Wisconsin News and Sports
Opening Day NL Scores on 5/28/30
Madison 11, Kokomo 1
Waterloo 7, La Crosse 3
Wisconsin 10, Kenosha 5
Lake Shore 8, Battle Creek 3
Fond du Lac 5, Kalamazoo 4
Traverse City 2, Green Bay 1
Bismarck 15, Eau Claire 2
Wisconsin Rapids at Rockford ppd
Justin Watland tosses 2-hitter for the Mallards.
The Madison Mallards (21-6) cruised to a 10-3 win over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters Monday night in the sixth game of their seven game road swing.
Starting pitcher Justin Watland (San Jose State) allowed only two bloop hits and one unearned run in seven innings of work against the Rafters, walking none and fanning seven. Watland has now spun 17 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run.
With Kalamazoo’s 7-4 loss at Fond Du Lac, the Mallards now have a two-game lead over the Growlers with nine left to play in the first half of the Northwoods League.
Monday’s Scores
La Crosse 8, Thunder Bay 1
Green Bay 14, Battle Creek 0
Eau Claire 8, Duluth 4
Lake Shore 2, Rockford 1
Fond du Lac 7, Kalamazoo 4
Madison 10, Wisconsin Rapids 3
Kenosha 6, Wisconsin 4
Madison 10, Wisconsin Rapids 3
More late-inning heroics for the Madison Mallards (13-3) on Wednesday night. The Mallards won their 11th straight game when Tyler Plantier hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.
The Mallards trailed 4-0 early but stormed back to beat the Lake Shore Chinooks 6-5, sealing their fifth straight series sweep.
Madison continues its home stand tonight when they host the Green Bay Bullfrogs at Warner Park (7:05 p.m.).
Northwoods League Scoreboard
Green Bay 8, Rockford 7
Kenosha 10, Wisconsin Rapids 4
Fond du Lac 10, Battle Creek 3
Kalamazoo 3, Wisconsin 2
Wilmar 3, Eau Claire 1
Rochester 4, La Crosse 3
The 2018 Major League First-Year Player Draft took a big dip into the Northwoods League this year. According to league figures, a total of 163 current Northwoods League players and alumni were selected in this year’s draft.
The highest selection was Rico Hoerner, a junior shortstop from Stanford. Hoerner was picked in the 1st round by the Chicago Cubs with the 24th overall pick. Hoerner played for the Madison Mallards in 2016.
Of the 163 players drafted, 40 of them had played in the Northwoods League Major League Dreams Showcase. The Major League Dreams Showcase brings together 100 of the Northwoods League’s top prospects to form four teams for a day of scouting workouts and double-header action. Played in front of Major League scouts, the Showcase provides an invaluable platform for players looking to one day make it into the professional ranks.
The Rochester Honkers had a league high, 21 players drafted this year. The highest pick for the Honkers came in the 9th round, when Nebraska outfielder Scott Schreiber (Kimberly, WI) was taken by the Houston Astros.
The Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros had the most selections of Northwoods League players as they each selected nine. Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Seattle were next with seven NWL players selected each.
Madison is hosting the Major League Dreams Showcase today as 100 of the Northwoods League’s top prospects form four teams for a day of scouting workouts and double-header action.
The two games will be played in front of major league scouts. The Showcase provides a platform for players looking to one day make it into the professional ranks. The players are hand-selected by a panel of major league scouts, distinguishing the event from the more traditional All-Star Game format that features representatives from every team.
For the baseball fan, the Showcase provides a glimpse of the country’s elite collegiate baseball talent.
Double-header action starts at 4:05 p.m. today at The “Duck Pond” at Warner Park in Madison.
Midwest League
Peoria 7, Wisconsin 5
Clinton 13, Beloit 3
Northwoods League
Wisconsin 5, Green Bay 3
Fond du Lac 5, Madison 3
Duluth 7, La Crosse 4
Wisconsin Rapids 4, Kenosha 2
Eau Claire 8, Bismarck 3
Battle Creek 5, Lake Shore 3
MLB
Milwaukee Brewers 7, New York Mets 1
After six years of sub-.500 finishes and 507 total games, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (53-23, 4-0) erased their prolonged frustrations with an 11-4 rout of the Eau Claire Express (47-29, 2-2) to sweep the Summer Collegiate World Series and clinch the first Northwoods League Championship in franchise history.
The Rafters exploded for six runs in the sixth inning and coasted to victory.
The 2016 Summer Collegiate World Series will begin Thursday night, as the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters host the Eau Claire Express in game one of the best two of three series.
Wisconsin Rapids comes into the playoffs with the best record in the Northwoods League, as the Rafters won the first and second half of the South Division and finished with a record of 49-23. The Rafters earned playoff wins over Lakeshore and Battle Creek to advance to the championship series.
Eau Claire won the first half in the North Division to earn a playoff berth and finished the regular season with a 45-27 overall record. The Express earned playoff wins over Mankato and St. Cloud to advance to the title series.
The two teams split their four regular season games with the Rafters outscoring the Express 22-21 in those four games.
Eau Claire will host Wisconsin Rapids in game two on Friday night with the series heading back to Wisconsin Rapids on Saturday for game three, if necessary.
The 2016 Northwoods League Playoffs are set to start tonight. Eight teams will vie for a trip to the Summer Collegiate World Series.
Four teams from Wisconsin are among the final eight.
In the North, Eau Claire will play host to Mankato.
In the South, Wisconsin Rapids will play host to Lake Shore and Madison is home against Battle Creek. [Read more…]
The Northwoods League had record success in the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. A total of 179 current Northwoods League players and alumni were selected in this year’s draft along with a record five 1st round picks.
The highest pick in this year’s draft was A.J. Puk, a junior left handed pitcher at Florida. He was picked in the first round by the Oakland A’s with the 6th overall pick. Puk played as both a pitcher and infielder with the Waterloo Bucks in 2014.
Catcher Matt Thaiss of Virginia played with the Madison Mallards in 2014. He was taken 16th overall by the Los Angeles Angels. [Read more…]