Wausau Woodchucks
MEQUON, WI (WSAU) – Down to their final out, the Wausau Woodchucks rallied to score five ninth-inning runs and defeat the Lakeshore Chinooks 8-4 at Moonlight Graham Field Saturday night.
A game-tying triple by Zach Levenson (Miami) knocked in Brent Widder (Evansville) and tied the score at four. After a passed ball, Levenson slid home to score the game’s deciding run.
But the Chucks weren’t done. Ryan Sepede (BYU) and Chase Hug (Evansville) drew walks before Nik Levensteins (North Georgia) hammered a three-run homer to right field that served as the final dagger.
The homer was one of two on the day for the red-hot Woodchucks (25-22), who have hit seven homers in their last two contests. Brock Watkins (BYU) erased an early 1-0 deficit with an opposite-field two-run blast in the top of the third – his third of the season.
Lakeshore (25-22) surged back in front, scoring three unearned runs in the bottom of the third inning. Using a pair of stolen bases and infield singles, they built a 4-2 lead.
But from then on, the Chinooks were held to just two hits. Starter Ben Abernathy (UAB) worked six innings and allowed just one earned run. He struck out three and walked none in the two-way start while collecting a hit and a run at the plate.
Sepede drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Woodchuck deficit in half in the top of the fifth. But Wausau missed opportunities to tie the score in each of the following three innings.
They left eight runners on in the win and ran themselves out of a potential rally in the eighth on a failed double steal by Hagen Escoto (Lamar CC) and Camden Janik (Illinois), who doubled and walked respectively.
Nick Marshall (West Texas A&M) became the winning pitcher – retiring all six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth. He was aided by a diving catch from Hug in left field, robbing Lakeshore of a leadoff extra-base hit. Marshall is now 3-1 in his third season as a Woodchuck.
Carter Heninger (San Jose State) kept his perfect 0.00 ERA intact by working a scoreless ninth inning. The Woodchuck bullpen set down all nine batters they faced in the win.
The Woodchucks have won eight of their last nine games and started the second half 8-3. They are a half-game behind the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in the second-half standings – and are now tied with Lakeshore in the overall record standings.
The Chucks will take the field tomorrow at 1:35 p.m. against the Chinooks for their final game before a three-day All-Star Break. They’ll play four road games after that before returning home on Monday, July 25 against the Madison Mallards.
Other scores from Saturday in the Northwoods League:
Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 11, Madison Mallards 0
The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters continued their success as they took the first game of the series against the Madison Mallards 11-5. The Rafters scored five runs in the first inning with two RBI doubles by Mckinley Erves (LaGrange College) and Nate Nankil (California State University, Fullerton). Jacob Igawa (University of Hawaii) had an RBI single and Colin Tuft (University of Virginia) drove in the last run of the inning with a triple. Erves had two hits with two home runs and four RBI. Nankil had three hits with two doubles. Josh Howitt (California State University, Fullerton) had the win on the mound throwing three innings with four strikeouts giving up one hit.
Kenosha Kingfish 10, Kokomo Jackrabbits 2
The Kenosha Kingfish become closer to the top of the Great Lakes East as they defeat the Kokomo Jackrabbits 10-2. Josh Leslie (McNeese State University) led the offense with two hits including a double and four RBI. Parker Stinson (Indiana State University) reached base four times with two hits, a double, two hit by pitches, two RBI and one stolen base. Brady Counsell (University of Minnesota) scored twice with two doubles. Clark Candiotti (Wichita State University) had the win on throwing the first five innings with six strikeouts giving up only two hits.
Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 16, Battle Creek Battle Jacks 5
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders won the first game of the series against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks 16-5. The Spiders scored two runs in the first inning with an RBI double by Branden Comia (University of Illinois). With a home run by Parker Noland (Vanderbilt University) the Spiders scored four more runs in the third. Noland had four hits with a double and four RBI. Comia had had three hits with two doubles, a home run and five RBI. Nick Mitchell (Western Illinois University) reached base five times with four hits, a double, four RBI with a stolen base. The Spiders combined for 15 hits to take the win.
Kalamazoo Growlers 3, Green Bay Rockers 2
The Kalamazoo Growlers struck first to defeat the Green Bay Rockers 3-2. Anthony Stephan (University of Virginia) drove in the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the first inning. He also drove in the Growlers final run to take the lead in the seventh with a sac fly. Sam Kirkpatrick (Belmont) reached base twice with a walk and a hit, scoring each time. Adam Mrakitsch (Central Michigan University) was the starting pitcher, throwing six innings with nine strikeouts. The pitching staff combined for 11 strikeouts to lead their team to a win.
Rochester Honkers 10, St.Cloud Rox 6
The Rochester Honkers earned their third win in a row against the St.Cloud Rox 10-6. Nico Regino (Charleston Southern University) started the game with a three run blast over the left field fence. Kevin Dowdell (West Virginia University) and Zachary Meddings (Coastal Carolina) both had two hits with a double and combined for three RBI. Carson Revay (Fresno State University) earned the win on the mound throwing two innings giving up one hit. Sebastian Mejia (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi) closed the game throwing the last four innings with six strikeouts allowing one run to score.
Bismarck Larks 12, La Crosse Loggers 1
The Bismarck Larks won their first game of the series against the La Crosse Loggers 12-1. Bradlee Preap (Radford University) led the offense with two hits including a double and five RBI. Spencer Sarringar (Northern State University) had a multi hit game with three singles and an RBI. Garrett Macias (California State University, San Bernardino) reached base four times with two hits, a walk, hit by pitch and an RBI scoring three times he reached base. Austin Luther (Wittenberg University) was the starting pitcher throwing 4.1 innings with four strikeouts and allowed one run to score. The Larks generated 12 hits with 10 strikeouts from the pitching staff to earn the victory.
Mankato MoonDogs 6, Duluth Huskies 1
The Mankato MoonDogs work their way towards a winning record in the second half of the season as they defeat the Duluth Huskies 6-1. Corey Sanchez (San Jose State University) was the starting pitcher and had the win on the mound throwing seven innings with seven strikeouts giving up two hits. Tyson Neighbors (Kansas State University) closed the game throwing the last inning with three strikeouts. Brendan Hord (University of Evansville) had three hits with a stolen base scoring twice. John Newman Jr. (University of California, Santa Barbara) had the only home run of the game with two hits. Sean Ross (Indiana State University) reached base three times with a hit by pitch, two hits and a stolen base.
Waterloo Bucks 6, Eau Claire Express 2
The Waterloo Bucks rallied back to take down the Eau Claire Express for their first win of the series. The Bucks scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead. Ryan Grabosch (New Mexico State University) had an RBI single to drive in the first run of the inning. Liam Critchett (Loyola Marymount University) had a double scoring the next two runs. Grabosch had two hits, scoring once. Keaton Parker (Upper Iowa University) had the win on the mound throwing six innings allowing two runs to score. Aaron Treloar (Glendale Community College) threw the last inning with two strikeouts.
Traverse City Pit Spitters 3, Rockford Rivets 2
The Traverse City Pit Spitters won their second game in a row as they took down the Rockford Rivets 3-2. Alec Atkinson (Yale University) drove in the first run of the game with a double to left field. Sam Tackett (Virginia Tech) scored the second run of the game in the top of the eight inning with a single. Colin Summerhill (Northern Illinois University) led the Pit Spitters with two hits including a double and a walk. Mitch White (University of Cincinnati) had the win throwing two innings with two strikeouts giving up zero hits.
Sunday’s Schedule:
Traverse City @ Rockford (1:00pm)
Wisconsin @ Madison (1:05pm)
Fond du Lac @ Battle Creek (1:35pm)
Green Bay @ Kalamazoo (1:35pm)
Wausau @ Lakeshore (1:35pm)
Kenosha @ Kokomo (2:05pm)
Eau Claire @ Waterloo (2:35pm)
Rochester @ St.Cloud (4:05pm)
Duluth @ Mankato (5:05pm)
Bismarck @ La Crosse (5:05pm)
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