WOODCHUCKS EVEN UP SERIES WITH DOCK SPIDERS, RECLAIM SOLE POSSESSION OF FIRST PLACE IN GREAT LAKES WEST<\/b><\/p>\n
FOND DU LAC, WI\u2014 In the biggest pressure game so far of the 2026 Woodchucks season, Wausau showed huge poise and resiliency as they downed the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 6-0 at Herr-Baker Field on Father\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n
The game was scoreless until the top of the eighth inning, when Holden Groebl (Cowley CC\/Kansas) made the breakthrough with a two-run home run down the left field line. Groebl finished the game 2-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.<\/p>\n
Three pitchers combined for the shutout: Broden Jackson (Madison CC\/Creighton), Aiden Goodwin (Snead State CC\/Georgia Highlands) and Reece Clapp (Illinois State). Jackson turned in one of the most impressive outings of the summer so far for the Woodchucks, tossing six scoreless innings with just one walk and six total strikeouts.<\/p>\n
THE HIGHLIGHTS<\/b><\/p>\n
The Woodchucks came through in big ways late in the game. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with a runner on third base, Aiden Goodwin struck out a Fond du Lac hitter looking to end the inning, and keep the game scoreless.<\/p>\n
Then, in the very next frame, Groebl hit the go-ahead two run blast, which was followed by two more runs in the inning. Joey McLaughlin (Arkansas State) scored on a wild pitch, and Jake Berkland (Minnesota State-Mankato\/Kansas) touched home after a Fond du Lac error.<\/p>\n
Then, in the ninth inning, Wausau put the seal on the victory, as Berkland made it 5-0 on an RBI single after an eight-pitch battle. Then, Berkland teamed up with Joey McLaughlin to work a trademark double steal with McLaughlin sliding home on the play to make it 6-0. Reece Clapp would pitch the final two innings of the night and preserve the shutout.<\/p>\n
NOTES AND NUMBERS<\/b><\/p>\n WHAT\u2019S NEXT<\/b><\/p>\n The Woodchucks move to 15-8, and with Madison\u2019s loss on the road to Lakeshore, Wausau now holds a one game lead over the Mallards and the Green Bay Rockers in the Great Lakes West First Half playoff race. The Woodchucks have eight games remaining in their first half schedule, while Madison and Green Bay have nine games remaining in that stretch. Wausau goes back to Herr-Baker Field Monday night for their fifth game out of six in the series with the Dock Spiders. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m., and the winner of that game will take the lead in the series.<\/p>\n The Woodchucks then return home to play the series finale with Fond du Lac on Tuesday night, June 23, with first pitch at 6:35 p.m. For the one and only time this summer, the ZOOperstars make an appearance at Athletic park, Presented by Rib Mountain Paper! It\u2019s also Bang for Your Buck Night, with tickets including $2.00 hot dogs, $2.00 tap soda & $4.00 16oz Domestic Drafts. Tickets for upcoming Woodchucks home games in the 2026 season can be purchased online at woodchucks.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WOODCHUCKS EVEN UP SERIES WITH DOCK SPIDERS, RECLAIM SOLE POSSESSION OF FIRST PLACE IN GREAT LAKES WEST FOND DU LAC, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":20738,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-team-news","category-update-ticker"],"yoast_head":"\n\n