For Wausau Pilot & Review
FOND DU LAC – The Wausau Woodchucks baseball team earned a split of a doubleheader against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders on Wednesday, losing in the afternoon tilt 6-1 in a six-inning, rain-shortened contest, but rebounded with a 9-1 victory in the nightcap at Herr-Baker Field.
The Dock Spiders (17-28, 4-6 second half) struck early in the opener, scoring three first-inning runs. They also added runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth which help guide them to a win.
Wausau (24-20, 4-5 second half) scored once in the sixth inning on a Mike Maginnis (Georgia State) double.
Woodchucks relief pitcher Colin Murphy (Lincoln Memorial) went three full innings, striking out four and only allowing two hits in the loss.
In Game 2, Wausau scored twice in the first two innings, which included an RBI double by Colin Brueggemann (Oklahoma State), one of eight extra base hits in the game.
Brent Widder (Evansville) and Jake English (Kansas) each had two doubles, and Mark Shallenberger (Evansville) smacked a triple, which extended his hit streak to seven games.
As part of a five-run fifth, which put the Woodchucks in the driver’s seat, Brueggemann hit his second home run of the season, English nailed his second double of the game, Ryan Blackwell (Oral Roberts) hit his first double of the season, and Widder drove in two runs with a single.
Fond du Lac avoided the shutout with a ninth inning run.
The combined pitching effort of Matt Milner (SW Oklahoma State) and Dominick Reid (Oklahoma State) went the full nine innings, only allowing two hits and one run. Milner picked up the win, and Reid struck out five batters in the four innings.
Widder had five hits in the game, the most by any player on the Woodchucks in a single game this season.
Wausau returns home for a two-game set with the Lakeshore Chinooks. First pitch Thursday will be at 6:35 p.m. and the Zooperstars will be at Athletic Park.
For tickets or more information visit www.woodchucks.com or call 715-845-5055.
