP: Morgan Griesbach. LP: Kaydee Campbell.
SO: Griesbach 5; Campbell 3. BB: Griesbach 1; Campbell 0.
Top hitters: A, Griebach 2B; Danika Blomberg 2B; Alexis Godard 2B; Chesney Nagel 2×3, RBI; Myah Katzenberger 2×4. H, Greta Woelber 3B, 2 RBI.
Records: Auburndale 1-2; Hayward 0-3.