By Sedric Granger

Wausau, WI – The Battle Creek Battle Jacks (29-31, 9-7) never trailed en route to a road victory over the Wausau Woodchucks (27-22, 7-7) at Wausau Athletic Park, 5-2.

Jake Allgeyer wasted no time giving Battle Creek the lead in the top of the 1st inning when he hammered a two-run homer over the left field wall.

“I know Allgeyer has been searching for that first home run of the season, he and some of the other guys talk about going yard all the time,” said Field Manager Chris Clark after the doubleheader. “To see Allgeyer and Daniels have success and get one out is awesome. They work hard and deserve to be in those situations and the results they are getting right now.”

In a seven-inning game, it is crucial to take an early lead. That massive play by Allgeyer put some wind behind the Battle Jacks’ sails. In the 3rd inning, Battle Creek added some cushion to their two-run advantage. Luke Cheng (Illinois State) scored on a wild pitch, Blake Salamon scored on an error, and Anthony Aloisio (Davenport) scorched an RBI double to the warning track to drive in Kyle Ratliff (SIUE). By the end of the 3rd inning, Battle Creek had a solid lead, 5-0.

With some valuable run support, the pitching staff utilized the combined effort of five arms to stifle the Chucks. Wausau only mustered two runs on four hits. Even when the Woodchucks were desperate for runs late in the game, the Battle Jacks did not budge. Ryan Wilwers (MidAmerica Nazarene) took the Battle Jacks halfway through the game with three and two thirds innings of work. Jaylen Morgan (Southern Wesleyan), Jake Kampf (SIUE), and Brandon Markarian (U of Indianapolis) all made scoreless appearances out of the bullpen and registered one strikeout. Lastly, Dylan Howanitz (West Chester) made his league high 23rd appearance in the 7th inning, earning his seventh save of the season which puts Howanitz third in the entire league in that statistical category.

With the 5-2 win over Wausau, the Battle Jacks snapped their two-game losing streak. They look to keep their momentum going into the second leg of the doubleheader. 

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The Battle Creek Battle Jacks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.battlejacksbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set Battle Creek as your favorite team.