Chucks lose lead in middle innings in loss to Bullfrogs
For a little while Monday night, the Wisconsin Woodchucks were sitting pretty with a 4-1 lead over the Green Bay Bullfrogs. The good feelings didn’t last long, however. The Frogs racked up the hits and struck for six runs over the middle three innings to seize a lead they would not relinquish, before holding on for a 9-6 victory. The win was Green Bay’s (19-40; 7-17) fourth in a row, a season high, while the loss was Wisconsin’s (23-38; 8-18) sixth straight, a season long. Hunter Coleman drove in three for the second time this year and Stevie Mangrum scored three times, but they were outdone by a 17-hit Green Bay outburst. Every Bullfrog tallied at least one hit, led by three from both Dan Leckie and Troy Johnston and four from Riley Smith.
The teams traded runs early. Stevie Mangrum doubled to center in the first and Hunter Coleman pinpointed one of his own down the left-field line to plate Mangrum and put Wisconsin up 1-0. Green Bay answered right back with four singles in the bottom half, with Dan Leckie driving home Riley Smith to level the score.
The Chucks had already seen Frog starter Jared Tobey twice this year, and they got to him in the third in matchup number three. Mangrum and Logan Foster both walked, and Coleman drove them both in with a single. Coleman later scored on Jackson Owens’ sac fly to make it 4-1 Wisconsin.
From there, the Green Bay offense came alive. Trent Bauer led off the fourth with a single and Nick Parr, normally a Green Bay pitcher, doubled him home. Smith then plated Parr with a double of his own to make it 4-3.
The comeback was completed in the next frame. Leckie led off with a double and Zack Plunkett plated him with a single. The next two batters walked, and Smith singled two home before Ben Hart singled home another one to make it 7-4 Bullfrogs.
Drew Spaeth tossed a one-two-three sixth in relief, the only clean Wisconsin inning of the game, before Brad Schwind impressed with a pair of punchouts in his first inning of work of the summer. But the Bullfrogs eventually got to him, too, on a two-run Leckie homer in the eighth to make it 9-4.
Wisconsin’s offense finally woke up in the ninth against Brett Fulk, who had already thrown two scoreless with five K’s in relief of Tobey. Adonis Lao led off with a walk and Mangrum singled him home before Foster doubled to score Mangrum. The Chucks would get no closer, however, and Fulk locked it down to preserve the 9-6 Bullfrog win.
Wisconsin will head back to Joannes Stadium Tuesday night to try to snap this losing skid. Daniel Sprinkle will make his second start of the season against Green Bay’s Will Gilbert, with first pitch scheduled for7:05 PM.
Tickets are on sale to all Wisconsin Woodchucks home games and can be purchased online by calling 715.845.5055 or by stopping by the Woodchucks front office during normal business hours.