Wausau, WIS – The Wisconsin Woodchucks dropped the first game of the series against the La Crosse 8-2, as the Woodchucks’ pitching performance surrendered nine walks.
The two teams swapped runs in the first inning to keep the game squared at one until the top of the third inning. In that third inning, Woodchucks’ starting pitcher Andy Ravel struggled to find the strike zone as three straight walks loaded the bases. A week fly ball to center field dropped allowing two runs to score and a fielding error by Jake Jefferies allowed the third runner to score giving the Loggers a 4-1 lead and they never looked back.
The Loggers scored seven unanswered runs to break the game open taking the first game of the series 8-2.
The Woodchucks’ pitching staff struggled to find the strike zone all night. They threw a total of nine walks throughout the game as the Loggers patience paid off for them.
One bright spot for the Woodchucks was Brendon Hayden who went 4-for-5 with four singles including an RBI. In the last two games, Hayden is 6-for-10 with two home runs and six RBIs.
The Woodchucks and Loggers will finish their two-game series tomorrow night at Athletic Park. First pitch is at 7:05 with fireworks following the game.
The Wisconsin Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwood’s League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwood’s League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 115 Northwood’s League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwood’s League YouTube channel. For more information, visit woodchucks.com.
