The Merrill Rangers fell behind early and couldn’t come back in an 11-1 loss to the Wausau River Hawks on Saturday.
Wausau exploded for seven runs in the first inning to put the Rangers in an early hole. By the top of the seventh inning, the Rangers came to bat facing an 11-0 deficit.
Merrill scored their lone run in the seventh when Justin Pyan reached on a leadoff single. Pyan advanced to third on a Adam Messerschmidt single, and then scored on a wild pitch. That was all the scoring Merrill could muster, as the game was called on the 10-run rule at the seventh inning stretch.
Chase Nelson took the loss for Merrill. He lasted four innings on the mound, allowing eight hits and nine runs while striking out four. Pyan pitched the final two frames for Merrill, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out three.
Offensively, the Rangers collected seven hits in the game. Pyan and Brad Kanitz each had two hits to lead the Rangers.
Merrill committed five errors in the game.
The 4-5 Rangers will hit the road Friday for a 7:45 p.m. contest against the Whittlesey Reds.