Woodchucks Down Rafters After Rain Delay

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI – Osvaldo Mendez pitched five strong innings, Jose Izarra continued his hot streak, and the Wisconsin Woodchucks ended a two-game skid with a 6-3 victory over the Rafters early Friday morning.

Heavy rain and lightning began just minutes before the scheduled first pitch. The field was tarped at around 6:30 p.m. About two hours later, the rain lightened up and the teams took the field for a 9:03 p.m. first pitch.

A two-run single by Gino Groover put the Woodchucks on the board first in the top of the third. Bash Randle and Jacob Schoenvogel scored after leading off the inning with base hits.

The Rafters got one back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Woodchucks re-established momentum in the top of the fifth. Antonio Valdez drew a bases loaded walk before Kevin Kilpatrick’s sacrifice fly plated Izarra.

Mendez shut down the Rafters in the fifth in order to qualify for his second win of the season. The Alabama State lefty worked five innings, allowing one run on four hits while striking out five.

In the top of the sixth, a Rafters error brought home two more runs for the visiting Chucks.

Shane Telfer inherited a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh out of the bullpen. He would take the Woodchucks the rest of the way by recording the last nine outs to earn his second save of the season.

Top Performers

Izarra was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored. He has now reached in nine of his last 11 plate appearances.

Groover was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs on the evening,

Schoenvogel was 1-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.

Randle was 2-for-4 with a run in his first start since Sunday. He also assisted in a relay to throw out a Rafter at the plate.

Mendez improved his record to 2-1 with the win. His ERA is now down to 2.81.

Chandler Poell allowed one run out of the bullpen in the sixth. It was the first earned run that Poell has allowed in six innings of relief this season.

Telfer struck out three over three innings. His ERA sits at 2.03.

Next Up

The win improves the Woodchucks’ record to 16-9, equaling their win total from 2020. They stay tied for first place in the division with the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.

The Woodchucks will conclude their four-game road trip tomorrow with the series finale against Wisconsin Rapids at Witter Field at 6:35 p.m. They’ll return home on Saturday to begin a two-game series against the Madison Mallards at Athletic Park.

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The Wisconsin Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 27-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.