For Wausau Pilot & Review
MADISON – The Wausau Woodchucks scored the game’s final six runs and held the Madison Mallards to just one hit in the final four innings to win 6-1 at Warner Park on Friday.
The victory snaps a four-game skid for Wausau (4-7), which got a huge lift tonight from starting pitcher Ernie Lugo (Salt Lake CC).
Lugo improved to 2-0 on the season, throwing five innings of one-run ball for a second-straight start. He struck out six and walked two, inducing a pair of key double plays in the process.
When Lugo left the game after five innings, the Woodchucks trailed 1-0. But once the visitors got into the Mallards’ bullpen, things started to go their way.
Camden Janik (Illinois) reached on an error, sparking a three-run rally in the sixth inning. Kevin Kilpatrick (Houston) contributed a base-hit in his 2022 debut, setting the stage for Mark Shallenberger (Evansville) to draw a bases-loaded walk. Two more runs would score on wild pitches, giving the Woodchucks the lead.
In the seventh, Brock Watkins (BYU) drove in a run with an infield single, part of his second multi-hit game of the season. Collin Reuter (BYU) also scored a run in the frame, his first as a Woodchuck after reaching base three times on the evening.
Ryan Sepede (BYU) homered to left field in the eighth inning, giving the Chucks their final insurance run. The homer is his first of the season, and the team’s second.
Aidan Major (West Virginia) worked two scoreless innings in his bullpen debut. He helped his own cause by starting a 1-6-3 double play, and was aided by a diving web gem by third baseman Brent Widder (Evansville).
The two teams will meet again Saturday at 4:05 p.m. in Madison.
Carter Heninger (San Jose State) and David Barrett (Florida State) slammed the door from there, pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth inning respectively. Neither have allowed an earned run over a combined 13 innings of work this season, solidifying their key bullpen roles.
