Wausau Woodchucks baseball sweeps doubleheader at Wisconsin Rapids

For Wausau Pilot & Review

WISCONSIN RAPIDS – The Wausau Woodchucks continued its hot-hitting, piling up double-digits in runs in both ends of a Northwoods League baseball doubleheader to sweep the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters on Thursday at Witter Field.

Wausau won 12-6 and 14-6 to defeat Wisconsin Rapids for the fourth-straight time this week as it put up 50 runs in those games.

In Game 1, the two teams combined for five homers as the Woodchucks (33-9, 7-1 second half) pull away.

Grant Siegel (Central Florida) made his seventh start of the season for the Woodchucks, pitching five innings while striking out five and allowing four runs. Siegel picked up his third win, bringing his overall record to 3-1.

The game was largely quiet for the Chucks in the beginning. They scored just two runs through four innings. Colin Bruggemann hit his third home run of the season, a solo shot near the video board to cut Wisconsin Rapids’ lead to 4-2.

The Chucks fired up the bats in the top of the fifth, scoring nine runs. Bruggemann earned two more RBI with a single that scored Isaac Webb (Corpus Christi) and Edian Espinal (Chipola), which let the Chucks tie the game, 4-4. Austin Dearing (Florida International) gave the Chucks the lead after belting out a tough single, which let Max Galvin (Miami) score to make things 5-4.

The Chucks would not stop there. After a sacrifice fly by Logan Kreske (Wichita State) brought the lead to 6-4, the Chucks loaded the bases. On his second plate appearance of the inning, Webb launched his third home run of the season, a grand slam, that put the Chucks well out in front at 11-4. It is just the second grand slam of the season for the Woodchucks, and the first at an opponent’s ballpark.

The Chucks would then be kept scoreless until the top of the eighth when Galvin blasted his sixth home run of the season to increase the lead to 12-6. Galvin now leads the Chucks in home runs. Carsen Plumadore (Georgia Southwestern) took over in the seventh, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out three. Jorge Decardenas (Charlotte) was given the nod to close out the game in the ninth. Decardenas shut the door to finish off the win.

Travis Lutz (Bradley U) made his first appearance of 2024 to start the game on the mound for the Woodchucks in the nightcap. His first two innings were scoreless with three strikeouts.

The Chucks’ offense would give Lutz the lead in the fourth inning by scoring two runs. Vance Sheahan (South Carolina Upstate) and Bryce Hubbard (Georgia) both had doubles. Sheahan and Edian Espinal (Central Florida) both scored runs and the Chucks led 2-0.

The Chucks scored again in the very next inning as Jake Berkland (Mankato St.) came around on a bases loaded walk. Hayden Christiansen broke it open with a two-out two RBI single and would later score on a wild pitch to up Wausau’s lead to 6-0.

The inning continued as Brady Jurgella (Mankato St.) batted home Luke Pemberton (Pepperdine) and Jonah St. Antoine (Pittsburgh) with a single up the middle. Two walks followed by singles by Espinal and Hubbard brought home Berkland and Jurgella. It was the second nine-run fifth inning of the day, as the Chucks did the same in opener. The Chucks allowed one in the bottom half and led 11-1 after five.

Garrett Brogdon (Simpson) would come in to pitch the sixth inning after Jett Slepak (UCF) went two innings with two strikeouts. The middle infield went 5-4-3 to complete an inning-ending double-play.

The seventh inning saw two more Chucks runs, as Berkland and Espinal each scored for the third time on another Hayden Christiansen two-RBI single to make it 13-1.

After Wisconsin Rapids scored three in the bottom of the seventh, Sheahan batted home Pemberton to make it a 14-4 for Wausau.

The Chucks allowed two more runs in the eighth and had a 14-6 lead heading to the final half inning. Garrett Lott (Bossier Parish Community College) came into a non-save opportunity. The game ender came on a double play where Espinal tagged the runner then gunned it to first to close the door.

The Chucks will play another doubleheader Friday, with two seven inning games in Fond du Lac.