Woodchucks Rally Behind Four Eighth-Inning Runs
WAUSAU, WI – The bats were quiet after a pair of first-inning runs. But a four-run eighth inning gave the Wisconsin Woodchucks a 6-4 win over the Madison Mallards at Athletic Park Tuesday night.
Madison scored four unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Wisconsin didn’t land a baserunner between the third and sixth innings. But a fielder’s choice turned fielding error off the bat of Tommy Delgado scored Anthony Valdez and Jacob Schoenvogel in the bottom of the eighth, giving the Chucks a lead for good.
Kevin Kilpatrick led the inning off with a double, before Jordan Schaffer doubled in the left fielder one at-bat later. Schaffer–playing in his first Woodchucks game–tied the game by taking home from third base on a wild pitch.
The Chucks are now 10-6 with the win, snapping a two-game losing streak and staying atop the Great Lakes West Division.
The Woodchucks drew first blood with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. They didn’t land a baserunner until two outs were recorded, but RBI singles from Valdez and Tyler MacGregor gave the Chucks an early lead.
Madison made it 2-1 with a two-out RBI single in the fifth. They tied it in the sixth with a sacrifice fly before going ahead 4-2 with a two-run homer later in the frame.
Top Performers
Starting pitcher Sean Higgins threw four scoreless innings, striking out six Madison batters. The Columbia Lion escaped three jams with two runners on and nobody out. The Mallards were 0-9 with runners in scoring position against Higgins.
Schaffer was 1-4 with an RBI and a double.
Kilpatrick was 1-4 with a double.
Dante Chirico, Peyton Schofield and Tom Kane all pitched scoreless innings, with Chirico totaling one and 1/3 frames.
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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
