Woodchuck Bats Quiet Late in Loss to Mallards
MADISON, WI – The Wausau Woodchucks couldn’t recover from an early deficit in a 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Madison Mallards Tuesday night.
The loss is the third straight for the Woodchucks (10-13) who scored their only run in the first inning for a second time in three games.
After Hunter Dorraugh (San Jose State) was hit by a pitch, Mark Shallenberger (Evansville) drove him in with a two-out RBI single. The base hit extended Shallenberger’s on-base streak to a perfect 14 for 14 appearances.
The Mallards tied the game in the bottom of the first before scoring in each of the next four frames to take control. Starter Jared Burch (Houston Baptist) was charged with his third loss of the season after surrendering five earned runs over three-plus innings. Despite four strikeouts, he left a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning which was inherited by Ben Abernathy (West Virginia).
The former Mountaineer and future UAB Blazer would strand all three runners before cruising through the rest of the game. He faced the minimum over four and two-thirds innings, retiring 14 batters on just 45 pitches and tallying three strikeouts.
But the offense couldn’t rally behind the bullpen. Cal Hejza (Illinois) and Zach Levenson (Miami) each doubled in the late innings but were stranded in scoring position. The Woodchucks were 0-for-2 on stolen base attempts and the Madison bullpen held firm.
Kevin Kilpatrick (Houston) extended his hitting streak to five in the loss. Brock Watkins (BYU) added to his team lead by recording his 15th hit of the season.
Up Next
Gates open for Wizardry night at 5:35pm on Wednesday, June 22 and first pitch against the Mallards is 6:35pm. Show off your wizardly side with our T-shirt and Ticket package which gets you a Woodchucks themed Wizard t-shirt and box seat to the game!
The team will head to Green Bay on Thursday before coming back to Wausau for Friday and Saturday’s games. Gates open at 5:35pm on Friday June 24 and first pitch against the Rockers is set for 6:35pm. Stay after the game for the area’s best fireworks show, presented by Festival Foods! The Dock Spiders come to town on Saturday for the 6:05pm matchup (gates open at 5:05pm). Saturday is Princesses at the Park night! The princesses will be back at Athletic Park for the first time since 2019. Tickets are available online (link) or by calling 715-845-5055 for all Woodchucks home games!
