Wausau Woodchucks
ASHWAUBENON, WI- The tightest playoff race in the Northwoods League got even more interesting after Thursday night.
The Wausau Woodchucks were beaten on the road by the Green Bay, 10-5, in their final meeting against the Rockers in the regular season. In the process, Madison picked up a win away from home against the Lakeshore Chinooks, 11-3. That means, with just two days left in the regular season, the Woodchucks and Mallards are tied for first place in the second half Great Lakes West standings. It’s the first time Wausau has not held sole possession of first place in the second half since July 8.
Wausau holds the tiebreaker over Madison, so if the season ended today, Wausau would have a spot in the playoffs. However, Madison will play one more game than Wausau, which means it’s highly unlikely that the Woodchucks and Mallards will finish tied in the standings at the end of the season.
The Rockers built a 6-1 lead through six innings and then blew it open with four more in the 7th. Josh Arquette drove in two runs while Dylan Schlotterback, Dom Rodriguez and Brayden Mazzacano added solo RBIs.
Wausau returns home to face Wisconsin Rapids on Friday and Saturday in its final two games of the regular season. Madison will conclude its season with a three-game set against Green Bay and starts that series with a seven-inning doubleheader in Ashwaubenon tomorrow. That doubleheader was scheduled due to a rainout earlier in the season. The Mallards will then host the Rockers on Saturday night in their regular season finale.
Wausau now must win and get help. If the Mallards win their final three games in the regular season, they will clinch the second half title and the postseason spot that comes with it. However, if the Mallards lose one of their remaining games, and Wausau wins its final two contests, the Woodchucks would jump Madison and win the second half. The magic number for both teams sits at three.
Rest of NWL scores:
Fond du Lac 9 Wisconsin Rapids 4
Mankato 6 Bismarck 2
Royal Oak 12 Kalamazoo 10
Battle Creek 8 Rockford 6
Thunder Bay 11 Duluth 2
Traverse City 7 Kenosha 0
Waterloo 10 La Crosse 3
Eau Claire 2 Rochester 0
St. Cloud 14 Willmar 1
Badlands 12 Minot 0
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