Chucks break up no-hitter in 9th, fall to Rafters 9-0

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI – The Woodchucks were beaten by the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters on the road Saturday, 9-0. The Rafters were also just one out away from throwing a no-hitter in the ninth, but the effort was spoiled by a single from Brandon Seltzer.

Wisconsin Rapids jumped on the Chucks early. The Rafters collected two runs in the first inning, and an additional six runs in the second. Ryan Walstad put an exclamation point on the early-game effort, hitting a three-run home run to make it 8-0 after just two innings. The Rafters would manage an additional run in the fifth inning. Wisconsin committed six errors defensively, including two in the six-run second inning for the Rafters.

The one-hit masterpiece was put together by three Wisconsin Rapids pitchers. Jack Gonzales was the starter for the Rafters. He lasted three innings, only allowing one baserunner, and struck out seven. Spencer Arrighetti followed that up with five perfect innings, striking out eight. The Woodchucks collected their first and only hit off Alex Salazar in the ninth inning.

Wisconsin’s starter Connor O’Hara lasted just 1.2 innings in the game, surrendering eight runs on seven hits. Despite the early woes, the staff combined to allow just one run the rest of the night. Nick Marshall, Andy Shreves, and Jace Baumann all appeared in relief for the Woodchucks.

Top Performers

Nick Marshall pitched 3.1 innings of one-run relief. He struck out four in his outing, didn’t give up a walk, and held the Rafters to just two hits.

Andy Shreves pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief, giving up two hit and striking out two.

Next Up

The Wisconsin Woodchucks will play two road games in Rockford starting tomorrow night. The Chucks will return home on Tuesday night, with a game against the Rafters. First pitch is set for 6:35 P.M. For tickets, call us at 715.845.5055, stop by our front office, or visit woodchucks.com.

###

The Wisconsin Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.woodchucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Woodchucks as your favorite team.