Rather than trying to address the improved offensive weapons of the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers opted to protect their own with the 25th Pick of the NFL Draft on Thursday.

The Packers selected Arizona tackle Jordan Morgan with the pick, addressing a need on the offensive line. According to Packers.com, Morgan (6-5, 311) started 37 games at left tackle in his college career, including 33 in the last three seasons. He made an impressive recovery from a torn ACL toward the end of the 2022 season to start 12 games at left tackle in 2023 and earn first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors. 

The Packers are scheduled to have four picks when the NFL Draft restarts at 6 p.m.:

Round 2, pick 41 (from the Jets in Aaron Rodgers trade)
Round 2, pick 58
Round 3, pick 88
Round 3, pick 91 (from the Bills in Rasul Douglas trade)

The Peoria Chiefs hit two home runs on Thursday night at Dozer Park.  The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scraped and clawed for five runs.  Luis Lara drove in a pair of runs without swinging the bat and Gregory Barrios drove in two runs without getting the ball out of the infield.  Those runs, another run scoring on a wild pitch, and stellar relief pitching were enough for the Rattlers to record a 5-3 victory over Peoria.

Dakota Harris gave the Chiefs (7-11) a lead with a one-out, solo home run in the second inning.  Harris has homered twice in the series.

Wisconsin (12-6) answered in the top of the third as they loaded the bases against Peoria starter Cooper Hjerpe with no outs.  Eduarqui Fernández singled, Ben Metzinger walked, and Terence Doston singled to start the inning.  Lara was hit by a pitch with one out to force in the tying run.  Barrios grounded into a force play at second but beat the throw to first to allow Metzinger to score and Doston to take third.  Moments later, Doston scored on a wild pitch by Hjerpe for the final run of the inning.

Peoria tied the game with the long ball in the bottom of the fifth.  Joshua Baez cracked a two-out homer to left-center with one out to even the score 3-3. 

Wisconsin starter Will Rudy allowed another hit before retiring the next two batters to keep the game tied.  Rudy allowed three runs on six hits with no walks and six strikeouts.

The Timber Rattlers bullpen was quick and efficient after taking over for Rudy in the sixth inning.  Will Childers retired the Chiefs in order on twelve pitched.  Aaron Rund took over in the bottom of the seventh and pitched a perfect inning with just nine pitches.  Chase Costello took the ball for the Rattlers in the bottom of the eighth.  He also worked a perfect inning on nine pitches.

The Rattlers went back in front in the top of the seventh with another bases-loaded rally.  Fernández started the rally with a one-out single against Peoria reliever Cade Winquest.  Doston drew a two-out walk.  Then, Dylan O’Rae sent a high chopper to the edge of the infield behind the second base bag and beat the throw to first to load the bases with an infield single.  Lara drew a four-pitch walk from Winquest to force in Fernández with the go-ahead run.

Barrios added an insurance with a fortunate bounce.  The Wisconsin shortstop hit a hard hopper back through the middle.  Winquest just missed the ball with a swipe of his glove behind his back.  The ball clipped off the second base bag just enough to throw off Harris’s attempt to field the ball.  The infield single scored Doston for a 5-3 lead.

Costello went back out for the bottom of the ninth to nail down the victory.  Harris reached on an infield single with one out to bring the tying run to the plate for the Chiefs.  Costello ended the game when he got William Sullivan to ground the ball behind second.  Barrios fielded the ball, stepped on second, and fired to first for the game-ending double play.

The Rattlers relievers pitched four scoreless innings, allowed one hit, walked none, and struck out two to close out the game.  All five Wisconsin pitchers combined to issue no walks in a game for the first time this season.

Wisconsin has won two in a row to take a 2-1 series lead over the Chiefs in the six-game series.

Game four of the series is scheduled for Friday night at Dozer Park.  Brett Wichrowski (0-1, 1.64) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Peoria’s starting pitcher is scheduled to be Hancel Rincon (1-0, 1.93).  Game time is 7:05pm CDT.

The Green Bay Gamblers are in do-or-die mode Friday night when they take on the Muskegon Lumberjacks in a winner-take-all game five.

The Gamblers earned the new breath of life when they beat the Lumberjacks 2-1 in game four of the Clark Cup Playoffs Wednesday night. It looked like the game might go to overtime before Jayson Shaugabay buried a pass from Blake Bechen for a power-play goal with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game. 

Game five will take place on Friday in Muskegon at 6:10 p.m.

The Green Bay Packers are on the clock in more ways than one when the NFL Draft begins on Thursday night.

The Packers enter the draft with eleven picks: 

Round 1, pick 25
Round 2, pick 41 (from the Jets in Aaron Rodgers trade)
Round 2, pick 58
Round 3, pick 88
Round 3, pick 91 (from the Bills in Rasul Douglas trade)
Round 4, pick 126
Round 5, pick 169 (compensatory pick)
Round 6, pick 202
Round 6, pick 219 (compensatory pick)
Round 7, pick 245
Round 7, pick 255

While the consensus believes the Chicago Bears will draft their quarterback of the future in Caleb Williams, there is very little agreement on who the Packers will back at No. 25, according to NFL.com analysts:

Daniel Jeremiah: OT Amarius Mims (UGA)

Charles Davis: CB Nate Wiggins (CLEM)

Lance Zierlein: S Tyler Nubin (MINN)

Bucky Brooks: LB Payton Wilson (NCST)

Peter Schrager: OT Amarius Mims (UGA)

The draft begins in Detroit at 7 p.m. At the draft's conclusion on Saturday, the eyes will turn to Green Bay as the host of the annual event in 2025.

The Green Bay Gamblers will have at least one more game in their season after beating Muskegon Lumberjacks 2-1 in game four of the Clark Cup Playoffs Wednesday night.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period thanks to the Lumberjacks answering an early Ben Poitras tally in the frame. It looked like the game might go to overtime before Jayson Shaugabay buried a pass from Blake Bechen for a power-play goal with just over 30 seconds remaining in the game. Chicago Blackhawks prospect Adam Gajan sparkled in the net, stopping 31 of the 32 shots he faced.

Game five will take place on Friday in Muskegon at 7:10 p.m.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers almost let one get away to waste another terrific performance by starting pitcher Mark Manfredi on Wednesday afternoon at Dozer Park.  The Peoria Chiefs tied the game 2-2 with an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning after Wisconsin had led since the first inning.  Clutch relief work from Craig Yoho and a two-out RBI single by Jadher Areinamo in the tenth delivered Wisconsin a 3-2 victory.

The Timber Rattlers (11-6) took the lead with a two-out rally in the top of the first.  Gregory Barrios drew a walk and went to second on a wild pitch.  Luke Adams followed with a bloop single to right to chase Barrios across the plate for a 1-0 lead.

Adams added to the Wisconsin advantage in the third inning with a two-out, RBI double off the wall in right to score Luis Lara from second base.

Peoria (7-10) got to Manfredi in the bottom of the fifth inning.  The Chiefs had runners on the corners with one out.  Won-Bin Cho sent a weak grounder to first for an out to score the run from third.  Manfredi ended the inning with his eighth strikeout to strand the tying run in scoring position.

Manfredi allowed one run, walked two, hit one, and allowed four hits in five innings.  In his last two appearances, Manfredi has sixteen strikeouts over nine innings.

Tate Kuehner took over for Manfredi in the sixth and maintained the lead until the eighth.

Wisconsin’s offense had chances to add to their lead.  In the sixth, they had runners at first and second with one out.  In the seventh, Eduarqui Fernández had a lead-off double.  In the eighth, the Rattlers loaded the bases with two outs.  They did not score, and it would cost them.

Peoria’s Osvaldo Tovalin blooped a single to left with one out.  He moved to second on a weak ground ball that was the second out of the inning.  Dakota Harris sent a grounder to Adams at third for what looked like the final out.  However, the throw was wild and got past first baseman Ben Metzinger to allow Tovalin to score the tying run.

Kuehner got the final out of the eighth to keep the game tied.  The Rattlers went down in order in the ninth.  Yoho struck out the side in order in the bottom of the ninth and both teams went to extra innings for the first time this season.

The Rattlers nearly wasted their opportunity in the tenth.  Luis Lara started the inning at second base and moved to third on a grounder to the right side of the infield by Barrios.  Adams was next and hit a hard grounder near the third base bag.  Peoria third baseman Anyelo Encarnacion made the play and almost tagged out Lara as the Rattlers base runner scrambled back to safety.  Encarnacion still managed to get Adams at first for the second out.

That brought Areinamo to the plate.  He dropped a single to right on a 2-1 pitch to score Lara with the go-ahead run.  Areinamo went 3-for-5 in the game with three singles in his final three plate appearances.

Yoho went back out for the tenth inning with the tying run placed on second base for Peoria to start the inning.  Yoho got the first out on a popup and the second out on a grounder to Areinamo at second that allowed the tying run to take third base.  Yoho took all the drama out of the moment by striking out Leonardo Bernal on three straight pitches, including a called third strike to end the game and give the Rattlers the victory.

Game three of the series is Thursday night at Dozer Park.  Will Rudy (0-1, 6.23) has been announced as the starting pitcher for Wisconsin.  Cooper Hjerpe (0-0, 4.70) is set to start for Peoria.  Game time is 6:35pm.

A familiar face will reportedly be roaming the sidelines for the Green Bay women's basketball team in the upcoming season.

According to the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Kayla Karius will be named the new head coach of the Phoenix later this week. Karius has spent the past two years as the head coach at South Dakota and went 23-13 this season. Karius's maiden name is Tetschlag, and her time with the Phoenix was spectacular. Individually, Karius was a first-team all-conference selection twice, the league’s co-player of the year, and made the all-defensive team her senior season. The team won four conference championships, made three NCAA appearances, and went to the program's only Sweet 16.

Post Phoenix career, she played in Europe before bouncing around the coaching ranks at South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Drake before landing the top job at Green Bay. 

The Green Bay Gamblers will try to take a series lead in their matchup against the Muskegon Lumberjacks Tuesday night when they host game three at the Resch Center.

In their 4-1 loss Sunday, the Lumberjacks scored three straight goals, effectively sending the series to Green Bay. Lev Katzin's second-period goal was the only time the Gamblers got on the scoreboard in the game, a tally that the Lumberjacks would match in the second period. Gavin Moffatt stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced. 

Puck drop for Tuesday and Wednesday's games at the Resch Center is set for 7:05 p.m. A split over the next two games would send the series back to Muskegon.

The Green Bay Gamblers will host the Muskegon Lumberjacks for at least two games of the Clark Cup Playoffs after losing on Sunday 4-1.

After a scoreless first period, the Lumberjacks scored three straight goals, effectively sending the series to Green Bay. Lev Katzin's second-period goal was the only time the Gamblers got on the scoreboard in the game, a tally that the Lumberjacks would match in the second period. Gavin Moffatt stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced. 

Puck drop for Tuesday and Wednesday's games at the Resch Center is set for 7:05 p.m. A split over the next two games would send the series back to Muskegon.

It was the pitchers turn to shine for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers on Sunday.  The Wisconsin offense combined for 27 runs on 27 hits over their last two wins over the Cedar Rapids Kernels.  In the series finale at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, Edwin Jimenez and four relievers combined on a three-hit shutout in Wisconsin’s 2-0 win.

Dylan O’Rae started the Wisconsin first inning by drawing a walk. He scored two pitches later when Jadher Areinamo doubled to the corner in right for a 1-0 lead.

O’Rae, the Rattlers lead-off hitter, has reached base to start the first inning in five straight games.  He has scored in the first inning in four of those games.  The only time O’Rae didn’t score in the first inning during the streak was on Saturday when he was thrown out at the plate on a stolen base attempt.

Matt Wood drove in Areinamo with a sacrifice fly later in the first inning for a 2-0 advantage for Wisconsin (10-5).

That was it for the Rattlers offense.  After the first inning Wisconsin had two singles and didn’t have runner reach second base.  Five Timber Rattlers pitchers made sure that didn’t matter.

Jimenez allowed two hits and struck out four over five scoreless innings to earn his third win in three starts this season.  His defense helped with some big plays.

The Kernels (6-8) had runners at first and second with two outs in the third inning.  Ricardo Olivar sent a sinking line drive to center and Luis Lara made a sliding catch for the final out.

In the fifth, a single and a wild pitch put a Kernel on second with no outs.  Jimenez got the first out on a weak tapper in front of the plate that kept the runner at second.  Then, Keoni Cavaco sent a hard grounder to short.  Areinamo made a diving stop, held the runner at second, and fired to first in time for the second out.  Jimenez ended the inning with a strikeout to keep the lead intact.

Chase Costello was the first Wisconsin reliever, and he tossed a perfect sixth with two strikeouts.

Stiven Cruz was next man up for the bullpen.  He got the first out on a big defensive play on a tricky grounder by Dylan O’Rae where Cruz had to race over to cover first base and take the throw.  The next two batters reached on a single and a walk.  Cruz escaped the jam on a 6-3 double play.

Aaron Rund and Craig Yoho closed out the game in style for Wisconsin’s second shutout of the year.  Rund pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning on another sparkling defensive play by Areinamo and two strikeouts.  Yoho followed suit by pitching a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his third save of the season.

Wisconsin has outscored their opponents 21-8 in the first inning this season.
 

The Timber Rattlers won the final three games of the series to win the six-game series with four wins against the Kernels.  Wisconsin has won all three series they have played this season.

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday.  They return to action on Tuesday to start a series with the Peoria Chiefs at Dozer Park in Peoria, Illinois.  Wisconsin has Patricio Aquino (1-0, 2.70) as their scheduled starting pitcher.  The Chiefs have named Brycen Mautz (0-2, 9.82) as their starting pitcher.  Game time is 6:05pm CDT.

The first appearance in the second round of the Clark Cup in over a decade went well as they beat the Muskegon Lumberjacks 4-3.

The two teams scored in every period, with the Gamblers' second first-period goal proving to be the difference. Jayson Shaugabay scored two goals, while Charlie Russell and Blake Bechen each registered a goal and an assist. Ryan Humphrey recorded two assists. 

Gavin Moffatt stopped 26 of the 29 shots.

The Gamblers and the Lumberjacks meet again on Sunday at 2:10 p.m.

Mike Boeve and his .553 batting average were promoted from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to the Biloxi Shuckers of the Southern League early Saturday morning by the Milwaukee Brewers.  Boeve’s now former Timber Rattlers teammates didn’t miss a beat as they bashed fifteen hits, drew seven walks, and stole five bases to race past the Cedar Rapids Kernels 14-8 on Saturday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Gregory Barrios led the Rattlers hit parade by going 4-for-5 with five RBI.

Wisconsin (9-5) took the lead in the bottom of the second on back-to-back doubles by Jadher Areinamo and Jesús Chirinos.  The Rattlers loaded the bases with no outs, but a double play left the Rattlers with runners at second and third and in danger of not adding to their lead.  Dylan O’Rae extended the frame when he drew a walk to reload the bases.  Then, Barrios lined a single to right to score two runs for a 3-0 lead.

Cedar Rapids (6-7) put their first two batters of the top of the third on base.  Wisconsin starter Alexander Cornielle struck out the next two hitters.  However, Rubel Cespedes blooped a 2-2 pitch into shallow center for an RBI single.  Cornielle walked the next batter to load the bases and the call to the bullpen was made as he was at 35 pitches for the inning.

Tyler Wehrle took over and gave up a three-run double to Danny De Andrade and an RBI single to Jay Harry to put the Rattlers down by two runs.

The Rattlers didn’t stay down for long as they exploded for five runs in the fourth to take an 8-5 lead.

Ram?n Rodríguez and Terence Doston pulled a double steal with one out to get runners on second and third for one out.  O’Rae knocked in both runners with a single to tie the game.  Luis Lara singled to center with two outs and O’Rae was going from first to third when the throw to third from the outfield sailed out of play to allow O’Rae to score the go-ahead run.  Luke Adams and Jadher Areinamo followed with consecutive RBI singles to cap the scoring in the inning.

The Kernels scored a run against Wehrle in the top of the fifth to cut into the deficit but that seemed to get the attention of Wisconsin’s offense again as they loaded the bases.  Barrios knocked in two runners with a double before Lara added a sacrifice fly for an 11-6 advantage.

Gabriel Gonzalez and Rubel Cespedes helped Cedar Rapids stage a two-out rally in the top of the sixth with an RBI double and an RBI single and the Rattlers were only up by three runs.

Wisconsin doubled that lead in their half of the sixth as they loaded the bases with two outs.  O’Rae was hit by a pitch with two outs to force in the first run.  Barrios sent a grounder up the middle and O’Rae beat the flip to second for what would have been the final out.  The speed of O’Rae got Barrios his fourth hit and fifth RBI of the game.  Lara drew a bases-loaded walk to score the final run of the game.

Childers didn’t allow a run in the seventh.  Jake Polancic tossed a scoreless eighth and Yerlin Rodriguez closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.

Barrios reached base seven straight times between the games on Friday and Saturday.  He is 13-for-18 with six doubles and eight RBI in the five games of this series with the Kernels.

Rodríguez, Eduarqui Fernández, and Doston, the 7, 8, & 9 hitters in the Wisconsin lineup, each scored three runs in the game.  Doston walked three times.

The Timber Rattlers hold a 3-2 lead in the series as they head into the final game of the series with the Kernels on Sunday afternoon.

Wisconsin has Edwin Jimenez (2-0, 6.55) as their scheduled starting pitcher.  Cedar Rapids has Darren Bowen (0-1, 19.29) as their starter.  Game time is 1:10pm.

The Green Bay Gamblers will try to keep their Clark Cup hopes alive on Saturday when they face the Muskegon Lumberjacks.

The Gamblers skated away with a 3-2 win on Wednesday against the Chicago Steel to advance to the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs. After a scoreless first period, Ben Poitras scored two goals in five minutes to give the Gamblers a 2-0 lead. After the Steel tied the game up in the third period, the two teams played extra hockey for the sixth time in 12 games. It had a happy ending for the home fans as Aidan Park netted the game-winner with four minutes remaining to send the Gamblers to Muskegon for the second round of the playoffs. 

Games 1 and 2 will be played at Muskegon on April 20th and 21st starting at 6:05 p.m. The Gamblers won four of its five matchups against the Lumberjacks this season, including a three-game sweep in Muskegon in October.

The Green Bay Blizzard only trailed once in front of over 6,600 of its home fans on Friday night, beating the Sioux Falls Storm 48-35.

The deficit came in the first quarter when the Storm converted their point after touchdown attempt to make it 7-6. Tied at 14-14, the Blizzard on the last possession of the first half and the first possession of the second half to stake themselves to a 28-14 advantage they would not relinquish.

Max Meylor scored six touchdowns in the game, throwing for three scores to go along with his 150 yards passing. He also ran for three touchdowns and 63 yards. Lowell Patron was the biggest beneficiary of Meylor's exploits, catching six balls for over 100 yards and two touchdowns.

The Blizzard are back in action on April 26th when they host Iowa.

 The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers trailed the Cedar Rapids Kernels 1-0 after the top of the first inning on Friday Night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The Rattlers changed the game immediately as they scored eight runs in their first offensive turn on the way to a 13-3 victory over Cedar Rapids.

The Kernels (6-6) took the lead in the first inning on an unearned run.  Wisconsin starting pitcher Brett Wichrowski committed a throwing error on a grounder back to the mound and instead of two outs with no one on base, Cedar Rapids had Gabriel Gonzalez at second with one out.  Wichrowski got the second out on a grounder that moved Gonzalez to third base.  Gonzalez scored when Wichrowski committed a balk to put the Kernels were up 1-0.

Wisconsin (8-5) stormed back by sending twelve men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning.

Dylan O’Rae started the rally with a walk and a stolen base.  He would score on a throwing error off a grounder from Luis Lara.  Mike Boeve drew a one-out walk.  Then, Gregory Barrios doubled to left to score both Lara and Boeve for a 3-1 lead.  Matt Wood singled to drive in Barrios and that was the end of the line for the Kernels starting pitcher Miguelangel Boadas, who retired just one batter in his first start of the season.

Jacob Noble relieved Boadas and got the second out of the inning but walked the next two hitters to load the bases.  O’Rae in his second at bat of the inning beat out an infield single to drive in a run.  Lara followed with a two-run single. 

Wisconsin’s final run of the inning scored when Lara stole second as Noble’s pitch home went to the backstop to allow O’Rae to score on a wild pitch for an 8-1 lead.

Wood cracked a three-run home run in the bottom of the second.  The homer was his first of the season to give him four RBI on the night.

Boeve continued his torrid start with an RBI single in the third inning for a 12-1 lead.  Boeve was 2-for-2 with a walk on Friday after going 3-for-3 with a walk on Thursday to reach base in seven straight plate appearances.  Boeve is 8-for-11 with three walks in four games of the series with Cedar Rapids.  He is also 21-for-38 (.553) with thirteen walks in thirteen games this season.

Cedar Rapids scored a run off Wichrowski in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Agustin Ruiz.  The Kernels had runners on first and third with one out in the inning before Wichrowski ended the frame with back-to-back strikeouts.

Aaron Rund relieved Wichrowski to pitch a scoreless fifth.  Brian Fitzgerald pitched a scoreless sixth and seventh before allowing a run on a one-out RBI single by Ricardo Olivar in the eighth inning.  Fitzgerald allowed nothing else in the inning thanks to consecutive highlight defensive plays by the defense.  Fitzgerald speared a liner back through the middle for the second out.  Barrios went deep in the hole to flag down a grounder and a strong throw to first for the final out.

Wisconsin put one final run across the plate in the bottom of the eighth when Cedar Rapids committed a two-out error with the bases loaded.  The Kernels were charged with four errors in the game.

Chase Costello pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the game.

Boeve isn’t the only Timber Rattler having a great offensive series.  Barrios was 3-for-3 with two walks on Friday night.  He is 9-for-13 with five doubles.  O’Rae, who was 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored on Friday, is 6-for-14 in the series.

The series is even through four games with each team collecting two wins.

Game five of the series is Saturday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Alexander Cornielle (1-1, 5.40) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin.  Cedar Rapids sends CJ Culpepper to the mound.  Game time is 1:10pm.

Two meteorological phenomena will battle each other at the Resch Center on Friday night when the Green Bay Blizzard host the Sioux Falls Storm.

Friday marks the second time in a month the Blizzard has come into a matchup with an extra week of preparation. In their last game, the Blizzard scored in every quarter and held onto its halftime lead in a 32-24 win over the Quad Cities Steamwheelers. The Blizzard's Skyler Perry scored three total touchdowns while throwing for 59 yards and running for another 67 yards. Jalyn Cagle made the most of his limited touches, rushing for two scores on four carries and 20 yards.

Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers fell behind the Cedar Rapids Kernels early on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The Rattlers fought back to within a run, but their comeback, like the final flyball to right field fell just short as Cedar Rapids topped the Rattlers 6-5.

The Kernels (6-5) cracked four hits and scored twice in the first inning.  Luke Keaschall, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Rubel Cespedes had three straight singles against Rattlers starting pitcher Will Rudy to start the game with the single by Cespedes scoring Gonzalez.  Rudy got the next batter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, but Jay Harry singled in Gonzalez for the 2-0 lead.

Wisconsin (7-5) answered in the bottom of the first inning.  Dylan O’Rae doubled to start the inning.  Mike Boeve and Gregory Barrios had consecutive two-out, RBI doubles to tie the game.

The first two hitters reached for Cedar Rapids in the top of the second inning.  Rudy retired the next two batters on a popup and a strikeout.  However, he could not escape the inning as Keaschall lined a double off the wall in left to score two runs for a 4-2 advantage.

Cespedes started the top of the third with a double.  Ricardo Olivar followed with a two-run home run to left and the Kernels were up 6-2.

The Timber Rattlers chipped away at their deficit with two runs in the fourth and a run in the seventh.  In the fourth, Boeve singled and Barrios doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs.  Matt Wood drove in Boeve and moved Barrios to third with a grounder to the right side of the infield.  Jadher Areinamo scored Barrios with a sacrifice fly and the Rattlers were down by two.

Mark Manfredi, the Wisconsin reliever mowed down the Kernels over four innings.  The left-hander entered the game in the fifth and struck out the first six batters he faced.  Manfredi worked through the eighth inning, struck out eight, and allowed just a two-out single in the top of the eighth.

By that time, Wisconsin have cut their deficit to a single run.  O’Rae doubled to open the Rattlers seventh and went to third on wild pitch by Kernels reliever Gabriel Yanez..  Luis Lara got O’Rae home with a sacrifice fly.

Boeve made things interesting with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh.  Yanez balked Boeve to second with the tying run but got the final out to hold the lead.  Boeve was on base four times in four plate appearances on Thursday night with a double, two singles, and a walk.  He scored two runs and knocked in one to move his average to .528 and his on base percentage to .620 in twelve games this season.

Ricardo Velez came out of the Kernels bullpen to get the final three outs in the bottom of the ninth.  He retired the first two batters.  Lara, the last chance for the Rattlers, fell behind 0-2 before launching a towering fly to deep right to give the fans hope for a late comeback.  However, the ball died short of the wall by the auxiliary scoreboard and landed in the glove of Gabriel Gonzalez for the final out of the game.
 

Game four of the series is scheduled for Friday night.  Brett Wichrowski (0-1, 1.29) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Cedar Rapids had not announced a starting pitcher for tomorrow.  Game time is 6:40pm.

It was a fitting end to the season series between the Green Bay Gamblers and the Chicago Steel, as the Gamblers skated away with a 3-2 win to advance to the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs.

After a scoreless first period, Ben Poitras scored two goals in five minutes to give the Gamblers a 2-0 lead. After the Steel tied the game up in the third period, the two teams played extra hockey for the sixth time in 12 games. It had a happy ending for the home fans as Aidan Park netted the game-winner with four minutes remaining to send the Gamblers to Muskegon for the second round of the playoffs. 

Games 1 and 2 will be played at Muskegon on April 20th and 21st. The Gamblers will return home for Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) on April 23rd and 24th.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-2 in game two of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Gabriel Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and two RBI to help the Kernels to the victory and a split in the twinbill.  Wisconsin won the opener 5-3.

GAME 1

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers cracked a dozen hits and rallied past the Cedar Rapids Kernels 5-3 in game one of a doubleheader on Wednesday at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Luke Adams homered in the fourth inning to snap a 3-3 tie and Mike Boeve stayed red hot for the Timber Rattlers.

Wisconsin (7-3) had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the first inning.  Adams walked with two outs and stole second.  Then, Boeve extended his season-opening on base streak to ten games with a walk.  Gregory Barrios followed with a sharp single to left, but Adams was thrown out at the plate as he tried to score.

The Kernels (4-5) took the lead in the top of the third inning.  Nate Baez singled and Willie Joe Garry Jr doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs.  Wisconsin starter Patricio Aquino committed a balk to score Baez.  Gabriel Gonzalez knocked in Garry with a grounder for a 2-0 advantage.

The Rattlers responded in their half of the third inning.  Dylan O’Rae doubled and Luis Lara singled to put runners at the corners.  Adams drove in Adams with a sacrifice fly.  Lara stole second to get into scoring position.  Then, Boeve drove in Lara with a single to tie the game.

Cedar Rapids went back in front in the top of the fourth on consecutive, one-out doubles by Danny De Andrade and Jay Harry.

Wisconsin had Terence Doston on third base with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when the offense kicked into another gear.  Lara singled to score Doston with a single up the middle.  Adams, who homered on Sunday in South Bend, made it two straight games with a home run by lining 1-1 pitch to the Kernels bullpen beyond the wall in left-center to give the Rattlers a 5-3 lead.

Aquino stranded two runners in the top of the fifth inning to end his day.  The right-hander walked one and struck one while allowing three runs on five hits before turning the game over to the bullpen.

Will Childers tossed a 1-2-3 top of the sixth inning before a sudden, heavy downpour over the stadium halted play to allow the tarp to go on the field.

The game restarted after a 21-minute delay.  The slight pause didn’t faze Boeve, who doubled with two outs for his third hit of the game.  Boeve was 3-for-3 with a walk in game one.  He is 16-for-30 with eleven walks in the first ten games of the season.

The Kernels had one more crack at Wisconsin in the top of the seventh and they would try their luck against Yerlin Rodriguez.  The righty got the first out, but walked Garry to bring the tying run to the plate.  Rodriguez ended the game when he got the next batter to ground into a 6-4-3 double play.  Rodriguez is 4-for-4 in save opportunities this season.

GAME 2

The Cedar Rapids Kernels rallied from an early deficit to defeat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 8-2 in game two of a doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Gabriel Gonzalez went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk, two runs scored, two stolen bases, and two RBI to help the Kernels to the victory and a split in the twinbill.  Wisconsin won the opener 5-3.

The Timber Rattlers (7-4) jumped to a 2-0 lead four batters into the game.  Dylan O’Rae singled and Gregory Barrios doubled.  Luis Lara singled to drive in O’Rae.  Mike Boeve made the score 2-0 on an RBI grounder. 

Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Zebby Matthews found his footing after the first four batters and would go five innings while allowing just two more hits and striking out four without issuing a walk.  He would be rewarded for his efforts by his offense.

The Kernels (5-5) scored three times on five consecutive hits off Wisconsin starter Tate Kuehner in the top of the third.  Agustin Ruiz started the rally with a one-out double and he took third on an error.  Keoni Cavaco drove in Ruiz with a double.  A pair of infield singles loaded the bases.  Garcia doubled deep to right to score two runs to give Cedar Rapids a 3-2 lead.

A bout of wildness cost Wisconsin reliever Miguel Guerrero in the fourth inning as he walked the bases loaded to open the frame.  Guerrero got the first out with a popup.  Then, Stiven Cruz was called to the game from the Wisconsin bullpen.  Rubel Cespedes fought back from a 1-2 count to run the count full before lining a two-run double to the wall in left.  The lead expanded for the Kernels on an RBI single by Jose Salas and an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Misael Urbina when the Rattlers were unable to turn an inning ending double play.

Gonzalez doubled in the sixth inning and scored on another double by Cespedes for the final run of the game.  Cedar Rapids had eleven hits in game two with six doubles.  They also went 7-for-19 with runners in scoring position.

Boeve’s on-base streak to open the season ended at ten games as he went 0-for-3 in the nightcap.  Lara and Barrios each had two hits to account for four of Wisconsin’s six hits in the game.

The Rattlers and Kernels are scheduled to play a single game on Thursday evening at Neuroscience Group Field.  Will Rudy (0-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  John Klein (0-0, 1.13) is set to start for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Green Bay Gamblers are one win away from advancing in the Clark Cup Playoffs after beating the Chicago Steel 6-5 in Monday's opener at the Resch Center.

The two rivals matched each other in the first and third periods, but the Gamblers outscored the Steel 2-1 in the middle stanza to give them a chance to put away their opponents on Tuesday. 

Lukas Peterson had three points (2G, 1A) on the night, including one goal in a frantic third period that scored six goals between the two teams. Libor Nemec (0G, 2A), Julian Lutz (1G, 1A), Jason Shaugabay (1G, 1A), and Ryan Humphrey (1G, 1A) all had multi-point games for the Gamblers. 

Game two is set for 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday. If the Gamblers, they will face the Muskegon Lumberjacks in the second round.

The road to the Clark Cup begins Monday in Green Bay as the Green Bay Gamblers host the Chicago Steel for potentially the next three nights.

The Gamblers are the three-seed, while the Steel is the six-seed, but their head-to-head matchups tell a different story. The Steel had the upper hand in six of the nine matchups, but more than half were decided in either overtime or a shootout.

The winner of the series will face second-seeded Muskegon. You can find the full schedule for the playoff's opening round below.:

#6 Chicago Steel at #3 Green Bay Gamblers
Game 1: Monday, April 15 at 7:05 p.m. CST
Game 2: Tuesday, April 16 at 7:05 p.m. CST
Game 3*: Wednesday, April 17 at 7:05 p.m. CST

Luke Adams hit his first home run of the season and Jadher Areinamo went 4-for-5 with three stolen bases to lead the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to a 9-6 win over the South Bend Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field.  Wisconsin collected a season-high fifteen hits in the game.

Both teams scored four runs in the first inning.

Dylan O’Rae and Luis Lara opened the game by reaching base for Wisconsin (6-3).  Adams lined a three-run homer to left and the Rattlers were up 3-0 three batters into the game.  Later in the first, Ram?n Rodríguez doubled to drive in a run for a 4-0 lead.

South Bend (3-6) came back to tie the game in their half of the inning with some help from the Wisconsin defense.  The Cubs had a runner at second after a lead-off double by Brett Bateman.  Areinamo made a diving stop of a grounder up the middle off the bat of Brennen Davis.  However, Areinamo threw wildly to first base to allow Bateman to score.  A bloop single by Pedro Ramirez scored Davis with the second run of the inning.

Later in the inning, Brian Kalmer stepped in with runners at first and second with one out.  Rattlers pitcher Edwin Jimenez got Kalmer to send a grounder to Areinamo’s right.  The Wisconsin shortstop got over, but had the ball go through his legs.  The play was ruled a single and by the time the ball was back to the infield another run had scored and the Cubs had runners at the corners.  Parker Chavers tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

The Rattlers had chances to take the lead, but had a runner thrown out at the plate to end both the second and third innings.

In the top of the fourth, designated hitter Mike Boeve, the hottest hitter in the Wisconsin lineup, came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out.  Boeve, lined out to center deep enough to score the runner from third with the go-ahead run.

Areinamo made up for the fielding miscues in the first inning by following Boeve with an RBI single for a 6-4 lead.

O’Rae and Lara added to the Wisconsin lead in the fifth inning with consecutive RBI hits.  O’Rae singled and Lara doubled.  Adams got his fourth RBI in the game on an RBI fielder’s choice to score O’Rae for the 9-4 lead.

Jimenez settled in after the first inning and kept the Cubs off the scoreboard until a sacrifice fly from Kalmer in the fifth inning.  Jimenez allowed five runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts before turning the game over to the bullpen to protect the 9-5 lead.

Tyler Wehrle and Aaron Run each pitched a scoreless frame. 

In the eighth, Chase Costello allowed lead-off single to Rafael Morel.  Then, Ethan Hearn chopped a ball to the left of the mound.  Costello rushed to the ball and fielded it but fired wildly to first.  Morel scored and Hearn wound up at third.  Costello retired the next three batters to strand Hearn at third and the game went to the ninth with Wisconsin’s lead at 9-6.

Craig Yoho got the call for the bottom of the ninth and he retired the side in order with two strikeouts and a flyout to right for his second save of the season.

Boeve was 2-for-3 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, a run scored, and an RBI on Sunday.  He was 8-for-16 with eight walks in the six games against the Cubs.  Boeve has reached base in all nine games played by the Timber Rattlers this season.

Wisconsin base runners stole six bases in the contest as they won the series finale and earned a series win by taking four of six from South Bend.

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday.  They return to action on Tuesday evening at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium with game one of a six-game series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.  Patricio Aquino (0-0, 0.00) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Green Bay Gamblers once again needed extra hockey to settle the score with the Madison Capitols, this time losing the game 3-2 in the shoot out.

Libor Nemec tied the game at 1-1 a piece early in the second period and Julian Lutz tied it up again late in the third period to force an extra stanza. After a scoreless overtime period, only Michael DeAngelo was the only Gamblers player to find the back of the net as the Capitols scored twice to take the game.

Gajan stopped 27 of 29 shots in the Gamblers loss. 

Felix Stevens hit two homers, including a grand slam in a big sixth inning, to lead the South Bend Cubs to an 11-3 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Saturday afternoon at Four Winds Field.  The Timber Rattlers held a 3-2 lead after the fifth inning but could not hold on as they dropped their second straight game to the Cubs.

Wisconsin (5-3) got on the board with three runs in the top of the fourth inning.  Mike Boeve, who had walked in the first inning to extend his season-opening on-base streak to eight games, singled to start the fourth.  Luke Adams drew a walk and – after a force play at second on a grounder by Gregory Barrios – Matt Wood walked to load the bases.

Jesús Chirinos got the first run home with a sacrifice fly to left.  Chirinos hit the ball deep enough for Boeve to score and Barrios to take third.  Then, Luis Devers, the Cubs starting pitcher, committed a balk to let Barrios score.  Eduarqui Fernández followed with an RBI double to left and Wood scored for a 3-0 lead.

Devers had pitched twenty innings against the Timber Rattlers over four appearances between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.  He had allowed just one run to Wisconsin prior to this afternoon. 

Alexander Cornielle, the Wisconsin starting pitcher, retired twelve of the first thirteen batters he faced in the game.  South Bend (3-5) got to him in the bottom of the fifth.

Stevens hit the first pitch of the Cub fifth over the wall in center for a home run.  Yohendrick Pinango was next, and he lined an 0-2 pitch to the wall in right.  The ball hit the yellow line at the top of the wall but did not go out.  Pinango was out at second after he realized the ball was not a homer and tried to get in for a double.

Ed Howard restarted the rally by singling and going to second on a wild pitch.  Cornielle almost got out of the inning as he was 3-2 with two outs on Reivaj Garcia, the Cubs ninth hitter.  Garcia kept the inning alive with a single to right to score Howard and the Rattlers lead was down to one run.

The first two Cubs to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning reached on a walk and a single to end Cornielle’s day.  Reliever Jake Polancic took over and hit the next batter to load the bases.  Then, Stevens unloaded the bases with a home run to right-center for a grand slam and a 6-2 lead.

South Bend added three more runs in the inning after there were two outs.  Brett Bateman doubled in two runs before Brennen Davis doubled Bateman across the plate.  The Cubs sent eleven men to the plate, scored seven runs, and led 9-3 heading to the seventh inning.

In the seventh inning, Casey Optiz tripled with two outs to drive in the final two runs of the game.

The Wisconsin offense could not mount a comeback against the South Bend Bullpen.  Jose Romero took over for Devers in the fifth inning and retired all seven batters he faced – four by strikeout.  Chase Watkins pitched two perfect innings to close out the game for the Cubs.

Boeve is 6-for-9 with six walks in the last four games of this series with the Cubs.

The series finale is set for Sunday afternoon.  Edwin Jimenez (1-0, 4.50) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  South Bend has named Tyler Schlaffer (0-0, 0.00) as their starter.  Game time from Four Winds Field is at 1:05pm CDT.

The Green Bay Gamblers fought back to tie the game in the second period, but the Madison Capitols had the last laugh with a 4-3 win in overtime to send the weekend set back to Resch Center on Saturday.

The Gamblers were down 2-0 when Lukas Peterson and Ben Poitras scored within seven minutes of each other to tie the game at two. Libor Nemec scored the go-ahead run in the first five minutes of the third period only to have the Capitols tie the game with five seconds remaining. Madison's Colton Jamieson sent the home fans back to their cars happy with a goal in the opening minute of the extra stanza to earn the victory.

The regular season finale at the Resch Center will occur at 6:05 p.m. Saturday.