Wood Ducks score once in season-opening loss

The summer baseball feeling is in the air, and the Minocqua Wood Ducks amateur baseball team only amplified that feeling with its home opener this past weekend at the 70 West Sports Complex in Minocqua. The Wood Ducks fought off some rust as the team fell to the visiting Abbotsford Merchants by a 4-1 score. 

Minocqua battled some early-season struggles at the plate, as the team only produced six hits on the day and struck out 13 times. The Merchants grabbed an early 1-0 lead on the road in the first inning. It wasn’t long after that right-fielder Landon Hoeft gave the home crowd something to cheer about. As the second man up in the lineup, Hoeft produced the team’s first home run ball of the year with a solo shot to tie things at 1-1 after the first frame. That’s about all Abbotsford pitcher Tanner Hraby gave up against Minocqua. 

Abbotsford got a go-ahead run in the top of the third inning on a two-out RBI single to make it a 2-1 game. That score remained until another two-out rally in the top of the eighth by the visitors to push across the final two runs of the day. 

Minocqua did put a man on in each of the final two innings, but failed to push any runs across. Hoeft had two of the six hits for the Wood Ducks in the loss, while Peter Aerts, Logan Hissom, Jordan Toubl and Austin Samanski each also produced hits. 

Ben Peterson got the start on the bump for Minocqua. He pitched through the fifth inning, allowing just one earned run, striking out five and walking none. Hoeft moved from his right field position to pitch in the sixth and beyond, allowing just one earned run and striking out six. The Wood Ducks prepare for another Dairyland League A-Division matchup this coming Sunday, May 31, with a doubleheader at the Rhinelander River Monsters. There will be two seven-inning games starting at noon at Stafford Field.