WAUSAU MOVES TO 17-3 AT HOME IN 2026 AS SOLIZ HOMERS IN WIN

WAUSAU, WI— The Wausau Woodchucks have not lost three games in a row so far in the 2026 season, and that stretch continued tonight, when the bats woke up to beat the Green Bay Rockers 11-3 at Athletic Park Monday night.

Max Soliz Jr. (Kansas) hit a home run for the second straight day and finished 2-4 with two extra base hits and two RBIs. Joey McLaughlin (Arkansas State) reached in all five of his at bats, with two runs scored and two stolen bases.

Ben Chuttey (USC-Upstate) made his first start of the summer and looked impressive, earning the win after five innings of work where he allowed just two runs and struck out six. Jack Roventini (Chandler-Gilbert CC) came out of the bullpen and tossed 2.1 innings while surrendering just one run. Returning Woodchucks Bryce Carter (VCU) finished the game off by getting the final five outs on the mound.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Wausau left five runners stranded in the first two innings of the game, but then, they got their big inning in the third. Donovan Jeffrey (Miami/Transfer Portal) broke through with a two RBI double to score the opening run, and Jeffery later scored in the frame on a balk. Wausau got its fourth run when Noah Malone (Loyola Marymount) took a bases-loaded walk.

Green Bay, however, tightened Wausau’s lead with a run in the fourth and fifth innings. But then, in the sixth, Max Soliz Jr. had his defining swing so far of the summer, taking a two-strike, two-out breaking ball over the left field fence, a two-run home run that restored Wausau’s original lead.

Two more crucial runs came home in the seventh inning, as Lane Walton (Arkansas State) picked up an RBI on a single, with the other run scoring on an error. Green Bay scored once in the eighth, but three runs in the bottom half of that frame put the Rockers away, thanks to a two-RBI single by Peyton Firgens (McClennan CC/Mississippi State) and a double steal that brought Joey McLaughlin home.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

• All 11 of Wausau’s runs in the game came on two outs.
• The Woodchucks tied a season high by taking 13 walks in the game. They took 15 total free passes, and Wausau’s pitching staff walked only one Green Bay hitter.
• The Woodchucks are now 20-5 this year when scoring first, and have won 80% of the time when taking the first lead in a game.
• Max Soliz Jr. hit home runs in back-to-back games for the first time since July 21 and 22, 2025.
• After only striking out four hitters in the doubleheader Sunday at Green Bay, Wausau’s pitching staff racked up nine punchouts in the win.
• Wausau has now won 14 of its last 15 nine-inning games.

WHAT’S NEXT

Wausau moves to 29-14, and they are 8-5 in the second half. Although Lakeshore’s game at Wisconsin Rapids has not concluded at the time in this writing, the Woodchucks are assured of second place in the Great Lakes West second half standings, and are currently a game and a half behind the Chinooks.

The Woodchucks have the chance to become the second Northwoods League team to 30 wins this summer as they welcome rivals Madison to Athletic Park for a matchup Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. It’s another Bang for Your Buck Night at Athletic Park, as fans can purchase $2.00 Hot Dog, $2.00 Tap Soda & $4.00 16oz Domestic Drafts during the game! Fans can always find and purchase tickets to Woodchucks home games by visiting woodchucks.com.