WAUSAU DROPS 11-INNING BATTLE TO DOCK SPIDERS, LEADS FIRST HALF STANDINGS ON WIN PERCENTAGE

FOND DU LAC, WI— The Wausau Woodchucks failed to hold their gap atop the Great Lakes West standings on Thursday night, as they fell in walk-off fashion to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 8-7, in 11 innings at Herr-Baker Field.

Caleb Danzeisen (Arizona) extended his on-base streak to 13 in the defeat, providing a 2-4 performance at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Joey McLaughlin (Arkansas State) finished 2-5 with two runs scored. On the mound, Brady Wright (Santa Fe CC/Tampa) struck out four hitters in two scoreless innings, and Aiden Goodwin (Snead State CC/Georgia Highlands) had one inning with zero runs allowed and a strikeout.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Wausau had to work from behind at Herr-Baker Field, after the Dock Spiders scored two runs in the third inning to take the lead. The Woodchucks scored in the fourth when Caleb Danzeisen (Arizona) drove in Joey McLaughlin (Arkansas State) on an RBI single. McLaughlin scored the game-tying run in the sixth inning on a Dylan LaPointe (Mercer) sacrifice fly to make it 2-2.

The Dock Spiders scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to regain their lead before the game entered a brief weather delay. After the delay, Wausau closed the gap to one run in the seventh when Kyler Northrop (Washington State) scored on an error. In the eighth, Wausau tied things again on an RBI ground rule double from Gaven Obremski (Rock Valley CC/Western Illinois).

The rest of the scoring came in extra innings. Wausau took the lead in the tenth with a wild RBI single from Ryan Chase (Santa Fe CC/Kansas), but Fond du Lac responded with a game-tying run in the bottom half. In the eleventh, Wausau snatched the lead back with sacrifice fly RBIs from Kyler Northrop and Caleb Karll (Montevallo), only for Fond du Lac to score three runs in the final frame to walk it off.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• It’s the second game of Wausau’s season that has gone 11 innings, with the other coming back on May 31 in an 11-10 road win against the Green Bay Rockers.
• Caleb Danzeisen has now registered an RBI in six of his last seven games, and has multiple hits in five of those contests.
• Joey McLaughlin became the second Northwoods League player to steal 20 bases this summer, joining teammate Jake Berkland.
• Brady Wright now has a 1.62 ERA through seven appearances, the fourth best ERA among all qualified pitchers in the Northwoods League.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Woodchucks fall to 13-7, and go 2-3 in the longest road trip of the summer. Wausau is now tied with the Green Bay Rockers atop the Great Lakes West First Half standings, but still claim first place in the division on win percentage. The Woodchucks also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Green Bay for the first half. Madison remains one game back of the Rockers and the Woodchucks after they lost in walk-off fashion on Thursday night at Lakeshore.

The Woodchucks finally return to Athletic Park tomorrow, Friday, June 19, to face the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at 6:35 p.m. It’s set to be a big night in the 2026 season, so don’t miss it. It’s Boy Band Firework Friday, presented by Cellcom, the first 200 fans through the gates receive a light baton, and it’s Mosinee Youth Baseball Fundraiser Night! To purchase tickets for home games in the 2026 season, fans can go online at woodchucks.com.