Wausau, WI – Stormy weather in Wausau caused an hour rain delay for the Chinooks (15-15) and Woodchucks (14-16) tonight, with first pitch being thrown at 7:30pm. The delay gave way to a back-and-forth game that saw plenty of lead changes throughout. Ultimately, a Matthias Haas solo home run in the top of the ninth inning would be the deciding run for the Chinooks, who went on to win and split the series against the Woodchucks.

Joe Glassey, a University of Illinois product, started on the mound for Lakeshore tonight, finishing the game going four innings while giving up two earned runs and striking out two hitters.

After a quiet first inning, Lakeshore struck first in the top of the second. Garrett Martin started things off for the Chinooks, reaching base after being hit by a pitch then quickly stealing second on a wild pitch. Stephen Hrustich and Aiden Longwell drew consecutive walks to load the bases with one out. John Bay hit a sacrifice fly to left which scored his Oklahoma State teammate Martin before a flyout ended the inning.

Wausau used the bottom of the third inning to get back on track and tie the game. The Woodchucks garnered two singles and a walk to load the bases with one out. An RBI groundout scored Wausau’s first run of the night and tied the game 1-1 heading into the fourth. Wausau used an opportunity in the bottom of the fourth to gain their first lead, using back-to-back singles to score a runner off of a sacrifice fly. The fourth inning ended with Wausau leading Lakeshore 2-1.

Lakeshore stormed back with a two run fifth inning to reclaim the lead. John Bay and Bryce Stober both drew walks to start the inning off, with both runners advancing to second and third on a wild pitch. Tony Livermore hit a shallow sacrifice fly that didn’t seem like it would score a run at first. Using some baseball trickery, third base coach Travis Akre had the runner delay his tag, catching Wausau’s outfield by surprise and scoring a run. Matt Deprey followed up with an RBI double to drive in Stober, with Lakeshore leading Wausau 3-2. The Woodchucks once again tied the game in the bottom of the fifth after an RBI single drove in a run. The fifth inning finished with the game tied 3-3.

The sixth inning saw plenty of action as well. Lakeshore used the top of the sixth to score an additional run as John Bay scored Caleb Bartolero on an RBI double. However, Wausau tied the game up again with Kevin Kilpatrick hitting a 2-RBI single to put the Woodchucks ahead 5-4 going into the seventh inning. Lakeshore stayed active in the seventh, using heads-up base running to their advantage. Livermore led off with a walk to put him on first base. Livermore then wasted no time by stealing second base and advancing to third on an infield groundout. A wild pitch by Wausau’s Cade Denton (L, 0-1) allowed Livermore to score, with the seventh inning ending tied, 5-5.

The go-ahead and deciding run would come in the top of the ninth inning. Matthias Haas hit a no-doubter solo home run to left field that put Lakeshore ahead 6-5. Mitch Mueller (W, 2-1) pitched two scoreless innings to close out the game, securing the win for the Chinooks and putting an end to an exciting game.

Next up, the Chinooks travel back home as they face the Battle Creek Battle Jacks for the first time this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35pm at Moonlight Graham Field at Kapco Park tomorrow.