The Bluejay varsity baseball team dropped a heartbreaker 5-4 game to Wisconsin Rapids in its Valley and home opener on Tuesday.
“That’s a Valley game we should have won,” MHS coach Brian Artac said. “The problem is we haven’t been out a lot, because there was some indecision. We’ve got too many seniors for indecision.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how we come back from this. The kids were really focused. We’re trying to emphasize team and they’re trying to emphasize it, too.”
The Bluejays entered the top of the seventh with a 4-2 lead, but Rapids received two free passes to go with a lead-off hit and an error, and trailed 4-3 with the bases loaded.
A grounder up the middle, just out of shortstop Ty Grunenwald’s reach, caromed off second base. It never left the infield, but scored the tying and eventual winning run without a play.
Mason Reinhardt led off the bottom of the seventh with a sharp single, stole second and reached third on a one-out balk. But Rapids’ reliever Gabe Stoltz got out of trouble with a strikeout and ground ball to end the game.
Merrill scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning with help from doubles from Mason Reinhardt, Grunenwald and Brad Juhlke. Reinhardt hit 3-4 and Juhlke went 2-3.