Woodchucks Cruise Over Rafters

WAUSAU, WI – The Wisconsin Woodchuck bats were active from first pitch to final out in a Tuesday night win over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at Athletic Park.

The 10-2 victory–in which Wisconsin outhit their Wood County rivals 13-3–inches the Chucks another step closer to a Northwoods League playoff berth. Woodchuck fielders committed no errors in the contest.

The Chucks are 43-25 overall after Tuesday and possess a 22-11 second half record.

A night after dropping an 8-1 decision to the Rafters, the Woodchucks never trailed after the second inning. They are now 28-8 in second games (or later) of series in 2021 and avoid dropping back-to-back matchups for the first time since July 8. Wisconsin is 20-6 on the season following a loss.

The Chucks now are at least two and a half games ahead of the Madison Mallards in the Great Lakes West second half division standings, pending the final result of their rain-delayed affair in the state capital.

A three-run homer from Chase Bessard in the eighth was a fitting end to the consistent stream of offense seen by Woodchuck fans Tuesday.

Ryan Sepede scored Harrison Long in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game after the Rafters drew first blood.

Long and Sepede each had RBIs in the second inning to pad the Woodchucks’ lead after Brock Watkins crossed the plate earlier in the frame to break the initial stalemate.

Aaron Simmons drove in Anthony Catalano on a fifth inning sacrifice fly, Sepede scored off the bat of a Nelson single and Bessard came home off of a wild pitch to make it 7-2 Woodchucks.

The Woodchucks move to 8-2 in the 2021 season series over Wisconsin Rapids, with two matchups remaining between the sides.

Top Performers

Starting pitcher and Mosinee native Jace Baumann allowed two earned runs in three innings pitched.

Tommy Wahl earned the win out of the bullpen with four shutout innings. He allowed just one baserunner on a walk.

Vincent was 2-3 with two runs, an RBI and a hit by pitch.

Nelson went 3-4 with two runs and an RBI.

Sepede had two RBI and a run while going 3-5.

Bessard’s homer was part of a 1-3 night with a walk.

Next Up

The Woodchucks travel to Fond du Lac for a pair of matchups against the Dock Spiders Wednesday and Thursday. Wisconsin welcomes back the Rafters Friday night for its regular season home finale. First pitch is 6:35 p.m. Spend your Friday night at the ballpark and enjoy post-game fireworks presented by American Family Insurance & Cellcom!

For tickets, call us at 715.845.5055, stop by our front office, or visit woodchucks.com.

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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.