Nunez and Lindsly Both Tally Four Hits to Lead Chucks to Big Win
Wausau, Wis.- The Wisconsin Woodchucks recorded 40 plate appearances as a team Monday. They tallied hits in 20 of them. Every member of the Woodchucks starting order picked up at least one hit to lift Wisconsin (17-24; 2-4) to a 12-4 rout of the Battle Creek Bombers (24-17; 4-2) Monday night in Wausau. The win snapped Wisconsin’s four-game losing streak and marked the fourth game in row the Woodchucks recorded double-digit hits in a ballgame.
Those hits started coming early. Ivan Nunez singled in the first against spot-starter Jake Hawken and two batters later Brylie Ware blasted a shot over the left field wall to put Wisconsin ahead. Two pitches later, Logan Foster lined a pitch over the center field wall to make it 3-0. It was the third time this year the Chucks had gone back-to-back.
Battle Creek responded immediately. Chucks starter Austin Lambright issued three straight walks in the second and threw three wild pitches to bring one run in, but he had to leave his start very prematurely due to an injury. Zach Siggelkow entered to make his debut and got one out before Alex Howard launched a three-run shot to left to put the visitors ahead 4-3.
They would not score again. The Chucks bounced right back, hitting five straight singles in the bottom half to bring three runs home and regain a 6-4 lead. The lead soon became three as Hunter Coleman singled in the third and Trey Dawson brought him home with a single of his own.
Wisconsin failed the score in the fourth and fifth, but it would score in every other frame. Stevie Mangrum doubled to lead off the sixth and Foster singled him home. Brady Lindsly and Dawson both reached and scored for the second time in the seventh, and Foster and Coleman both reached and scored in the eighth to push the Woodchucks out to a 12-4 lead.
Nunez finished with four singles, a run and two RBI in five trips to the plate, while Lindsly had four hits for the second day in a row. Meanwhile, Siggelkow settled in after Howard’s homer, allowing just three baserunners over 4.2 innings of work in his debut. Degan Harte made his first appearance of the year as well and issued a scoreless seventh before Jackson Owens tossed the final two to clinch the 12-4 Woodchucks win.
The Woodchucks will look to build off their second lopsided win of the year as they embark on a season-long six-game road trip before the All-Star Game in Wausau. The trip kicks off Tuesday night at Kapco Park for Wisconsin’s first trip out to Mequon to take on the Lakeshore Chinooks.
Tickets are on sale to all Wisconsin Woodchucks home games and the 2017 Northwoods League Home Run Derby and All-Star Game, presented by Ascension. Tickets can be purchased online, by calling 715.845.5055 or by stopping by the Woodchucks front office during normal business hours.
Tim Hackett, Broadcasting Intern