Wausau, WIS – The Wisconsin Woodchucks used nine unanswered runs and survived a late rally by the Duluth Huskies winning 9-6.
Two of the Woodchucks (7-6) making their season debut got the Woodchucks on the board in their first at-bats. Ka’ai Tom reached base with a single up the middle in his first at-bat and Nick Banks, in his first at-bat of the season, brought Tom along with Paul DeJong into score giving the Woodchucks a 2-0 lead.
A pair of doubles to open the bottom of the third inning by Tom and Dejong gave the Woodchucks an additional run to lead 3-0
DeJong continued his hot start to the season with a grand slam that blew the game open 7-0. DeJong now has five home runs on the short season which is tied for the most in the Northwoods League.
The Woodchucks tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Ryan Donovan hit a double that brought home CJ Chatham on the play. Donovan would then come into score on a throwing error giving the Woodchucks a 9-0 lead
The Huskies scored six unanswered runs in the top of the seventh inning to make things interesting, but the Woodchucks’ bullpen shut them down for the remainder of the game as the Huskies never plated another run.
The Woodchucks and the Huskies finish their two-game series tomorrow night at Athletic Park. First pitch is set for 6:35 with gates opening at 5:35.
The Wisconsin Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwood’s League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwood’s League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 115 Northwood’s League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwood’s League YouTube channel. For more information, visit woodchucks.com