WAUSAU, WI – The Wisconsin Woodchucks relied on their pitching to beat the Green Bay Booyah by a score of 4-1. The Woodchucks used four pitchers and only allowed the Booyah to get one run off of three hits.
The Woodchucks scored the first run of the game right away in the first inning. Red-hot third baseman Adam Frank got things going for the Chucks by hitting an infield single that was eventually gathered by Green Bay’s shortstop. With two outs, Green Bay’s pitcher balked, allowing Frank to advance to second. While there, he stole on a thrown ball four that allowed Byron Murray to walk to first base.
With runners on the corners, first baseman Angel Tiburcio hit a fly ball down the third base line. Green Bay’s left fielder called off the third baseman and made a diving attempt to catch the ball. The ball was very close to being either fair or foul, but it ended up bouncing off of his glove and was considered a fair ball. Adam Frank scored from third, Byron Murray advanced to third from first, and Tiburcio stood on second with an RBI double.
The Woodchucks kept their 1-0 lead until the bottom of the fifth inning when they were able to add two more runs. Leadoff hitter Brandon Seltzer saw four balls and walked to first base after Lawrence Cicileo flew out to left field and Kyle Simmons struck out swinging. Seltzer then advanced to second on a wild pitch. With a man in scoring position, third baseman Adam Frank hit a single to right field that scored Seltzer with ease. Seltzer and Frank have become a 1-2 punch for the Woodchucks at the top of their batting order.
The scoring continued in the fifth inning when left fielder Nate Stinson stepped to the plate. After Adam Frank advanced from first to second on a passed ball, Stinson hit home with an RBI single to left field. This gave the Woodchucks a 3-0 lead going into the sixth inning.
Starting pitcher Robert Wegielnik pitched the first six innings, giving up zero runs and only allowing two hits. Wegielnik made two starts prior to tonight’s matchup. In those two starts, he had seven strikeouts. He matched that season total with another seven in tonight’s game. He now has 14 strikeouts, ranking third highest on the Woodchucks.
Jared Pettitte came on to relief pitch in the seventh inning. He struck out the first batter he faced for one out. The Booyah then got a man on first with a single. The next batter hit the ball back to Pettitte, who committed an error. This allowed a man on first and second. Pettitte then walked the next batter to load the bases. Struggling to find his control, Pettitte hit the next batter, bringing in a run for the Booyah. An eventual ground ball was hit and thrown to first base for the final out, ending the top of the seventh inning with the Woodchucks leading 3-1.
Right fielder Lawrence Cicileo got the bottom of the seventh inning started for the Woodchucks with a single to right field. Kyle Simmons advanced the runner to second with a shallow ground ball that was fielded by the shortstop. Cicileo then stole third base, putting him in scoring position with the Chucks’ top of the lineup coming to the plate. Leadoff batter Brandon Seltzer came through with a single to center field that scored Cicileo. This gave the Woodchucks a 4-1 lead going into the eighth inning.
Emmanuel Corporan came on to pitch for the Woodchucks. He walked one and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning appearance. This set up Tom Ambrosino to close the door on the Booyah in the ninth inning. He struck out two batters to earn his third save of the year, tying Nolan Lebamoff as the Woodchucks’ saves leader.
The game ended with the Woodchucks winning 4-1. The Woodchucks will travel to Green Bay tomorrow and attempt to sweep the two-game series.
Top Performers
Starting pitcher Robert Wegielnik pitched the first six innings, giving up zero runs and only allowing two hits. Wegielnik made two starts prior to tonight’s matchup. In those two starts, he had seven strikeouts. He matched that season total with another seven in tonight’s game. He now has 14 strikeouts, ranking third highest on the Woodchucks.
First baseman Angel Tiburcio hit in the first run right away for the Woodchucks in the bottom of the first inning. He hit a ball tightly down the third base line that was attempted to be caught and called fair. Tiburcio advanced to second and scored Adam Frank for an RBI double. He finished 2-4 with one RBI.
Adam Frank went 2-4 with an RBI single. He also represented two of the Woodchucks four runs.
Nate Stinson went 2-4 with an RBI single to left field. He started the two-run fifth inning for the Woodchucks.
Next Up
The Wisconsin Woodchucks will begin a four-game road trip with stops in Green Bay and Madison. Tomorrow on Thursday, June 13, the Woodchucks will trade locations with the Booyah and play in Green Bay at Capital Credit Union Park with first pitch slated at 6:35 PM. The Woodchucks will then travel to Madison for a two-game series against the Mallards on Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15. The Woodchucks will then head back to Green Bay for another road game against the Booyah. This time, the matchup will come in the form of a Sunday afternoon setting with a start time of 3:05 PM. The Woodchucks will be back home on Monday, June 17 for a 6:35 PM game against the Green Bay Booyah. Athletic Park gates will open at 5:35 PM. For tickets, call us at 715.845.5055, stop by our front office, or visit woodchucks.com.
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The Wisconsin Woodchucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 200 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.woodchucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Woodchucks as your favorite team.
