WAUSAU, WI — It was a battle of momentum swings in Game 1 of the Rockers’ (4-1) road series against the Wisconsin Woodchucks (2-3), but a clutch eighth-inning rally lifted Green Bay to a 6–4 victory on Friday night.
The Woodchucks came out swinging in the first inning, putting up a quick four runs to take early control of the game. But the Rockers weren’t down for long.
In the top of the second, Parker Martin ripped a drive down the third base line to bring home two runners and trim the deficit to 4–2. That spark proved to be the start of a steady comeback.
Green Bay’s defense held strong in the middle innings, highlighted by a slick snag down the line by Joey Canzoni in the fourth to shut down a potential Woodchucks rally.
Then came the fireworks. Max Humphrey launched a solo home run in the fifth to even the score at 4–4, energizing the Rockers dugout and flipping the pressure back onto Wausau.
Canzoni kept the heat on in the seventh, leading off with a double to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. But the Rockers couldn’t capitalize in the inning, and the game stayed deadlocked heading into the eighth.
That’s when Green Bay broke through. Cooper Smith delivered the decisive hit, knocking a ball into the outfield to plate two runners. Smith was thrown out stretching for second, but the damage was done. The Rockers led 6–4, and they weren’t about to give it back.
The bullpen slammed the door in the ninth, securing a hard-fought win to open the series. The Rockers will take on the Woodchucks tomorrow in Wausau at 1:05 p.m. for the second game of the series.
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The Green Bay Rockers 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. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 24 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.greenbayrockers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.