WAUSAU, WI – It was a speedy turnaround from a dramatic comeback.
Just 30 minutes after overcoming an 8-2 deficit to beat the Battle Creek Bombers 9-8 in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader, the Wisconsin Woodchucks scored early and often to clinch a doubleheader sweep over their foes from the Wolverine State.
Payton Nelson put a cherry on top of the evening with a two-run home run in the seventh inning, a pinch-hit big fly in his first Woodchuck plate appearance. The homer made it 11-2 in the seven-inning game, a score that stood through the last out.
With the win, Wisconsin improves to 40-23 and 19-9 in the second half of 2021. They move into first in the Great Lakes West second half and tie the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders for the overall division lead.
The Woodchucks scored four runs in the top of the second. Anthony Catalano doubled in Jacob Burke before scoring with Harrison Long off the bat of Aaron Simmons. Noah Fitzgerald then brought in Long on a fielder’s choice.
Battle Creek scored two in the fifth to cut the Chuck lead to 4-2.
But any doubt was extinguished a frame later with five Woodchuck runs. Each Chuck made a plate appearance in the inning. Aaron Simmons launched a solo home run to right, Catalano scored from second on a groundout, Long crossed the plate on a fielder’s choice and Fitzgerald came home on a fielder’s choice before Stephen Reid doubled in Chase Bessard to make it a seven-run game.
The doubleheader was induced by a July 7 rainout between the teams at Battle Creek’s C.O. Brown Stadium. With the Woodchucks on the road for that scheduled game, Wisconsin was designated as the road team in the makeup contest Thursday night.
Top Performers
Starting pitcher Dominic Murgo tossed four and two-thirds innings. He struck out two Bombers while allowing a pair of earned runs. Murgo was the winning pitcher.
JD Schultz had two scoreless innings, striking out three.
Simmons went 2-3 with a walk, two runs, a home run and stolen base.
Bessard was 2-4 with a run and RBI.
Long went 2-3 with a double, two runs and two RBI.
Next UpThe Woodchucks see the Bombers again Friday night for the series finale. First pitch is 6:35 p.m. Spend your Friday night at the ballpark and enjoy post-game fireworks presented by Wisconsin Chevy Dealers.
For tickets, call us at 715.845.5055, stop by our front office, or visit woodchucks.com
Battle Creek Bombers 8 @ Wisconsin Woodchucks 9- Game 1
Game Date: Thursday August 5th, 2021
| Final/7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombers | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 | |
| Woodchucks | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | X | 9 | 10 | 1 |
W: Baumann (1-1, 6.48 ERA) L: LaMere (2-3, 7.15 ERA) SV: Millar (2)
| Bombers | AB | R | H | RBI | YTD AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tejada, Cristian CF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Held, Brady DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .421 |
| Patterson, Trevor SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .357 |
| Kuntz, Roman 1B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .362 |
| Catalfo, Matt LF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .234 |
| Zapp, Brian 3B | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .213 |
| Wressel, Jimmy C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .077 |
| Powell, Nick RF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .205 |
| – Hilbrich, Raymond RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Dalrymple, Cameron 2B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .179 |
| 29 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Woodchucks | AB | R | H | RBI | YTD AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sepede, Ryan RF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .353 |
| Kilpatrick, Kevin CF | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .335 |
| Reid, Stephen DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .356 |
| Burke, Jacob LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .211 |
| McCabe, Ben 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .212 |
| Bessard, Chase 3B | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | .455 |
| Mehlbauer, Clayton SS | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | .241 |
| Albrecht, Louie C | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .172 |
| Valdez, Antonio 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .158 |
| 27 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
Battle Creek Bombers
3B: T. Patterson 1 (2);
RBI: J. Wressel 1 (2); B. Held 2 (6); T. Patterson 1 (4); M. Catalfo 1 (15); R. Kuntz 2 (26);
HBP: N. Powell 1 (8); B. Zapp 1 (4);
SB: B. Zapp 2 (3); C. Tejada 1 (4); M. Catalfo 1 (3); C. Dalrymple 1 (5); T. Patterson 1 (5);
Team LOB: 7;
Wisconsin Woodchucks
2B: J. Burke 1 (6); C. Bessard 1 (1);
3B: A. Valdez 1 (1);
HR: C. Mehlbauer 2 (3);
RBI: C. Mehlbauer 3 (17); C. Bessard 3 (4); A. Valdez 1 (8); R. Sepede 1 (18); J. Burke 1 (16);
HBP: K. Kilpatrick 1 (5);
SB: J. Burke 1 (9); C. Bessard 1 (1); C. Mehlbauer 1 (8);
E: A. Valdez 1 (8);
Team LOB: 8;
| Bombers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | YTD ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bixby, Lucas | 5.0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2.63 |
| – Gibson, Micah | 0.1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11.74 |
| – LaMere, Nolan | 0.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7.15 |
| 6.0 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 2 |
| Woodchucks | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | YTD ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telfer, Shane | 2.1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4.46 |
| – Schofield, Peyton | 1.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 |
| – Baumann , Jace | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.48 |
| – Millar, Colin | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.82 |
| 7.0 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
Battle Creek Bombers
HB: L. Bixby 1 (2);
SO: L. Bixby 7 (10); N. LaMere 2 (34);
BB: L. Bixby 2 (3); M. Gibson 3 (9); N. LaMere 1 (25);
BF: L. Bixby 25 (60); M. Gibson 5 (42); N. LaMere 5 (228);
P-S: L. Bixby 93-67; M. Gibson 22-8; N. LaMere 22-13;
Wisconsin Woodchucks
HB: P. Schofield 1 (5); C. Millar 1 (2);
SO: S. Telfer 5 (42); J. Baumann 1 (15);
BB: S. Telfer 2 (23); P. Schofield 1 (24); C. Millar 1 (7);
BF: S. Telfer 13 (152); P. Schofield 10 (147); J. Baumann 8 (119); C. Millar 5 (46);
P-S: S. Telfer 53-31; P. Schofield 34-19; J. Baumann 33-23; C. Millar 17-10;
Umpires: Plate: G. Webster 1B: A. Braack 3B: R. Melms
Weather: Rain-Intermittent
Start time: 5:05 pm (Central)
Duration: 02:35:00
Attendance: 1150
Venue: Athletic Park
Wisconsin Woodchucks 11 @ Battle Creek Bombers 2- Game 2
Game Date: Thursday August 5th, 2021
| Final/7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodchucks | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 2 | |
| Bombers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 1 |
W: Murgo (1-0, 4.32 ERA) L: Morris (0-2, 11.25 ERA)
| Woodchucks | AB | R | H | RBI | YTD AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sepede, Ryan 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .353 |
| Bessard, Chase LF 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .455 |
| Reid, Stephen DH | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .356 |
| Burke, Jacob CF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .211 |
| Simmons, Aaron RF | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| Catalano, Anthony SS | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .216 |
| Long, Harrison 3B | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .297 |
| – Nelson, Payton LF PH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.000 |
| Vincent, Colton C | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .178 |
| Fitzgerald, Noah 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .214 |
| 32 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| Bombers | AB | R | H | RBI | YTD AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tejada, Cristian CF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .200 |
| Held, Brady LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .421 |
| Patterson, Trevor SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .357 |
| Kuntz, Roman 1B | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .362 |
| Catalfo, Matt DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .234 |
| Zapp, Brian 3B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .213 |
| Hilbrich, Raymond RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| McCormick V, TJ C | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .190 |
| Schields, Westley 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .192 |
| 28 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
Wisconsin Woodchucks
2B: A. Catalano 1 (3); H. Long 1 (2); S. Reid 1 (4);
HR: A. Simmons 1 (1); P. Nelson 1 (1);
RBI: A. Catalano 1 (16); H. Long 2 (5); N. Fitzgerald 1 (11); A. Simmons 1 (1); C. Vincent 1 (15); C. Bessard 1 (4); S. Reid 1 (27); P. Nelson 2 (2);
HBP: A. Catalano 1 (5);
SB: H. Long 1 (4); A. Simmons 1 (1); N. Fitzgerald 1 (3);
E: A. Catalano 1 (14); J. Burke 1 (7);
Team LOB: 4;
Battle Creek Bombers
2B: R. Kuntz 1 (7); C. Tejada 1 (2);
RBI: R. Kuntz 1 (26); M. Catalfo 1 (15);
E: T. Patterson 1 (2);
Team LOB: 9;
| Woodchucks | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | YTD ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murgo, Dominic | 4.2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4.32 |
| – Schultz, Jd | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 |
| – Miller, Dane | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.89 |
| 7.0 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Bombers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | YTD ERA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morris, Gunner | 2.0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11.25 |
| – Dehn, Zach | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3.60 |
| – Bedell, Hunter | 0.1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14.73 |
| – Dalrymple, Cameron | 1.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16.20 |
| 7.0 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
Wisconsin Woodchucks
WP: D. Murgo 1 (2);
SO: D. Murgo 3 (7); J. Schultz 3 (10); D. Miller 1 (11);
BB: D. Murgo 3 (7);
BF: D. Murgo 24 (44); J. Schultz 5 (21); D. Miller 3 (79);
P-S: D. Murgo 90-56; J. Schultz 22-15; D. Miller 10-6;
Battle Creek Bombers
WP: G. Morris 2 (4); Z. Dehn 1 (2);
HB: C. Dalrymple 1 (1);
SO: G. Morris 2 (5); Z. Dehn 4 (5); C. Dalrymple 1 (1);
BB: G. Morris 2 (4); H. Bedell 1 (7);
BF: G. Morris 10 (39); Z. Dehn 12 (22); H. Bedell 5 (44); C. Dalrymple 9 (9);
P-S: G. Morris 49-30; Z. Dehn 43-27; H. Bedell 22-10; C. Dalrymple 35-20;
Umpires: Plate: A. Braack 1B: R. Melms 3B: G. Webster
Weather: Cloudy
Start time: 7:30 pm (Eastern)
Duration: 02:21:00
Attendance: 0
Venue: Athletic Park
