WOODCHUCKS ONLY TRAIL LEADERS LAKESHORE BY HALF GAME FOR PLAYOFF SPOT, OFFENSE LEADS WAY IN WIN<\/b><\/p>\n
WAUSAU, WI- The Wausau Woodchucks snagged a critical two-game sweep in the playoff push this weekend against the division-leading Lakeshore Chinooks, capped off by a strong 15-10 win on Sunday afternoon at Athletic Park, to set the stage for a dramatic finish in the 2026 Northwoods League regular season.<\/p>\n
Keagen Jirschele (South Dakota State) led the charge for a second straight day, finishing 4-6 at the plate with grandpa and former Kansas City Royals third base coach Mike Jirschele in the house. Jirschele scored three runs, and also had two stolen bases as part of his great day at the plate. Ryan Chase (Santa Fe CC\/Kansas) went 3-4 and recorded four RBIs, scoring two runs.<\/p>\n
Lane Walton (Arkansas State) joined in by going 3-4 with two RBIs, reaching five times, Jackson Petsche (Southeastern CC\/LSU-New Orleans) was 3-5 with three RBIs, and Joey McLaughlin (Arkansas) went 3-4 with an RBI, reaching four times and scoring four times. On the mound, Pete Jezerinac (Kennesaw State) earned his team-leading fifth save of the summer, throwing two shutout innings and striking out three to seal the win.<\/p>\n
THE HIGHLIGHTS<\/b><\/p>\n
Just like at the start of Saturday\u2019s game, Lakeshore scored two unearned runs in the top of the first to take an early lead.\u00a0 But in the bottom half, Wausau cancelled the runs out by scoring twice, with Ryan Chase driving the first run in on an RBI single, and Jackson Petsche scoring on a ground ball that ended in a double play.<\/p>\n
Wausau took a 3-2 lead in the second inning thanks to a Ryan Chase sacrifice fly RBI, but Lakeshore tied it up in the top of the third. In the fourth, Wausau reclaimed the lead thanks to two runs, on an RBI double from Ryan Chase and an RBI single from Lane Walton. Once again, Lakeshore battled to score twice in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 5-5, but Wausau snatched the lead back straight away with two more runs in the bottom half, with Chase delivering another sacrifice fly and Joey McLaughlin scoring on a double steal.<\/p>\n
The Chinooks scored once in the sixth to make it 7-6, but then made a statement in the top of the seventh. Down to their final strike in the inning, Lakeshore hit a go-ahead three-run home run and plated another run in the inning to make the score 10-7, meaning Wausau was down to its final nine outs in its biggest game of the summer.<\/p>\n
Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Wausau responded. The Woodchucks got to within one run with an RBI double from Joey McLaughlin and an RBI single from Jackson Petsche, and tied the game at 10-10 on a sacrifice fly RBI from Max Soliz Jr. (Kansas). They would load the bases for Peyton Firgens (McClennan CC\/Mississippi State), who took a gutsy walk on a full count and two outs to give the Woodchucks the lead for good, capping off a crucial four-run inning.<\/p>\n
Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Wausau made sure to add insurance. RBI singles from Lane Walton, Bryce Hubbard (Oregon State) and a two-runs single from Jackson Petsche gave Wausau four extra runs, with Wausau scoring eight unanswered runs to close out the game.<\/p>\n
NOTES AND NUMBERS<\/b><\/p>\n WHAT\u2019S NEXT<\/b><\/p>\n Wausau improves to 41-19, now with the joint-most wins for any Northwoods League team and the best win percentage in the league. The Woodchucks also move to 20-10 in the second half, and climb to just a half game back of Lakeshore in the Great Lakes West standings for the second and final playoff spot, with both teams still set to play six more games in the regular season. Lakeshore still controls its own destiny, while Wausau\u2019s magic number rests at seven, needing at least one Chinook loss in the final week of the summer to have a chance to take the division.<\/p>\n Wausau now looks ahead to face the Green Bay Rockers in a two-game set, who are 2.5 games back of first place and still in the second half playoff hunt. It\u2019s Wausau\u2019s final series of the summer against the defending Northwoods League champions, and if Wausau sweeps the series, they will mathematically eliminate the Rockers from postseason contention. The first game of the series is on the road Monday night in Ashwaubenon, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.<\/p>\n The Woodchucks also wish the best of luck to the Wausau Ignite, who kick off their postseason run in the Northwoods League Softball Championship Series Monday night at Athletic Park. The organization also highly encourage all fans to purchase tickets and catch the action of the Ignite\u2019s matchup against the Madison Nightmares in Game One of the series tomorrow at 6:35 p.m.<\/p>\n\n