WAUSAU BEATEN ON THE ROAD IN LOW-SCORING AFFAIR AS LAST-DITCH RALLY COMES UP SHORT

MADISON, WI— For the first time in 2026, the Wausau Woodchucks were swept in a two-game series, following a tight 5-4 defeat on Friday night at Warner Park.

Ryan Chase (Santa Fe CC/Kansas) remained hot at the plate in the defeat, going 2-4 with two RBIs. His former college teammate and roommate, Brady Wright (Santa Fe CC/Tampa) had another excellent performance on the mound, with 2.1 scoreless innings along with four strikeouts.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Madison took the lead in the second inning by scoring on an RBI single to make it 1-0, but Wausau answered with their first run in the third, thanks to a Ryan Chase (Santa Fe CC/Kansas) RBI single. However, the Mallards reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the third to make it 2-1.

Neither team would score again until the sixth, when Madison extended its lead with two more runs. Wausau got a run back in deja-vu fashion, when Ryan Chase once again ripped an RBI single into right field to score Brayden Mazzacano (Illinois) for the second time in the game.

Madison would add an insurance run in the eighth, which would prove to be crucial. While Wausau attempted a rally in the ninth, with Chris Patterson (Missouri/Transfer Portal) cutting the deficit to one on a two-RBI single, the comeback came up short on a game-ending double paly.

NOTES AND NUMBERS 

• The Woodchucks trailed first for just the fourth different game this season, with three of those games coming against Madison.
• Brayden Mazzacano became the first Woodchucks outfielder to be involved in a double play this summer when he threw out a runner at home in the fifth inning
• Ryan Chase has registered multiple hits in five of the last six games, with six total RBIs in that span.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Woodchucks drop to 7-4 on the year, and are now tied for first place in the Great Lakes West standings with Green Bay. However, since the Woodchucks are undefeated against the Rockers this season, they own the tiebreaker and will have the tiebreaker over Green Bay for the rest of the first half. Madison is now a half game behind the Woodchucks in the standings, and the Mallards have the tiebreaker over Wausau if necessary.

Wausau now gets set for a critical four-game homestand in the first half, as they host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters tomorrow at Athletic Park at 5:05 p.m. It’s Hot Dog Hundo Night at the ballpark, and select hot dogs at the concession stands will be wrapped with money vouchers from $1-$100! In addition, it’s also Festival Foods Family Ticket Night, as fans are offered a $12 ticket that includes a brat and tap soda. Fans can purchase tickets to all 2026 Woodchucks home games by visiting woodchucks.com.