Bases-Loaded Hit-By-Pitch Hands Woodchucks Loss

MEQUON, Wis. – The Wausau Woodchucks fell by a score of 5-4 to the Lakeshore Chinooks in a series finale Sunday afternoon at Moonlight Graham Field.

With the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, the Chinooks (26-22) loaded the bases via two walks and an infield single. The game ended when DJ Radtke (Georgia) hit Chinooks catcher Matthew DePrey with a 1-0 pitch.

After trailing 3-0 in the seventh inning, the Woodchucks (25-23) rallied to take the lead. An infield single by Drew Stengren (Central Michigan) and walks by Dwight Allen (Georgia) and Ben Abernathy (UAB) loaded the bases.

Up stepped Brock Watkins (BYU), who bashed a ground-rule double to right. Two runs scored, and Zach Levenson (Miami) was next.

Levenson roped a line drive into the left-center field gap, plating Abernathy and Watkins to put the Woodchucks ahead 4-3.

Lakeshore tied the game with a small-ball strategy in the bottom of the seventh. A leadoff walk and a bunt single opened the door, and a sacrifice bunt and RBI groundout helped the Chinooks tie the game.

A pair of double plays thwarted Woodchuck rallies in the last two innings, and Lakeshore won the game via walk-off in the bottom of the ninth.

A complete box score can be found here:

https://scorebook.northwoodsleague.com/standalone/game/2678/stats

Pitching Performances

Both teams threw several different arms during the last game before a three-day All Star Break. Andrew Armstrong (Florida State) threw three innings of one-run ball for the Woodchucks before Korey Bunselmeyer (Illinois) tossed a scoreless fourth.

Matt Milner (Southwestern Oklahoma State) surrendered a two-RBI double to Michael Seegers in the fifth. Aaron Evers (Arkansas State) worked around a leadoff single in the sixth to keep the Woodchucks’ deficit at 3-0.

Tyler Denu (Evansville) allowed his first run in his last eight appearances in the bottom of the seventh. The lefty had not allowed a run in more than a month prior to today’s blown save.

Mike Schicker (West Georgia) struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning but allowed the first two batters to reach in the ninth. He induced what could have been a double-play grounder, but the Woodchucks failed to cover second base on what turned into Seegers’ infield single with zero outs in the inning.

Up Next

The Woodchucks play four road games after a three-day All Star Break before returning home on Monday, July 25 against the Madison Mallards. They’ll be in Kenosha Thursday and Friday for an inter-division series against the Kingfish.