LA CROSSE, Wis. — The La Crosse Loggers led 5-0 after the first two innings and held off a comeback attempt by the Wisconsin Woodchucks to improve to 8-9 with a 7-5 victory on Friday night at Copeland Park.

Graham Pauley (Duke) got the scoring started with a bases-loaded walk in the first inning, and Colin Burgess (South Carolina) added a two-run double to left field to give the Loggers a 3-0 advantage after one inning. A RBI single by JT Thompson (Texas State) made it 5-0 in the second.

Starting pitcher Marius Balandis (Saint Louis) earned the win for the Loggers, striking out five over five innings. His college teammate Matthew Boyer (Saint Louis) struck out five in two innings of relief. Jared Freilich (Penn State) came on in the eighth inning to record the four-out save.

Pauley, Trey Harris (Crowder College), Austin Murr (NC State) and Jacob Blas (Arizona) each collected two hits for the Loggers, who tallied 12 hits total on the evening. The La Crosse offense also drew nine walks and stole seven bases.

The Loggers will once again play host to the Wisconsin Woodchuks (4-12) on Saturday with a 6:05 pm first pitch.