WAUSAU, W.I.- The Battle Creek Bombers were on the short end of a pitcher’s duel Friday in a 4-1 loss to the Wisconsin Woodchucks.
Chris Cuppini started for the Bombers and gave Battle Creek a quality start going six innings giving up three runs on three hits striking out four.
Cuppini’s counterpart Dylan MacCallam went six innings of his own, giving up just one unearned run on three hits, striking out five. After giving up a lead off single to Cameron Dalrymple, MacCallam retired the next 11 batters he faced before walking Brady Held in the fourth.
The Bombers had their best chances on offense in the seventh and eighth. In the seventh, Roman Kuntz drove in Brady Held with an RBI double, knocking Woodchucks starter Dylan MacCallam out of the game. Battle Creek had first and second and no outs when Evan Massie entered. The lefty reliever got a fly out, a strikeout, and a lineout to center field to preserve the 3-1 lead for the Woodchucks.
Kuntz was standing on first in the eighth as the Bombers had the bases loaded when Matt Catalfo grounded out against Massie to end the inning.
The Woodchucks scored two off Cuppini in the third. Payton Nelson drove in a run with an RBI double to open the scoring. Then Nelson came home in awkward fashion as he was tagging to third on a fly ball to right field when a throw by Nick Powell in right field hit a camera which allowed Nelson to score. Nelson would drive in another run in the fifth with a sacrifice fly.
The Woodchucks had just five hits, Louie Albrecht had two of them going 2-2 with an RBI. Albrecht drove in a run in the seventh with an RBI single off reliever Adam Gonzalez.
Battle Creek out hit the Woodchucks as they recorded six hits as a team. Kuntz’s double in the seventh was the only extra base it for the Bombers. Dalrymple, Powell, Trevor Patterson, Raymond Hilbrich, and Cristian Tejada each had a single each. The Bombers left nine runners on base with seven of them coming in the final three innings.
The game ended with Collin Millar recording a save when he struck out Dalrymple with runners on second and third. The save set a Woodchucks franchise record for saves in a season as a team with 25.
After winning the first two games on the seven-game road trip the Bombers have now dropped the last three. They will head to Wisconsin Rapids to start a two-game series with the Rafters. First pitch is scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
Written by Harris Eisenberg
