Hug Leads Woodchucks in Slugfest
MADISON, Wis. – On a day dominated by offense, Chase Hug (Evansville) stole the show, homering three times in a 13-9 victory for the Wausau Woodchucks (28-25) over the Madison Mallards (23-31) Tuesday night.
Hug has homered six times in just eleven games as a Woodchuck. The lefty extended an early Woodchuck lead to 5-0 with a three-run moonshot to right field in the second inning. In his next at-bat, he smoked a line drive to nearly the exact same spot – a two-run bomb which put Wausau ahead 7-3.
And in the top of the ninth, a towering drive to right-center gave the Chucks an insurance run. Hug is the first Woodchuck to homer three times in a single game since Stephen Reid did so last season. In total, he was 5-for-6 with 6 RBI in the win.
Dwight Allen (Georgia) also enjoyed his best performance of the summer in the victory. His bases-clearing double in the fifth inning gave Wausau a commanding 10-3 lead. Allen would add a triple off the right field wall in his first multi-hit performance this year.
Starting pitcher and designated hitter Ben Abernathy (UAB) excelled both ways in his final outing as a Woodchuck. He threw six innings for the fourth time this year, scattering seven hits and allowing four runs (three earned). At the plate, he contributed a base-hit and a walk, scoring a run and extending his on-base streak to eight games. He ends his season with a 2-0 record on the mound, an ERA of 2.53, and a .290 average at the plate.
The Woodchucks never trailed in the victory, leading by as many as nine runs but allowing Madison to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle in the eighth inning.
Carter Heninger (San Jose State) recorded the final five outs, stranding one of two inherited runners in the eighth before striking out two Mallards in the ninth. The freshman did not allow a hit and improved his team-high strikeout total to 41 on the summer. He earned his fourth save and maintained his 0.00 ERA in the process.
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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]
