The Green Bay Packers were busy finalizing their 53 man roster on Tuesday, but they may have been even busier on Wednesday forming their practice squad and making other moves.

The Packers first released The Green Bay Packers have released LB Tariq Carpenter and DL Jonathan Ford to make room for their two waiver claim acquisitions in TE Ben Sims from Minnesota and S Zayne Anderson from Buffalo according to Packers Wire's Zach Kruse.  

The team then signed TE Austin Allen, CB Corey Ballentine, LB Keshawn Banks, WR Grant DuBose, C James Empey, S Innis Gaines, QB Alex McGough, WR Bo Melton, LB Arron Mosby, LB Kenneth Odumegwu, FB Henry Pearson, S Benny Sapp III, DL Chris Slayton, RB Patrick Taylor, T Kadeem Telfort and CB Kiondre Thomas to their practice squad according to Packers.com.

It is likely the Packers will still have more moves coming before they head to Chicago next weekend for their season opener. The team still needs a long snapper to go with their rookie punter and kicker.

Wisconsin starting pitcher Cameron Wagoner was 1-11 with an ERA of 7.21 after a loss at home to the Beloit Sky Carp on July 8.  Since that start in early July, Wagoner has gone 5-0 in seven games – six starts – and lowered his ERA to 5.83.  In his latest outing, Wagoner allowed one unearned run on two hits with five strikeouts over 6-2/3 innings at ABC Supply Stadium to defeat the Sky Carp and lead the Rattlers to a 7-2 victory.

Wagoner retired the first nine batters he faced in the game.  He walked the first batter in the fourth before erasing him on a double play and getting a strikeout to send the game to the fifth inning scoreless.

Wisconsin (54-66 overall, 28-28 second half) loaded the bases on a couple of singles and a walk with one out against Beloit starter Ike Buxton.  Luis Lara sent a hard grounder through the legs of third baseman Ynmanol Marinez to get the first run of the game across the plate.  The Rattlers couldn’t add on in the inning as Buxton struck out the next two batters.

The Sky Carp (51-70, 34-32) got their first hit off Wagoner with two outs in the fifth inning on a hard grounder off the glove of Ben Metzinger at first base.

Metzinger, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Jheremy Vargas in the fifth inning, added to Wisconsin’s lead in the top of the sixth.  He lined a 3-2 pitch down the line in right with two outs.  Hendry Mendez, who had started the inning with a single, was running on the pitch and scored easily on the double.  Eduarqui Fernández followed with a single to center to score Metzinger for a 3-0 lead.

Fernández has driven in seven runs in his last three games.

The Rattlers added another run in the seventh inning as Lara reached on a catcher’s interference and Brock Wilken singled on a hit-and-run to put runners at the corners.  Mendez beat out a potential inning-ending double play to let Lara score for a 4-0 advantage.

Beloit got a rally going against Wagoner in the bottom on a one-out hit batsman.  Yiddi Cappe blooped a broken-bat single to shallow right and a wild throw to second allowed the runners to move up to second and third.  Wagoner got the first out on a grounder to short off the bat of Zach Zubia.  Wagoner was 3-2 on Marinez but walked him and left the game on his 93rd pitch of the night.

Sam Gardner was called to the game from the Wisconsin bullpen with the tying run at the plate and recorded a strikeout to keep the Rattlers up by three runs.

The Timber Rattlers added three runs in the top of the ninth inning.  Lara singled, stole second, and went to third on a throwing error.  Mike Boeve sent a grounder to first with the infield in and the throw went to the plate, but it was wild to allow Lara to score and Boeve to take second.

Beloit decided to walk Mendez trailing by four runs and Eduardo García didn’t mind.  García, playing his first game since August 8, lined the first pitch of his at bat to the gap in left-center to score both runners on his fifth triple of the season.

The Sky Carp got one more unearned run on a two-out error in the bottom of the ninth before Gardner closed out the game with a strikeout for his third save of the season.

Unfortunately, the Timber Rattlers received no assistance from the Quad Cities River Bandits in the playoff race.  The Bandits lost 3-2 at home to the Peoria Chiefs on Wednesday night.  The Rattlers remain four games behind Peoria, but now there are just ten games left in the regular season.

Wisconsin’s win on Wednesday allowed them to match their longest winning streak of the season.  The Rattlers had also won four in a row from June 24 through June 29.
 

Game three of the series at ABC Supply Stadium is Thursday night.  Joseph Hernandez (2-3, 4.31) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Beloit has named Gabe Bierman (4-3, 3.46) as their starter.  Game time is 6:35pm.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers held the Beloit Sky Carp to 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position while delivering some key hits of their own to earn a 5-0 win over their in-state rivals Tuesday night at ABC Supply Stadium.  Nate Peterson won his second straight start with five scoreless frames to lead the Rattlers to their third win in a row.

Beloit (51-69 overall, 25-30 second half) had a great chance to score in the bottom of the first inning as they had runners at second and third with no outs after a single, a fielder’s choice, and a wild pitch.  Peterson bounced back to keep the game scoreless with a popup, a strikeout, and a flyout.

Hendry Mendez jumped on the first pitch in the top of the second inning and lined a home run over the wall in right to put Wisconsin up 1-0.  The homer was the third of the year for Mendez.

The Timber Rattlers (53-66, 27-28) added to their lead with a three-run rally in the fourth inning.  Mendez and Robert Moore singled with one out.  Beloit starting pitcher Jared Poland got the second out and go ahead of Ben Metzinger, his college teammate at the University of Louisville, with two quick strikes.  Metzinger worked the count to 2-2 before sending a single to right to allow Mendez to score.  Eduarqui Fernández followed with a triple to right-center and the Rattlers had a 4-0 lead.

Peterson worked through five scoreless innings with one walk and two strikeouts.  He would allow four hits and set himself up for his second straight win, but it wasn’t easy.  Zach Zubia doubled to start the fourth inning before Peterson retired the next three batters to leave Zubia at second.  In the fifth, Peterson got the first two outs but gave up singles to Javier Sanoja and Joe Mack before getting the final out on a grounder to third.  Peterson tossed 89 pitches in Tuesday’s start.

Nick Merkel was up next to the mound for Wisconsin, and he pitched three scoreless innings.  After an uneventful sixth inning, the first two Beloit hitters reached in the bottom of the seventh.  Merkel retired the next three batters to strand both runners.  In the eighth, Merkel hit the lead-off batter but got a double play and knocked down a hard liner back to the mound to send the game with the ninth with the Rattlers up 4-0.

Robert Moore manufactured a run in the top of the ninth with a walk and two stolen bases to get to third.  A wild pitch allowed Moore to score.

Shane Smith, Wisconsin’s third pitcher of the night, closed out the game with two strikeouts in a perfect ninth inning.

The win allowed them to gain ground on the Peoria Chiefs in the second half West Division playoff race.  The Chiefs lost 7-5 in ten innings at Quad Cities after they rallied from a 5-3 deficit with two runs in the top of the ninth.  Juan Carlos Negret won the game for Quad Cities with a two-run, walkoff homer in the bottom of the tenth.  Wisconsin now trails Peoria by four games with eleven games left in the regular season.
 

Game two of the series with the Sky Carp is Wednesday night at ABC Supply Stadium.  Cameron Wagoner (5-11, 6.27) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin.  Beloit has named Ike Buxton (2-0, 3.70) as their starting pitcher.  Game time is 6:35 pm.

The Green Bay Packers will have to make sure their roster looks dramatically different by the end of Tuesday.

Rosters have to be cut down to 53 players by 3 p.m. on Tuesday with approximately 16 players returning as practice squad members. The Packers made their first announcement on Monday, releasing P Pat O'Donnell. It puts Irish national Daniel Whalen in the spotlight not just for his punting abilities but also as the main holder for fellow rookie placekicker Anders Carlson. 

We will update this feed with additional cuts as they become available. 

 

 

Cut so far:

*Matt Orzech (Huber)
Cole Schneider (Wood)
Lew Nichols (Huber)
Jason Lewan (Wood)
Cody Chrest (Wood)
Austin Allen (Wood)
Jimmy Phillips (Huber)
Jean Delance (Schneidman)
Nate McCrary (Wood)
Kiondre Thomas (Wood)
Shemar Jean-Charles (Silverstein)

*The Packers intend… https://t.co/hjMp4AC5sx

— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) August 29, 2023

Sources used by Andy Herman

-Bill Huber, SI
-Ryan Wood, Gannett
-Tom Silverstein, Gannett
-Matt Schneidman, The Athletic 

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers trailed the Quad Cities River Bandits 4-0 with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning on Sunday afternoon in the series finale at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The Rattlers responded by taking the lead with five runs in the inning to take the lead and added four more two-out runs later in the game for a 9-4 victory over the River Bandits.  Wisconsin took four of six games in the series.

Quad Cities (52-68 overall, 20-34, second half) took the lead in the first inning on a two-out, RBI double by Juan Carlos Negret.

Carter Jensen made it 2-0 with a lead-off home run in the top of the fourth inning against Wisconsin starter Edwin Jimenez.

The River Bandits loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth on a walk and two singles.  Negret drove in a run with a single.  Then, Jensen knocked in the second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-0.

Hendry Mendez singled to start the Wisconsin fifth inning, but he was still at first base with two outs.  Then, the Rattlers offense found the range on Bandits starting pitcher Luinder Avila.  The next five hitters reached base to give Wisconsin a 5-4 lead.

Ben Metzinger started the surge with an RBI double off the wall in left to score Mendez.  Fernández followed with a single to right to get Metzinger home and the Rattlers (52-66, 26-28) were within two runs.

Fernández stole second to get into scoring position and Eric Brown Jr knocked him in with another single. 

Brown tied the game on his own.  He was running on a pitch that got back to the backstop and kept going for third.  Brown would score the tying run when the throw to third wound up in left field.

Robert Moore extended the rally when he drew a walk and stole second to get into scoring position..  Brock Wilken put the Rattlers in front with a single to right that scored Moore for a 5-4 lead.
 

The Rattlers gave Jimenez some breathing room in the sixth inning when Fernández hit a two-out, three-run home run.  Fernández ended the day 2-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI.

Meanwhile, Jimenez found his footing to put himself in line for his fifth win of the season.  He allowed nine hits and four runs, but retired the last eight batters he faced in order.  Jimenez walked one and struck out five in the game.

Moore added an insurance run in the eighth with one more two-out, RBI single.

The bullpen closed out the game as Nick Merkel worked a scoreless eighth and Tanner Shears pitched a scoreless ninth.

Unfortunately, the Timber Rattlers were unable to pick up ground on the Peoria Chiefs in the second half West Division playoff race.  The Chiefs trailed the West Michigan Whitecaps 3-2 heading to the bottom of the eighth before tying the game.  The Whitecaps took a 4-3 lead with a run in the top of the tenth only to see the Chiefs score twice in the bottom of the tenth for a 5-4 win.

Peoria is 31-23 in the second half and has the tie-breaker on Wisconsin.  They lead the Timber Rattlers by five games with twelve games remaining.  The Chiefs start a six-game series at Quad Cities on Tuesday.
 

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday.  They will return to action on Tuesday with game one of a series against the Beloit Sky Carp at ABC Supply Stadium.  Game time is 6:35pm. 

For the second year in a row, a Door County League team won both traveling trophies as Sister Bay topped Washington Island  5-2 on a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon.

The Islanders opened the game up with two straight hits against the Bays' Sam Forkert, but he would show why he was the DCL Pitcher of the Year as sat down the next 11 batters to end any threats. Meanwhile, the Bays opened up 3-0 by the third inning lead thanks to an RBI single by Tom Sawyer, a run-scoring fielder's choice by Griffen Cole, and a fielding error by the Islanders.

After giving up a single to Matt Foss in the fourth inning, Forkert would go on another long string without allowing a hit, sitting down 14 of the next 15 batters including a pair of strikeouts. The Bays would tack on two more runs in the fifth inning thanks to an RBI single by Sawyer Johnson and a sacrifice fly by Forkert.

The Islanders have not been one to give up without a fight in the playoffs the last two years, and the top of the ninth was no exception. After Luke Geiger scored on a Ben Geiger fielder's choice, the stage was set for Troy Jorgenson. He would single up the middle past a diving Spencer Krause, but Cole backed up the play and threw a perfect strike to Sawyer at home to get the streaking Ben Geiger trying to score from second base.

Forkert went the distance, giving up the two runs on five hits while striking out three. Sawyer and Alex Laughlin each had multi-hit games for the Bays.

For the Islanders, Ryan Jorgenson took the loss as he gave up three runs in three-plus innings, giving up five hits and striking out. Foss picked him up, pitching the final six innings in relief allowing two runs and striking out one. Ben Johnson served both pitchers well in right field, making a number of sliding catches to keep even more Bays players off the basepaths.  

A battle between two Northern Door County teams will decide who wins the Door County League Playoff Championship Sunday afternoon when Sister Bay faces Washington Island at home.

The Bays punched their ticket with a convincing 10-2 win over Egg Harbor last Sunday as heard on 105.1 The GOAT. Sam Forkert went eight strong innings while Stewart Larsen was 3 for 3 with three RBIs including two doubles while Cole finished 2 for 4 and two RBIs and the only home run of the game. The Bays last played in the DCL Playoff Championship in 2021 when they lost to Kolberg. They hope to match the Braves by becoming the second straight team to win both the regular season and the playoff titles.

The Islanders earned their spot in their second straight DCL Playoff Championship game in a similar fashion to last year's run: drama. They avenged last year's championship game loss to the Braves by rallying from two down twice to win 7-6 this year. Ben Geiger delivered what proved to be the game-winning three-run homer to send the Islanders back to the championship game. 

Since the Islanders beat the Bays in last year's semifinal, Sister Bay has won two straight matchups against Washington Island. That includes a walk-off balk on May 21st in Sister Bay and a dominant victory on Washington Island on July 9th.

Tim Kowols and Reece Robillard will have the call from the Sister Bay Sports Complex on Sunday beginning at 1:15 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the first pitch at 1:30 p.m.

The Green Bay Packers will look to settle their final 53-man roster after Saturday's preseason finale against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Packers coaching staff made news earlier this week announcing that draft pick Sean Clifford will be the backup quarterback to Jordan Love, ending one of the depth battles during training camp. The Packers are 1-1 on the preseason, beating the Bengals before falling in an injury-induced shortened game last Saturday. The Seahawks are 2-0 in the preseason, beating the Vikings and Cowboys in their previous matchups. Teams have to be down from 90 players to 53 players by Tuesday.

Kickoff is set for noon Saturday from Lambeau Field.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a 2-0 lead heading into the eighth inning on Thursday night against the Quad Cities River Bandits at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The Bandits cut the lead to a single run heading into the ninth, but Wisconsin was one out away from their third win in a row.  Then, River Town drove in two runs with a two-out single to send Quad Cities to a 3-2 win.

Ben Metzinger put the Timber Rattlers (24-27 second half, 50-65 overall) in front with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the second inning.

Alexander Cornielle kept the River Bandits off the scoreboard in his five innings of work.  The righty allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out seven while protecting that 2-0 lead.  Cornielle’s performance also put him in line for his first win of the season.
 

Quad Cities (51-66, 19-32) had a threat in the sixth inning against reliever Joe Hernandez as they loaded the bases on a lead-off walk, a one-out single, and a two-out, walk.  Hernandez got the final out on a popup to maintain the two-run cushion.

Carter Jensen hit a two-out, solo home run off Hernandez in the eighth inning to get the River Bandits on the scoreboard.

Nick Merkel relieved Hernandez and retired Kale Emshoff for the final out on a terrific diving catch by Luis Lara in center.

Merkel got the first out in the top of the ninth before giving up a double to Eric Kennedy.  Manager Joe Ayrault made the call to the bullpen for Shane Smith to try to close out the game.

Smith walked the first batter he faced to put the go-ahead run on base.  Justin Johnson was next, and he sent a slow grounder to Smith, who tried to get the force out at second.  The throw was low and got by second baseman Mike Boeve to load the bases with one out. 

Metzinger recorded the second out of the inning when he corralled a line drive off the bat of .Dustin Dickerson to get the Rattlers one out from victory.

River Town denied the Rattlers the win when he lined a 1-1 pitch from Smith to left to score two runs for a 3-2 lead.

The Timber Rattlers went down in order in the bottom of the ninth to take a loss that really hurt their playoff chances.

The Peoria Chiefs, the team that currently holds the West Division playoff spot in the second half, had a ninth inning rally of their own on Thursday night as they scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to record a walkoff, 4-3 win over the West Michigan Whitecaps in Peoria.  The loss dropped the Timber Rattlers five games behind the Chiefs with fifteen games left in the season.
 

Wisconsin’s offense had five hits in the game with five walks and a hit batsman, but stranded ten runners as they went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position in the game.
 

Game four of the series between Wisconsin and Quad Cities is Friday night.  Julio Teherán of the Milwaukee Brewers is scheduled to make a rehabilitation start for the Timber Rattlers.  The River Bandits have named Ben Kudrna (0-3, 6.00) as their starter.  Game time is 6:40pm CDT.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers scored five times in the eighth inning to defeat the Quad Cities River Bandits 10-6 in a back-and-forth game on a steamy Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The game featured four blown saves and five lead changes with the Rattlers coming out on top.

Wisconsin (24-26 second half, 50-64 overall) grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.  Eduarqui Fernández doubled to start the inning.  Robert Moore cracked a two-run homer to right with one out for the first runs of the game.  The homer was the eighth of the season for Moore.

Quad Cities (18-33, 50-66) rallied to take the lead in the top of the sixth.  Timber Rattlers starting pitcher Cameron Wagoner, who had allowed one hit over the first five innings, allowed a lead-off single to River Town to start the sixth.  Sam Gardner was called in from the bullpen and appeared to get the first out of the inning on a routine flyball to left off the bat of Carter Jensen.  However, Hendry Mendez lost the ball in the Sun and the ball dropped in for a double to put runners at second and third.  The River Bandits took advantage of the miscue as Shervyen Newton doubled to right to score both runners.  Then, Herard Gonzalez doubled to right to score Newton for a 3-2 lead.

The Timber Rattlers answered back in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead.  They loaded the bases with one out on a single by Joe Gray Jr and back-to-back walks to Alex Hall and Darrien Miller.  It took a two-out, bloop single by Jheremy Vargas to score two runs and put Wisconsin up 4-3.

Brock Wilken and Mike Boeve combined for back-to-back doubles in the Wisconsin seventh to add an insurance run for the Rattlers.

However, the River Bandits rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth inning to go back in front with the only ball to leave the infield happening on the final out.

The first two batters reached against Stiven Cruz on an infield single and a walk.  Eric Kennedy followed with a bunt single with Boeve throwing wildly to first.  The tying runs scored, and Kennedy wound up on third by the time the play was over.  A hit batsman and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases with no outs. 

Cruz got the first out on a force play at the plate and the second out on a strikeout.  He had a count of 1-2 on Town but wound up walking him to force in a run to put the Rattlers down 6-5.

Vargas started the Wisconsin comeback with a one-out double in the bottom of the eighth.  Then, Moore banged a double off the wall in left to score Vargas and tie the game.

Boeve stepped to the plate with two outs and Moore at third and more than made up for his defensive miscue by ripping a double to the corner in right to give the Rattlers a 7-6 lead.

Then, Mendez reached on an infield single by beating out a throw to first with Boeve racing around to score on the play for an 8-6 lead.

Alex Hall capped the scoring with a two-out, two-run double for a 10-6 lead.

Tanner Shears worked around a lead-off walk and a one-out single in the ninth with a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to close out Wisconsin’s second straight win of the series.

Gray was on base five times in five plate appearances to lead the Wisconsin offense.  He had a single, a double, three walks, a stolen base, and two runs scored.  Moore had two hits and three RBI.  Vargas, Boeve, and Mendez each had two hits as the Rattlers collected fourteen hits in the game.  They were 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday.

Game three of the series is Thursday night.  Alexander Cornielle (0-3, 5.45) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Quad Cities has named Cruz Noriega (3-3, 3.42) as their starter.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Door County United Girls Swim Team consisting of swimmers from Sevastopol High School, Sturgeon Bay High School, and Southern Door High School competed in the Marinette Pentathlon for their first conference matchup of the 2023 season.

The DCU Swim team made big waves in this season opener. Each swimmer competed in the same 5 events and scoring was completed by grade level. For freshmen, Shaeffer Rass (SEV) finished second overall and Emily Miller (SBHS) finished fourth. Kailyn Neville (SDHS)  and Chloe Bissen (SBHS) finished fourth and fifth overall for sophomores. Julia Michalski (SBHS) finished first overall for the juniors, followed closely behind by Caitlyn Hasenjager (SBHS) who finished third.  Danica Neville (SDHS) finished first overall for the seniors followed by Cassie Rankin (SEV) in second and Natialia Michalski (SBHS) in fifth. The team demonstrated great potential for a very successful season in their first conference competition.

The DCU swim team will next compete in the Conference Relays Meet at the Door County YMCA on Thursday August 24th at 5:00 p.m. 

The regular season league champion Sister Bay Bays powered past the Egg Harbor Indians 10-2 Sunday afternoon at home to advance to the Door County Baseball League championship game next week. 

Pitcher-of-the-Year Sam Forkert went eight strong innings to pick up the win allowing just two runs on five hits while striking out seven.

Egg Harbor scored first with an RBI single by Nick Posh in the top of the first inning, but the Bays would score the next eight runs starting with a crushing home run by Griffin Cole in the second inning.

Sister Bay scored three runs in the third inning on an RBI double by Stew Larsen, an RBI single by Spencer Krause, and a RBI single by Cole.  Then scoring two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings helped the Bays take a commanding lead the Indians could not overcome.

Larsen was 3 for 3 with three RBIs including two doubles while Cole finished 2 for 4 and two RBIs and the only home run of the game.

Indian starting pitcher Joe Sawyer took the loss going 4.1 innings and allowing seven runs. 

The Bays will now face the Washington Island Islanders next Sunday in Sister Bay for the Door County Baseball League Championship as the Islanders came back to beat the Kohlberg Braves on the road 7-6 in the other playoff game.

That game can be heard on 105.1 The Goat or streamed on the New Radio Sports Network next Sunday with the pregame starting at 1:15 p.m. and first pitch at 1:30 p.m. 

The Green Bay Packers will open the Lambeau Field portion of the 2023 campaign with an exhibition game against the New England Patriots.

This will be the third time in four days the Packers have taken the field against the Patriots this week as the two teams had combined practices on Wednesday and Thursday. The Jordan Love era got off to a good start as they beat the Cincinnati Bengals 36-19 on the road a week ago. Love led the Packers on its opening drive to a touchdown, going 7-10 before finding Romeo Doubs in the endzone for the score. The Packers traded touchdowns for field goals as Tyler Goodson rushed in from short distance to make it 14-3 before the Bengals made it 14-6. A pick-six off of Sean Clifford and a couple of field goals actually gave the Bengals a small lead before Clifford led a touchdown drive to end the half and give the Packers a 21-16 lead. Undrafted rookie running back Emanuel Wilson stole the show in the second half, scoring twice including an 80-yard rush to cap off the scoring on his 111-yard rushing day. The Packers' offense outscored the Bengals 15-3 in the second half.

The Patriots opened their preseason with a 20-9 loss to the Houston Texans, although they did welcome rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud rudely in his first NFL action.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Green Bay Rockers could make franchise history on Friday when they face the St. Cloud Rox Friday night for the Northwoods League Championship.

A flair for the dramatic has been a key part of the Green Bay Rockers' playoff run and it proved itself again Wednesday night as they beat the Traverse City Pit Spitters 15-14 to advance to the Northwoods League Championship. The Rockers scored two runs in each of the first three innings, but the Pit Spitters scored five runs in each of the first two innings to carry a 10-6 advantage after the first third of the game and an 11-9 advantage at the halfway point. The Rockers would explode for six runs in the sixth inning, anchored by two bases-loaded walks and a bases-clearing double by Kendal Ewell to give them their first lead of the game. The hero from Monday's walk-off win, Ewell led the way offensively for the Rockers going 2-5 with a pair of doubles and four RBI.

The Rox clinched their spot with a walk-off win of their own, beating the LaCrosse Loggers 9-8.

First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. on ESPN+

With the regular season complete and stats tallied, the Door County Baseball League has announced its 2023 Awards.  Using statistics by the DCBL Statistician, Chad Michaels, the top batter has been identified.  With a batting average of .500, Nick Kita, Egg Harbor Indian, captures the award. Kita crossed the plate 20 times and had 17 RBIs. It was a close year for batters this year.  Stealing 2nd is teammate, Cory Fuller (.480), and sliding in at 3rd is Sister Bay Bay’s Griffin Cole (.478)

In addition, the DCBL Managers voted Sam Forkert in as Pitcher of the Year.  Forkert threw for 89.2 innings and had 67 strikeouts.  And congratulations to Matt Ash, Egg Harbor Indians, who is the Manager of the Year.  Ash juggled a lot of players and had some interesting challenges this year.  He successfully got his team into the playoffs for a run for the postseason championship.

Sunday’s first post-season playoff games will include first-place Sister Bay hosting the Egg Harbor Indians.  Second place Kolberg will host Washington Island.  Awards will be presented at the Sunday, August 27 Post-season Championship Game.

A flair for the dramatic has been a key part of the Green Bay Rockers' playoff run and it proved itself again Wednesday night as they beat the Traverse City Pit Spitters 15-14 to advance to the Northwoods League Championship game on Friday.

The Rockers scored two runs in each of the first three innings, but the Pit Spitters scored five runs in each of the first two innings to carry a 10-6 advantage after the first third of the game and an 11-9 advantage at the halfway point.

The Rockers would explode for six runs in the sixth inning, anchored by two bases-loaded walks and a bases-clearing double by Kendal Ewell to give them their first lead of the game. The Pit Spitters would score three runs in their half of the inning, but they would get no closer the rest of the way, nor would the Rockers be able to build onto their lead.

The hero from Monday's walk-off win, Ewell led the way offensively for the Rockers going 2-5 with a pair of doubles and four RBI. Cooper Kelly, Zane Zielinski, and Sam Polk also drove in two runs in the victory. Tyler Horvath picked up the win, pitching 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, registering seven strikeouts along the way. 

The Rockers will travel to St. Cloud to face the Rox for the Northwoods League Championship. First pitch on ESPN+ is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Friday.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers cracked thirteen hits and drew ten walks to cruise to a 9-2 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels Wednesday night at Rise 2 Greatness Field.  Wisconsin’s win allowed them to pick up ground in the second-half West Division playoff race in the Midwest League.

The Timber Rattlers (22-22 second half, 48-60 overall) took the lead in the top of the second inning.  Mike Boeve and Robert Moore both singled to open the inning, but they were still at first and second with two outs.  Darrien Miller delivered Boeve across the plate with a two-out single for a 1-0 lead.  Ben Metzinger followed with an RBI single to score Moore for a 2-0 advantage.

Nick Cossetti cut Wisconsin’s lead in half with a one-out, solo home run in the bottom the fourth inning.  That homer was the 110th of the season for the Kernels (27-17, 67-43).

Wisconsin responded with three runs in the top of the fifth inning.  Miller started the inning with a double and Metzinger walked.  Luis Lara singled to left to score Miller and knock Christian MacLeod, the Kernels starting pitcher, out of the game. 

Niklas Rimmel took over for MacLeod and walked Jesse Winker to load the bases.  Rimmel walked Brock Wilken to force in a run.  Boeve followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1 in favor of Wisconsin.

The Rattlers poured on the offense in the sixth inning as they sent nine men to the plate and scored four runs.  Metzinger and Winker had RBI doubles with Boeve adding a two-run single for a 9-1 lead.

Wagoner turned that lead over to Stiven Cruz for the bottom of the sixth inning.  Wagoner continued his hot August.  In three games – two starts, Wagoner has allowed three runs, walked four, and struck out seventeen over 14-2/32 innings.  Wagoner has also won his last four decisions.

Cruz worked into and out of trouble a few times in his first three innings of relief.  He retired the first two batters in the ninth on strikeouts before giving up a solo homer to Jeferson Morales.  Cruz got the final out on a grounder to short.  He struck out five, walked two, and earned his first professional save by working the final four innings.

Metzinger and Moore both reached base five times in the game to lead the offense.  Moore walked three times, had two singles, and scored a run.  Metzinger also walked three times, doubled, singled, scored two runs, and knocked in two runs.  Lara added his first multi-hit game with the Rattlers, scored twice, drove in a run, and made a highlight reel catch in center in the bottom of the seventh.

Winker, in his second rehabilitation start for the Milwaukee Brewers, was the designated hitter for the Rattlers on Wednesday.  He was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored.  Winker was 2-for-6 with the Rattlers in the series.

In the playoff chase, the Peoria Chiefs were swept in a doubleheader at Lake County and the Beloit Sky Carp shutout Quad Cities.  The Timber Rattlers and Sky Carp both picked up 1-1/2 games on the Chiefs in the pennant chase and trail Peoria by three games with 22 games left in the season.

Game three of the series between Wisconsin and Cedar Rapids is Thursday night at Rise 2 Greatness Field.  Alexander Cornielle (0-2, 5.18) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  The Kernels have named Andrew Morris (2-1, 2.81) as their starter.  Game time is 6:35pm.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels hit a pair of solo homers and held the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers to one run for a 4-1 victory in game one of the series between the teams at Rise 2 Greatness Field.

Wisconsin (21-22 second half, 47-60 overall) had chances to score early in the game against Kernels starting pitcher Kyle Jones.  Luis Lara, in his Timber Rattlers debut, drew a lead-off walk and stole second in the first inning.  Jones struck out the next two batters and ended the inning on a grounder to second.

In the third, the Rattlers had a runner at first after a lead-off walk to Hendry Mendez.  However, he was still at first with two outs.  Jesse Winker, in the first game of his rehabilitation assignment from the Milwaukee Brewers, singled and Brock Wilken walked to load the bases.  Mike Boeve hit a hard grounder that shortstop Owen Miller grabbed with diving, backhanded stab.  Instead of a two-run single and a Wisconsin lead, Miller turned the sharply hit ball into a 6-3 grounder to end the inning.

Jorel Ortega gave the Kernels (27-16, 67-42) a 1-0 lead with a long, solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

In the top of the fifth, Luis Lara singled, stole second, and took third on an error with one out.  However, the Rattlers couldn’t cash in the opportunity.  Winker popped out to left for the second out and it wasn’t deep enough to score Lara.  Wilken was next and his line drive to deep left-center was run down by left fielder Misael Urbina for the final out.

Cedar Rapids added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth.  Carson McCusker hit a lead-off homer to left-center.  The Kernels had runners at first and third after back-to-back, one-out singles.  Wisconsin starting pitcher Nate Peterson got Ben Ross to hit a slow grounder to short.

Nick Merkel kept the Kernels off the board with two scoreless innings and four strikeouts out of the Timber Rattlers bullpen to keep the game close.

However, Cedar Rapids added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth as Justin King walked in a run before stranding the bases loaded.

The Rattlers had one more chance in the top of the ninth and made it interesting.  Boeve singled against Malik Barrington to start the frame. Joe Gray Jr singled with Boeve at second with two outs to put runners at the corners.  Then, Mendez ripped a hit to right to score Boeve and send Gray to third base.  The hit should have brought the potential tying run to the plate.  However, Mendez tried to stretch the single into a double.   Kala’i Rosario fired a strike to second and Mendez was out by a lot for the final out of the game.

The Kernels have hit 109 homers this season.  They have thirteen homers in thirteen games against the Timber Rattlers in 2023.

Winker made the start at first base.  He was 1-for-3 at the plate and made a nice diving catch of a line drive to take a hit away from Jose Salas in the fifth inning before leaving the game after seven innings.  He is scheduled to be in the lineup for the Timber Rattlers again on Wednesday.

Game two of the series is Wednesday night at Rise 2 Greatness Field.  Cameron Wagoner (4-11, 6.84) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Christian MacLeod (4-0, 3.86) is set to start for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:35pm. 

Green Bay Rockers All-Star Kendal Ewell delivered not once but twice with clutch home runs in a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Madison Mallards Monday night to sweep the organization's first playoff series in nearly a decade.

Sam Polk's RBI double in the third inning helped the Rockers take a 1-0 lead, but it was the Mallards' Keenan Taylor that set up a night full of theatrics with his three-run homer that made it look like a third and decisive game would be needed to settle the series. Ewell tied the game up with a two-run homer in the seventh inning before the Mallards pushed across another run in the ninth with a single up the middle to make it 4-3. With two outs and one man, Ewell deposited a first pitch to the right of the scoreboard in right field to win the game for the Rockers.

A suspended result and a likely third game will decide where and when the Rockers play next. The Kalamazoo Growlers will likely force a third game as they held a 14-5 advantage in the bottom of the fourth innings as they look to even their series against the Traverse City Pit Spitters. They will play again later that evening if the Growlers hang on. The division championship game is set up for Wednesday with a possible Northwoods League title matchup slated for Thursday. 

The Green Bay Packers football team focused on 2023 inside the Don Hutson Center on Monday, the rest of the organization took some time to turn some attention to 2025.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was on hand to discuss the Packers' NFL Draft aspirations for 2025. He was slated to participate in the team's bike riding tradition along with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and take in the outdoor practice before rain showers hit the area earlier in the day, forcing the practice inside. Goodell lauded the Packers CEO Mark Murphy and the organization, saying there was no better place to host the NFL Draft than in Green Bay and that "there's no one who's been a greater of support of this community and all it can do" than Murphy according to quote posted on Packers.com.

The Packers also announced its practice times with the New England Patriots on Wednesday and Thursday as 10:30 a.m. starts. All but one of the public practices started at that time. They will announce the starting times for the last two public practices on August 22nd and 23rd at a later date.

With the playoff field set for the Door County League playoffs, so is the NEW Radio Sports Network schedule covering it.

Paul Schmitt and Reece Robillard will be in Sister Bay when the Bays battle Egg Harbor in the DCL semifinals with a matchup between Kolberg and Washington Island lurking in the background. The Bays earned their DCL's top spot with a 13-2 win against Maplewood on Sunday. Stew Larsen had three hits and three RBI to lead the Bays offensively with Tom Sawyer, Sam Forkert, and Casey Wedding all having multi-RBI games as well. The Indians held off a motivated Institute team on Friday night before the rains came, beating the Cubs 8-6. The Indians attacked the Cubs early and often as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. Eric DeJardine delivered the team's biggest blow early on with a one-out, two-run double in the gap in the first inning. With the rain coming down and lightning in the sky, the Indians would deal the Cubs what would be two fatal blows in the sixth inning with DeJardine and Nick Posh recording run-scoring outs. 

The game will be broadcast on 105.1 The GOAT and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 1:15 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the first pitch at 1:30 p.m. NEW Radio Sports Network will follow the action for the championship game at the top remaining seed with the broadcast beginning at the same times.

The Green Bay Rockers are a game away from clinching a spot in the division championship after beating the Madison Mallards at The Duck Pond Sunday evening 8-4.

The Mallards put pressure on the Rockers early with two runs in the first inning, but the Rockers responded with eight unanswered runs. A wild pitch and a double by JoJo Jackson tied the game at two while the Rockers took the lead in a three-run sixth inning that featured RBI singles by Sam Polk and Kendal Ewell. In the eighth inning, Ewell would extend the lead with another RBI single before a passed ball scored another run to put the game out of reach. The Mallards would score twice after the Rockers added their eighth run in the top of the ninth, but the damage was done as the Rockers secured their first playoff win in eight years.

The venue changes to Capital Credit Union Park Monday night as the Rockers host the Mallards at 6:35 p.m.

Edwin Jimenez performed an encore on Sunday in Wisconsin’s 3-1 win over the Dayton Dragons at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Jimenez allowed one run on four hits with a walk and five strikeouts over 7-1/3 innings to earn his fourth win of the season.

Wisconsin (21-21 second half, 47-59 overall) grabbed the early lead with three runs in the bottom of the first inning.  Alex Hall drove in the first run with a double.  Joe Gray Jr. made it 2-0 with an RBI grounder.  Hendry Mendez had a two-out, RBI single to account for the final run of the inning and to knock Dayton starting pitcher Carson Rudd out of the game.

The Timber Rattlers scored in the first inning in five of the six games of the series with Dayton.  Sunday also marked the second time in the series that Wisconsin knocked the Dayton starting pitcher out of the game in the first inning.  Kevin Abel was sent to the showers in the first inning in game one of the series on August 8.

Jimenez tossed another Sunday gem at home as the Wisconsin starting pitcher.  Two weeks ago, Jimenez took a no-hitter into the eighth inning as he pitched 7-1/3 shutout innings with ten strikeouts and one walk against the Cedar Rapid Kernels for a victory.  On this Sunday, he had a shutout and allowed three hits through seven innings before going back for the eighth inning.
 

Jimenez got the first out of the eighth on a grounder back to the mound before allowing a double to Mat Nelson, who had three of the four hits off Jimenez, to end his day.  The crowd of 5,372 showed their appreciation for Jimenez’s efforts with another nice ovation as he walked the first base dugout.

Dayton (23-19, 56-62) got on the scoreboard on an RBI single by Carlos Jorge against reliever Shane Smith, who had stranded the first six runners he had inherited since joining the Rattlers.  Smith got the second out of the eighth with a strikeout.  Then, with the tying run at the plate, Jorge tried to steal second only to be thrown out by catcher Darrien Miller to end the frame.

Smith went back out for the top of the ninth and got the first two outs before hitting Ruben Ibarra to bring Austin Hendrick to the plate.  Hendrick, who had homered off Smith earlier in the series, sent a line drive down the first base line that was speared by Hall for the final out to get Smith his third save of the season and a split in the series with the Dragons.

Brock Wilken led the Wisconsin offense with two hits and a walk

In the playoff chase, the Peoria Chiefs beat the Beloit Sky Carp 4-3 on Sunday afternoon to stay four games ahead of the Timber Rattlers for the second half playoff spot in the West division.  The deficit is really five games because Peoria holds the tiebreaker on the Rattlers.  The way the race stands at this point Wisconsin will need to finish ahead of Peoria to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.  There are 24 games remaining in the 2023 regular season.

The Green Bay Gamblers have gotten to the ice yet, but they have several players who are already committed to playing at the college level.

Eight players have announced their commitments to a college program since the calendar turned to August. Four of the players are heading to Harvard as more commitments are possible before the Gamblers open their 2023-2024 campaign facing the Lincoln Stars September 21st at 2:30 PM and the Sioux City Musketeers September 22nd at 12:30 PM as a part of the USHL Fall Classic in Pittsburgh.

A two-run rally and an assist from Mother Nature may have sent Egg Harbor to no worse than a tie for third place after beating Institute 8-6 in a rain-shortened game Friday night.

With rain in the forecast, the Indians attacked the Cubs early and often as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. Eric DeJardine delivered the team's biggest blow early on with a one-out, two-run double in the gap in the first inning. The Cubs would whittle away at the Indians' lead, first on a run-scoring single by Jake Pflieger in the second inning and a three-run rally in the third inning highlighted by a Pflieger double. With the score 6-4, the Cubs made a one-run game in the fourth with an RBI single by Robby Pollman and another RBI single by Jared Pflieger in the fifth inning. 

With the rain coming down and lightning in the sky, the Indians would deal the Cubs what would be two fatal blows in the sixth inning with DeJardine and Nick Posh recording run-scoring outs. 

After forcing a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh, the Cubs staged a rally in the middle of a downpour that placed Frankie Ash and Tommy Junion in scoring position with just one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. The skies just opened up just enough more to send the game into a rain delay the two teams would not come out of. 

The Cubs would actually outhit the Indians 12-10 with Robby Pollman registering three hits and Ash, Junion, and Pflieger all collecting two hits. Nick Kita, Cody Giesseman, and Alex Byrne all had multi-hit games for the Indians. 

The win gives the Indians breathing room heading into Sunday with half-game leads over Washington Island and West Jacksonport for the third playoff spot. The Islanders welcome Baileys Harbor and the Ports host Kolberg on 105.1 The GOAT Sunday afternoon to help sort out who makes the playoffs. A Sister Bay win over Maplewood would give the Bays the regular season title.

The Jordan Love era got off to a good start on Thursday as the Green Bay Packers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 36-19 on the road Friday night.

Love led the Packers on its opening drive to a touchdown, going 7-10 before finding Romeo Doubs in the endzone for the score. The Packers traded touchdowns for field goals as Tyler Goodson rushed in from short distance to make it 14-3 before the Bengals made it 14-6. A pick-six off of Sean Clifford and a couple of field goals actually gave the Bengals a small lead before Clifford led a touchdown drive to end the half and give the Packers a 21-16 lead. 

Undrafted rookie running back Emanuel Wilson stole the show in the second half, scoring twice including an 80-yard rush to cap off the scoring on his 111-yard rushing day. The Packers' offense outscored the Bengals 15-3 in the second half.

The Packers now return home before they welcome the New England Patriots for a pair of practices and their second preseason game.

Traveling to either Sister Bay or Kolberg has already been decided, but a clearer picture as to who will be making those trips comes into focus on Friday night when Egg Harbor travels to Institute for a Friday finale.

The Indians currently sit in a three-way tie for third place after topping Maplewood 19-11 on Sunday. West Jacksonport plays a tough Braves team to end their campaign while Washington Island battles Baileys Harbor as they make their possible bid for the playoffs with the tiebreakers ultimately deciding who are the third and fourth seeds respectively and whether they will head to Sister Bay or Kolberg for the DCBL playoff semifinals. 

The Cubs would love to play a spoiler and enter the offseason on a happy note after going 1-14 up until this point. They fell hard to the Bays on Sunday 13-2 and hope to break a month-long losing streak since their walk-off victory against Baileys Harbor on July 14th.

Tim Kowols and Jacob Nate will have the call on 105.1 The GOAT and NEWRadioSportsNetwork.com beginning at 7:15 p.m. with the pregame show followed by the first pitch at 7:30 p.m.

The Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals will try to do a better job of keeping their emotions under control Friday night when the two teams play their preseason matchup in Ohio.

The two teams squared off for their joint practice on Wednesday with two fights involving offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins stealing much of the headlines. The practice was likely where both teams got the bulk of the work completed with first-team offense and defense. Head Coach Matt LaFleur said during his media availability that everyone will play a little bit but did not get into details about how much the first-team players would play.

Kick-off is set for 6 p.m.

Despite having four errors, the Green Bay Rockers were able to get past the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders 6-4 Thursday night in their regular season home finale.

The Rockers' miscues led to two unearned runs, which kept the Dock Spiders in the ballgame. There was no scoring until the two teams traded single tallies in the fourth inning. That started a run of four consecutive innings in which the Rockers scored, highlighted by Jayson Jones and Mateo Matthews driving in runs without having to take the bat off their shoulders (bases-loaded walk and bases-loaded hit by pitch) in the fifth inning and a two-run homer by Andrew Harris in the seventh inning. Michael Riley picked up the win in relief for the Rockers, allowing one run on four hits across five innings with three strikeouts.

The Rockers wrap up the regular season this weekend with a pair of games in Wisconsin Rapids before hosting a playoff game on either Sunday or Monday.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had a 2-1 lead over the Dayton Dragons after five innings on Thursday Night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium thanks to a solid start from Alexander Cornielle and a couple of early runs.  That small lead evaporated as the Dragons sent thirteen men to the plate and scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning.  Dayton would cruise over the final few innings and add one more run to record a 9-2 win.

The Dragons (21-18 second half, 54-51 overall) took their first lead of the series on a two-out, RBI single by Jack Rogers in the top of the first inning.

Cornielle gave up a lead-off double in the top of the second but stranded that runner to keep the Rattlers deficit at one run.

Wisconsin (20-19, 46-57) responded in their half of the second inning.  Joe Gray Jr singled and Ben Metzinger doubled to start the rally.  Terence Doston was at the plate with one out and the infield in on the grass.  He sent a grounder that shortstop Edwin Arroyo picked, but his throw home was offline to allow Gray to score.  However, catcher Mat Nelson caught the ball and threw to first in time to get Doston for the second out.  Robert Moore smacked the next pitch to right for a two-out single to score Metzinger for a 2-1 lead.

Those were the only runs allowed by Dayton starter Hunter Parks over his five innings of work.

Cornielle pitched five innings and retired twelve of the last thirteen batters he faced after the double in the second.  He turned the 2-1 lead over to the bullpen for the top of the sixth inning.

The lead did not last very deep into the sixth inning as the first seven Dayton hitters in the inning reached base and all seven scored to take an 8-2 lead.  Wisconsin reliever Miguel Guerrero issued a lead-off walk to Sal Stewart and Cade Hunter followed with a ground rule double.  Rogers tied the game with a single that put runners at the corners.

Then, Guerrero threw a wild pitch that hit the corner of the rotating sign display behind home plate.  The ball caromed to in front of the Dayton dugout on the third base side.  Hunter scored the go-ahead run easily and Rogers raced all the way around to third base.  The Wisconsin infield came in on the grass and Austin Hendrick dropped a broken-bat blooper into shallow center that just went off the glove of Moore as he raced back after a long run.  That hit gave the Dragons a 4-2 lead.  Ruben Ibarra followed with a single to put two runners on base.  Then, Tyler Callihan ripped a triple to the corner in right to score two runs and chase Guerrero from the game.

Mat Nelson kept the string of hits going with a single against reliever Michele Vassalotti to score Callihan for a 7-2 lead.  The final run of the inning scored on an RBI single by Stewart with one out.  It could have been worse as the Dragons had the bases loaded with still only one out.  Vassalotti ended the inning with a popup and a strikeout.

The Timber Rattlers offense put two runners on in the seventh and eighth innings but could not score against the Dragons bullpen.

Hendrick homered against Shane Smith in the top of the ninth.  The homer was Hendrick’s eleventh of the season.  He has hit four home runs in nine games against the Timber Rattlers.

Smith, who came on in the eighth inning, saw his scoreless streak end at 12-1/3 innings.  The only other run Smith has allowed in his 16-2/3 innings with Wisconsin this season was a one-out, solo homer in the ninth inning against Beloit on July 4.

Moore had two hits for the Rattlers to lead the offense.

The loss ended Wisconsin’s brief two-game winning streak and dropped them three games behind the Peoria Chiefs, who currently hold the second half playoff spot in the West Division of the Midwest League.

Game four of the series is scheduled for Friday night.  Tyler Woessner (5-6, 3.75) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Dayton has named Jose Acuna (7-2, 3.57) as their starting pitcher.  Game time is 6:40pm.

A six-run seventh inning took the drama out of the Green Bay Rockers' matchup against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, winning the game 9-3.

The Rockers jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings thanks to a run-score double by JoJo Jackson in the first inning and a two-RBI Max Mims single in the second. The Dock Spiders made it a one-run game in the fourth inning, but the Rockers blew the game open by batting around in the seventh with Jackson and Sam Polk clubbing two-run doubles. The Dock Spiders would claw back one run in the bottom half of the frame, but it was nearly enough for the visitors.

The two teams will face off in the final regular season home game for the Rockers at 6:35 p.m. at Capital Credit Union Park. 

Mike Boeve arrived at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium on Wednesday afternoon just in time to take batting practice at 4:15 in the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers last group of pre-game.  The Milwaukee Brewers second-round pick of the 2023 draft wasted no time to introduce himself to his teammates.  About 2-1/2 hours later, Boeve let the home fans know he was on the team as he homered in his first at bat of the game against the Dayton Dragons.  He ended the night with three RBI to help the Rattlers to a 9-3 victory.

Boeve and Brock Wilken, the first-round pick of the Brewers in the 2023 draft, combined to give the Timber Rattlers (20-18 second half, 46-56 overall) the early lead.  Boeve drove a home run over the wall in center for a 417’ homer on a 2-2 pitch from Dayton starting pitcher Chris McElvain.  Wilken, the first-round pick of the Brewers, followed three pitches later with a 410’ blast to the Dayton bullpen in left-center for his first homer as a Rattler.  Both balls got out in a hurry with matching 105-mph exit velocities.

The Dragons (20-18, 53-51) cut into the lead in the top of the second when Austin Hendrick hit a lead-off homer to right.
 

Dayton loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a single against Wisconsin starting pitcher Stiven Cruz in the third inning.  Hendrick stepped to the plate and Cruz struck him out for the second out.  However, Cruz did not escape the inning unscathed as he hit Ruben Ibarra on a 3-0 pitch to force in the tying run.

The tarp went on the field after the end of the third inning with a heavy downpour hitting the area about eight o’clock.  The game restarted with Cameron Wagoner on the mound in relief of Cruz to start the top of the fourth inning a little after nine o’clock.

Wagoner pitched a scoreless top of the fourth and the Rattlers offense went to work in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead again.  Terence Doston drew a walk and stole second with one out against Dayton reliever Owen Holt.  Robert Moore blooped a double to right to score Doston.  Later in the inning, Joe Gray Jr singled home a run for a 4-2 lead.

In the fifth, Wisconsin loaded the bases against Holt on a double by Alex Hall, his third hit of the game, and a pair of walks.  The Dragons called Brooks Crawford out of the bullpen with two outs, and he proceeded to walk both Boeve and Wilken to force in runs to put the Rattlers up 6-2.

The Dragons kept the pressure on the Timber Rattlers as they had two on with one out in the sixth against Wagoner, but the right-hander escaped.  In the seventh, the Dragons again had two runners on with one out.  Wagoner got the second out by striking out Hendrick.  However, Wagoner would not escape this inning, but he was still very fortunate.
 

Ruben Ibarra lined the next pitch deep to left field.  If Ibarra had hit the ball about a foot to the right or two feet higher, it would have been a three-run home run and Wisconsin’s lead would have been down to one run.  Instead, the ball hit solidly off the new ribbon board and came back to the field of play for an RBI double to make it a 6-3 score.

Karlos Morales was called in from the Wisconsin bullpen to get the final out of the seventh, but that was not without drama as he walked the first hitter he faced to load the bases.  Morales rebounded to strike out Mat Nelson for the final out and keep the Rattlers in front by three runs.

Wisconsin added some insurance in their half of the seventh as Moore walked with two outs and stole second.  Boeve continued his hot start as a Rattler with a single to center to score Moore and a 7-3 lead.

Hall collected his fourth hit of the evening with an RBI double in the eighth inning.  Doston capped the scoring for the Rattlers with an RBI double of his own later in the frame for the 9-3 lead.

Justin King, Wisconsin’s fourth pitcher of the game, tossed a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts to finish the game, Wisconsin’s second win in a row.

Wagoner picked up his third win in his last four decisions as he scattered five hits and two walks with five strikeouts while allowing one run over 3-2/3 innings.

The Dragons stranded fourteen runners in the game and went just 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.  Wisconsin was 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday night.

Game three of the series is Thursday evening.  Alexander Cornielle (0-2, 5.46) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Dayton has named Hunter Parks (2-5, 3.90) as their starter.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Green Bay Rockers fell to the Madison Mallards 8-7 at home on Tuesday night.

Rockers’ starting pitcher Ty Thurman (Colorado State-Pueblo)  allowed only two earned runs in four innings in his first start with Green Bay.

The Rockers struck first in the opening inning on center fielder Jojo Jackson’s (Georgia State) RBI groundout..

Mateo Matthews (Wagner) hit his eighth home run of the season later in the game to give the Rockers the lead back after Madison tied it. 

The Rockers would extend the lead in the fourth inning as Jackson crushed his third home run of the season giving Green Bay a 6-2 lead.

The Mallards Liam Moreno (State College of Florida) would then hit a grand slam to highlight a five-run sixth inning to reclaim the lead for Madison. 

The Rockers are 17-15 in the second half and 38-30 overall for the season in the Great Lakes West standings.

Green Bay will first travel to Wausau Wednesday before hosting the Dock Spiders on Thursday. The first pitch for Wednesday night’s game is set for 6:35 p.m.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers got out to a big early lead thanks to a six-run first inning, and it was enough to pick up a win over the Dayton Dragons Tuesday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The Dragons hit a pair of homers and had the tying or lead run at the plate several times in the final three innings, but they could not overcome the advantage and the Rattlers held on for a 6-4 win.

Wisconsin (19-18 second half, 45-56 overall) knocked Dayton starting pitcher Kevin Abel out of the game in the first inning.  Abel got the first out of the frame on a strikeout before the next seven Rattlers reached with six scoring.  Hendry Mendez drew a walk with the bases loaded for the first run.  Alex Hall followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

Darrien Miller doubled the Wisconsin advantage with a two-run single to right.  Eduardo García made it 6-0 with a double to the corner in left.  Abel got the second out of the inning before leaving the game.
 

Dayton (20-17, 53-50) had three walks and three hits in four innings against Wisconsin starting pitcher Nathan Peterson.  However, Peterson struck out five and kept the Dragons off the scoreboard.

That changed in the top of the sixth inning.  The first two batters reached on singles against reliever Nick Merkel.  Jack Rogers was next, and he lined a home run to the Dayton bullpen to bring Dayton within three runs.

Cade Hunter hit a lead-off homer in the top of the seventh off Sam Gardner to cut into Wisconsin’s lead again.  Gardner struck out the next two batters before walking the next two batters to bring the lead run to the plate.  Gardner struck out Mat Nelson, who entered the game with fifteen homers on the season, to end the inning and protect the lead.

In the eighth, Gardner retired the first two batters before walking Edwin Arroyo and Hunter.  Tanner Shears was called in from the bullpen to face Ruben Ibarra, who was at the plate as the go-ahead run.  Shears blew a fastball by Ibarra on a 3-2 pitch to end the threat.

Shears went back out for the ninth inning and struck out Austin Hendrick, but a wild pitch on strike three allowed Hendrick to reach.  Shears struck out the next batter for the fifteenth strikeout by Wisconsin pitching in the game.  He was 2-2 to the next batter when Hendrick tried to steal second base.  Catcher Matt Wood fired a strike of his own to second and Hendrick was out for the second out of the inning.

However, the next pitch went for a ball to bring Nelson back to the plate as the tying run.  Shears got to 1-2 on Nelson before the slugger sent a routine grounder to Brock Wilken at third base.  Wilken fielded the ball calmly and the throw to first was in plenty of time for the final out of the game.

Wilken, the #1 pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2023 draft, was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in his home debut.

Game two of the series is Wednesday night at Neuroscience Group Field.  Stiven Cruz (4-6, 7.43) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  The Dragons have named Chris McElvain (1-1, 5.40) as their starter.  Game time is 6:40pm.

Several Green Bay Packers were let go before the team took their training camp activities to Cincinnati for the rest of the week.

Shortly after wrapping up Family Night, the Packers released QB Danny Etling, making the race for the backup job behind Jordan Love smaller with draft pick Sean Clifford and USFL MVP Alex McGough competing for the spot. 

The Packers announced Monday it had signed RB Nate McCrary after he originally signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2021 from Saginaw Valley State. He has also spent time on the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, and Cleveland Browns in various roles.

In maybe Monday's biggest news, LB Rashan Gary was removed from physically unable to perform list. He still won't see 11 on 11 reps, but you will be able to catch him in individual work, which he started in earnest on Monday.

The Packers will practice against the Bengals in Cincinnati this week before they face each other in an exhibition game on Friday.

The Green Bay Blizzard did all the right things off the field and they were recognized by the Indoor Football League for their efforts on Monday.

The IFL named the Blizzard the franchise of the year for the 2023 season, recognizing the team's success in areas such as attendance, sales, public relations, marketing, efforts to improve the IFL as a whole, performance on the field, community involvement, participation on league matters, and overall representation of the IFL.

The Blizzard also won postseason awards for Community Relations of the Year and its owner, Kathy Treankler, captured honors for the John Pettit Person of the Year.

The Green Bay Rockers could not push any runs across the plate while the Madison Mallards were able to do it at will in a 13-0 win.

The Mallards outhit the host Rockers 14-7 as the visitors also took advantage of nine walks. Catcher David Melfi did most of the damage for the Mallards, slugging two home runs while driving in five. The Mallards' Davis Hamilton and Alex Harrell also homered in the game while also joining Cal Fisher with multi-RBI games. 

Max Mims was the only Rockers players to have more than one hit on the night and on a night where the Mallards had seven extra-base hits, they could not muster one. Grayson Walker took the loss for the Rockers, failing to go two innings while giving up five runs on three homers in addition to four other hits.

The Rockers will try to make up for Monday when they face the Mallards again Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. at Capital Credit Union Park. 

When it mattered the most, the Wisconsin GLO beat the Flint Monarchs in Sunday's GWBA Final to win the league's championship.

The GLO trailed for much of the game before turning it into a see-saw affair in the final minutes to force overtime. They would go on to outscore their Michigan rivals 16-11 in the extra frame to capture their third championship. The Monarchs swept the season series from the GLO this year and defeated them in the championship game last year.

The GLO clinched the spot in the championship game that they hosted by beating the St. Louis Surge 78-51 on Saturday. 

No statistics were available of the game, though you can rewatch the game here.

Picture courtesy of Wisconsin GLO

The Green Bay Rockers scored early and often in their 14-1 victory over the Lakeshore Chinooks Sunday afternoon at Capital Credit Union Park in Ashwaubenon.

The Rockers scored one run in the first, three runs in the second, four in the third, and five in the fourth inning to get the rout going.  The two teams would each trade a run in the last two frames. Kendal Ewell led the way for the Rockers as the leadoff hitter, going 2-3 with three runs scored and five batted in. Mateo Matthews hit a three-run homer run and Cooper Kelly slugged two solo shots as they both had multi-RBI games. Jayson Jones, Sam Polk, Max Mims, and Andrew Harris also drove runs for the Rockers. On the mound, Brett Sanchez (5 IP), and Micah Berns (4.0 IP) split duties, combining to strike out six Chinooks while giving up six hits including two doubles in the ninth inning.

The Rockers are back in action at home Monday night at 6:35 p.m. when they host the Madison Mallards.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers rallied from a 2-1 deficit with three runs in the top of the fifth inning and received three scoreless innings from the bullpen to beat the South Bend Cubs 5-2 in game one of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Four Winds Field.

Bradley Blalock, the Rattlers starting pitcher who was making his Timber Rattlers debut, walked the first two batters in the bottom of the first inning.  He got a strikeout for the first out, but the Cubs pulled a double steal on the pitch and Ezequiel Pagan was called safe at third on a close play.  Moises Ballesteros sent the next pitch deep enough to center to score Pagan on a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead for the Cubs (16-19 second half, 46-54 overall).

Wisconsin (18-17, 44-55) responded with a run in the top of the second.  Joe Gray Jr singled, stole second, and went to third on an error with one out.  Hendry Mendez drove in Gray with a grounder to second to tie the game.

Blalock, who was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a deadline deal for Luis Urias, had to work around an error and a walk in the second inning but did it with a caught stealing on a strong throw to third by catcher Matt Wood and a strikeout.

Felix Stevens put the Cubs back in front in the bottom of the fourth.  Blalock struck out the first two batters he faced in the inning to give him six strikeouts for the game.  However, Blalock fell behind Stevens 2-1 and Stevens cracked the next pitch over the wall in center for the go-ahead homer.  Stevens is on a fifteen-game hitting streak and has hit three homers in the first five games of the series with Wisconsin.

The Timber Rattlers eight and nine hitters were not impressed with Stevens hot steak.  Alex Hall tied the game in the top of the fifth with a lead-off homer.  Jose Acosta followed with a homer and the back-to-back blasts gave the Rattlers a 3-2 lead. 

Later in the inning, Brock Wilken drew a two-out walk.  Ernesto Martinez cashed in Wilken with a double to right-center and the Rattlers were up 4-2.

Blalock was done after four innings.  He allowed two runs on two hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Shane Smith relieved Blalock to start the bottom of the fifth and walked the lead-off batter before retiring the next three batters.

The Cubs went to Adam Laskey for the top of the sixth and he retired the first two Rattlers before walking Hall on four pitched.  Acosta followed by sending a ball down the line in left for a double.  Hall raced around third and just beat the tag at the plate with a headfirst dive for an insurance run and a 5-2 lead.

Smith gave up a one-out walk and a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth but managed to work a scoreless inning to extend his scoreless streak to 11-1/3 innings.  In sixteen appearances with the Timber Rattlers since his promotion from Carolina, Smith has allowed one run and struck out sixteen over 14-2/3 innings.

The bottom of the seventh belonged to Tanner Shears and he pitched around a walk and a single to close out the game for his sixth save of the season.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were held to three hits and struck out ten times against the South Bend Cubs in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader at Four Winds Field.  The Cubs beat the Rattlers 3-0 to split the twinbill and take four of the six games played in the series.

South Bend (17-19 second half, 47-54 overall) grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first inning.  Wisconsin starting pitcher Edwin Jimenez got the first out, but walked Liam Spence, the number nine hitter in the Cubs order, on four pitches and hit Ezequiel Pagan on a 1-2 pitch.  Christian Franklin followed with a single to left to score Spence for a 1-0 lead.

Luis Devers, who retired fifteen of sixteen Rattlers he faced on Tuesday in game one of the series, set down the first eleven Rattlers he faced in game two of Sunday’s doubleheader.  He walked Brock Wilken with two outs in the fourth and Alex Hall singled to right before getting the final out of the inning.  The only other hit Devers allowed was a two-out single to Ben Metzinger in the fifth inning.

Spence started a rally for the Cubs in the bottom of the fifth with a double.  Jimenez walked Pagan and hit Franklin to load the bases.  Matt Shaw singled up the middle on the next pitch to drive in two more runs and the Cubs were up 3-0.

Justin King took over for Jimenez and – despite a walk to reload the bases – kept the Cubs off the scoreboard with four strikeouts in two hitless innings.

The Timber Rattlers (18-18, 44-56) had five base runners in the game, but all reached after there were two outs in an inning.  No Rattler reached third base in the nightcap.  Wilken, who walked three times in game one, walked twice in the second game to draw five walks in the doubleheader.

The Cubs also claimed the season series from the Timber Rattlers with the win in game two on Sunday.  The Rattlers went 5-7 in twelve games against South Bend this season.

Wisconsin is off on Monday.  They return home to face the Dayton Dragons on Tuesday at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Nate Peterson (0-1, 9.45) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Kevin Abel (0-0, 7.07) is set to start for the Dragons.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Kolberg Braves showed why they have one of, if not the best offense in the Door County Baseball League, as they defeated the Baileys Harbor A’s 13-3 in eight innings. 

Kolberg raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Austin Rohe doubled to begin action for the Braves, he would then be scored on an Austin Dart single. Dart and Jake Schneider would come on on a Sam Koss 2 RBI single, and the Braves took advantage of the A’s early. 

Baileys Harbor would answer in the bottom of the inning, as Randy Martinez singled home Matt Francesconi, and it was 3-1. The A’s would then be quieted by an outstanding pitching performance from Jake Schneider, going five innings and striking out eight batters. Kolberg would score a run in every inning but the third inning until the eighth, as Devin Schinktgen and Jake Schneider were responsible for scoring six combined runs of the 13 Kolberg put on the board. 

Marcus Reinhardt, Kyle Daoust, and Carson Leist came in with relief for the Braves, as only Daoust had a blip on the radar, walking three batters and giving up a single for the final two runs for Baileys Harbor. 

Jace Johnson, Aaron Brey, and Collin Strege were the relief pitchers for Baileys Harbor, who had Jon Kordon as their starting pitcher, who was the losing pitcher on the day. Kolberg moves to 10-3 and is still fighting for the top seed with Sister Bay, while Baileys Harbor falls to 1-12. 

Other DCBL Scores: 

Egg Harbor 19 Maplewood 11 

Washington Island 8 West Jacksonport 4 

Sister Bay 13 and Institute 2

SOUTH BEND, IN – The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had several near-misses against the South Bend Cubs on Friday night at Four Winds Field.  In turn, they saw the Cubs take advantage of almost every opportunity they had in the game.  At the end of the night, the Rattlers fell 5-3 to the Cubs.

Wisconsin (17-17 second half, 43-55 overall) took the lead in the first inning on Brock Wilken’s first Midwest League hit.  Robert Moore walked to start the game and moved to second on a wild pitch.  Wilken, the Milwaukee Brewers #1 pick in the 2023 Draft, stepped in with one out and was down 0-2 to Cubs starter Michael Arias before lining a single to left-center to knock in Moore for a 1-0 lead.

South Bend (16-18, 46-53) went in front in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run by Ezequiel Pagan.  The inning started with Ethan Hearn fouling off four two-strike pitches from Wisconsin starting pitcher Tyler Woessner before lining the ninth pitch of the at bat to left for a single.  Pagan got all of a 2-0 pitch from Woessner and hit his fifth homer of the season for a 2-1 lead.

Je’Von Ward got the Timber Rattlers back to even with an RBI single to score Hendry Mendez in the top of the fifth inning.  The Rattlers had runners on first and second with one out after the single by Ward.  Robert Moore looked like he had put the Rattlers in front with a single to right, but second baseman, James Triantos made a diving stop in short right and threw out Moore at first for the second out while allowing the other runners to only advance a base.  Arias got the final out of the inning with a strikeout to keep the game tied.

In the top of the sixth, Wilken sent a towering flyball to left field that plopped into the glove of Yohendrick Pinango a few steps shy of the wall.

In the bottom of the sixth, Felix Stevens gave the Cubs a 3-2 lead with a one-out, solo homer over the wall in left-center.  Stevens extended his hitting streak to fourteen games with the go-ahead blast off Woessner.  Stevens has hit two of South Bend’s five homers in the series with Wisconsin.

The Cubs added insurance runs in the seventh and eighth with key two-out hits.  In the seventh, Stiven Cruz walked Luis Verdugo, the lead-off batter.  Verdugo was at second with two outs as Josh Rivera worked the count to 3-2.  Rivera lined a double to the corner in left for his third hit of the game and an RBI as Verdugo trotted home. 

In the eighth, Cruz retired the first two batters of the inning.  Pinango hit a routine-looking fly to center that was lost in the twilight and the ball dropped in for a double.  Christian Franklin followed with an RBI double to send Pinango home for a 5-2 lead.

The Timber Rattlers didn’t pack it in for the top of the ninth inning against Cubs reliever Sheldon Reed.  Ernesto Martinez Jr and Joe Gray Jr had consecutive singles with one out to bring the tying run to the plate.  Darrien Miller singled to right with two outs to score Martinez, get Gray to third, and bring the go-ahead run to the plate.  However, Reed quashed the Wisconsin rally with a strikeout to end the game and pick up his fourth save.

The Cubs have won three of the first four games of the series and now hold a 6-4 lead in the season series with two games remaining between the clubs this season.

Game five of the series is Saturday night at Four Winds Field.  Edwin Jimenez (3-3, 4.52) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  The Cubs have named Connor Noland (1-5, 3.67) as their starter.  Game time is 6:05pm CDT. 

The young Green Bay Packers will get their first taste of the Lambeau Field experience of the 2023 campaign Saturday night as a part of the organization's Family Night scrimmage.

The majority of the roster has less than three years of experience in the NFL, adding extra intrigue to the glorified practice. The day's activities get underway at 3:30 p.m. in the Lambeau Field parking lot as well as the neighboring Titletown. On-field football warm-ups are set to begin at 7:00 with the practice starting at approximately 7:30 p.m. Fireworks will end the festivities, which will be televised statewide. Limited tickets are also still available.

The Packers also announced that their first game-week practice will take place at 12:30 p.m. on August 7th. They will then travel to Cincinnati to practice with the Bengals ahead of their exhibition tilt on August 11th. August 7th will be the only public practice in Green Bay next week.

It was only a matter of time before the name of Green Bay Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy was named in a lawsuit related to the ongoing hazing scandal at Northwestern University.

ESPN's Adam Rittenberg reported on Thursday that Murphy's name was included in the latest lawsuit stemming from the scandal that also listed former coach Pat Fitzgerald, former university president Henry Bienen and the school's board of trustees as defendants. The unidentified plaintiffs allege similar things discussed in other lawsuits that have already been filed: hazing, sexual abuse, and racial discrimination ran rampant throughout the department, let alone the football team. Members of the administration are charged with knowing about the toxic culture within the department and the program itself and doing nothing about it. Fitzgerald has maintained his lack of knowledge about the hazing and evaluating his options against Northwestern after his initial two-week suspension turned into his dismissal. Players and coaches have stood up for the former head coach while more than a dozen players have collaborated on the hazing and discrimination accusations.

Murphy was the athletic director at Northwestern from 2003 to 2007 before he was hired away by the Packers in 2008. It was his decision to hire Fitzgerald in 2006 in the wake of the sudden death of Randy Walker. The most recent lawsuit features players that would have played for the program from 2004 to 2008, coinciding with Murphy's tenure. Murphy declined to comment on the matter to Rittenberg and members of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

The Green Bay Rockers and the Lakeshore Chinooks will have to finish what they started Friday after going home Thursday tied 1-1 when Mother Nature put a halt to the game.

The Chinooks held a 1-0 lead heading into the fifth inning when AJ Anzai drove in Kendal Ewell on a fielder's choice to tie the game. Thursday's storms forced the game to be called in the sixth inning and it will be resumed before the team's regularly scheduled 6:35 p.m. game.

The South Bend Cubs scored six runs in the first inning on Thursday night and cruised to a 13-4 win over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Four Winds Field.  Felix Stevens extended his hitting streak to thirteen games with a homer, a double, and four RBI to lead the Cubs' 14-hit attack.

Wisconsin (17-16 second half, 43-54 overall) was robbed of a run in the top of the first inning.  Matt Wood singled with one out and was still at first with two outs.  Ernesto Martínez Jr sent a towering flyball to the gap in right-center only to be denied an RBI double by a diving catch by right fielder Jacob Wetzel.

South Bend (15-18, 45-53) jumped on Rattlers starting pitcher Alexander Cornielle right away.  The first three batters of the Cubs' first inning reached on a double, a walk, and a single to load the bases.  Moises Ballesteros followed with a two-run single.  Stevens followed that with a three-run homer and South Bend was up 5-0 five batters into the bottom of the first.

Cornielle got the first out of the inning with a strikeout, but walked the next three batters and left the game with the bases loaded.

Karlos Morales got out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts but threw a wild pitch between strikeouts to allow a runner to score and the Rattlers were down 6-0 as the Cubs sent twelve men to the plate in the first inning.

Cubs starting pitcher Brandon Birdsell allowed one more hit as he worked five scoreless innings and struck out five.

The Cubs added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-out, two-run single by Ezequiel Pagan.

The game got out of hand in the seventh and eighth innings.  The Cubs scored three times in the seventh against Nick Merkel on an RBI single by Ballesteros, an RBI double by Stevens, and a sacrifice fly by Yohendrick Pinango.  In the eighth, Wisconsin asked Alex Hall to move from left field to the mound.  He nearly got out of the inning without allowing a run, but Liam Spence hit a two-out, two-run double off the wall in left for a 13-0 lead.

The Timber Rattlers got on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth inning to avoid being shut out as Cubs reliever Jarod Wright walked the first three batters in the inning.  Martínez Jr ripped a triple to the corner in right to score all three runners.  Hall followed with a sacrifice fly to score Martínez.

Wisconsin pitchers combined to walk twelve hitters, a new season-high.  The only Rattler hurler who didn’t walk a batter in the game was Hall.

Brock Wilken, the #1 pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2023 draft, made his Timber Rattlers debut as the starting third baseman and the number three hitter in the lineup.  He was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in the game.
 

The Cubs lead this series 2-1 and hold the season series edge over the Rattlers 5-4.  South Bend also owns the series lead in run differential at a +20.  To claim the season series from South Bend, the Rattlers will need to win the final three games of the series or win two of the three games in the series by a total of 21 runs to claim the tiebreaker from the Cubs.

Thursday’s game marked the halfway point of the second half of the season. There are 33 games down and 33 games remaining in the half.  The loss on Thursday dropped Wisconsin a game behind the Peoria Chiefs, who won 6-2 over Quad Cities at home.  The Chiefs own the tiebreaker over the Rattlers so that lead is two games for Peoria.  The Cedar Rapids Kernels are already in the playoffs as the first-half champions and if they would win the second half of the season, too, the playoff spot in this half goes to the team that finishes second in the West Division.

Game four of the series is Friday night.  Tyler Woessner (5-6, 3.69) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  The Cubs have named Michael Arias (0-2, 5.79) as their starter.  Game time is 6:05 pm CDT.

The Green Bay Rockers found themselves down 9-0 quickly in its 10-3 loss Wednesday night to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.

The Dock Spiders scored five times in the second inning thanks in part to a three-run home run by Drew Barragan and the wildness of Quinn Falish when he entered the ball game for Logan Lee. Another four runs would be added for the Dock Spiders in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single by Parker Knoll, an RBI ground-out, and a two-run double by Seth Sweet-Chick.

The Rockers would finally get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carlos Hernandez went yard with a man aboard to make it 9-2. The Dock Spiders added a run in the sixth and the Rockers added one more in the eighth to reach the 10-3 conclusion.

The Rockers head south to Kapco Park to face the Lakeshore Chinooks for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch Thursday.

There may have been no practice on Wednesday, the offices were still busy at 1265 Lombardi Avenue on Wednesday.

The Green Bay Packers announced they signed C Cole Schneider after he participated in Green Bay's training camp in 2022. The Central Florida alum spent the spring with the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League, appearing in nine games with one start and helping his team win the USFL title. The Packers are looking to give Josh Myers competition this training camp, going as far as giving Zach Tom first-team reps this week.

In a corresponding move, the Packers released LB La'Darius Hamilton after he appeared in nine games over the two previous seasons in the Green and Gold.

The Packers return to the practice field on Thursday.

Wisconsin Timber Ratters starting pitcher Cameron Wagoner didn’t get out of the first inning last Wednesday against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at home.  On this Wednesday at Four Winds Field, Wagoner was facing a South Bend Cubs lineup that scored nine runs and collected fourteen hits in a victory over the Rattlers on Tuesday night.  Wagoner found his footing after a shaky second inning and pitched a professional career high six innings to pick up the win as the Rattlers beat the Cubs 4-2.

Wisconsin (17-15 second half, 43-53 overall) took the lead in the second inning on an unearned run.  Darrien Miller reached second on a throwing error by shortstop Jeff Shaw.  Alex Hall knocked in Miller with a two-out single to right and the Rattlers were up 1-0.

The lead didn’t last long as South Bend (14-18, 44-53) came right back in the bottom of the second against Wagoner.  Yohendrick Pinango singled and stole second with one out.  Then, Felix Stevens drove in Pinango with a double to tie the game.  Wagoner gave up a two-out walk before getting the final out of the inning to keep the game tied 1-1.

Miller started Wisconsin’s rally to go back in front in the top of the fourth when he singled to start the frame.  Eduardo García followed by lining a pitch to the gap in left-center.  The ball rolled all the way to the way for an RBI triple and a 2-1 lead.  Jose Acosta padded the advantage with a sacrifice fly to right to send García across the plate.

Wagoner didn’t allow a hit by the Cubs after the RBI double by Stevens in the second inning.  The only base runner he let reach base after the second was when Ezequiel Pagan struck out but reached on a wild pitch with two outs in the fifth inning.  Wagoner wasn’t fazed as he got the final out of the frame on a routine fly to left and worked a perfect sixth before turning the lead over to the bullpen.

Tuesday night was the first time Wagoner pitched six innings in a game as a professional.  He allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out seven.

The Wisconsin offense added an insurance run in the top of the ninth.  García and Hall had back-to-back singles to start the inning.  Ben Metzinger sent a pop foul behind first towards the Cubs bullpen.  García made a hard bluff to the plate and Moises Ballesteros bought it.  Ballesteros fired a throw to the plate that bounced to the Wisconsin bullpen to allow García to score and give Wisconsin a 4-1 lead.

Sam Gardner, who pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning out of the Wisconsin bullpen without allowing a hit, went back out for the ninth.  James Triantos started the inning with a single and Ballesteros walked to end Gardner’s night.  Tanner Shears entered the game from the bullpen with the tying run at the plate.

Shears needed one pitch to get the first out on a flyout to center, but a wild pitch and a walk to Pinango loaded the bases to bring Stevens to the plate as the potential winning run.

Stevens struck out at three straight 96-mph fastballs from Shears for the second out.  The right-handed closer needed one more out, but ramped up the degree of difficulty as he threw another wild pitch with Christian Franklin at the plate to let Triantos score and put the tying runs in scoring position.

With the Wisconsin dugout holding its breath, Shears got Franklin to swing and miss for strike three to end the game for his fifth save of the season.

Game three of the series is Thursday night at Four Winds Field.  Alexander Cornielle (0-1, 4.60) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers.  The Cubs have named Brandon Birdsell (2-5, 2.52) as their starting pitcher.  Game time is 6:05pm CDT. 

A pair of high draft picks of the Chicago Cubs from the 2023 draft made good impressions in their Midwest League debut as the South Bend Cubs beat the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 9-2 Tuesday night at Four Winds Field.  Luis Devers was almost perfect over five innings to pick up the win for South Bend.

Jeff Shaw, the Chicago Cubs #1 pick in the 2023 draft, made an immediate impact for South Bend.  Shaw, who had been called up from the Arizona Complex League earlier in the day, drove a triple to center on his first swing as a South Bend Cub.  James Triantos was next.  He drove the first pitch he saw over the wall in left for a two-run homer and a 2-0 lead.

Wisconsin starting pitcher Nate Peterson got the first two outs in the bottom of the second inning before giving up a single to Ed Howard on an 0-2 pitch.  Christian Franklin followed with a long home run to left and South Bend had a 4-0 lead.

The Cubs (14-17 second half, 44-52 overall)  added to their lead in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out, two-run double by Felix Stevens. 

Rattlers reliever Miguel Guerrero got the final out of the third inning and retired the first two batters in the bottom of the fourth.  However, he issued a four-pitch walk to Triantos and Moises Ballesteros cashed in the opportunity with a double to the wall in center for a 7-0 score.

Meanwhile, the Rattlers (16-15, 42-53) struggled against Devers.  Joe Gray Jr doubled to start the second inning.  Devers would retire the next twelve batters in a row before turning the 7-0 lead over to the bullpen.  Devers walked none and struck out six over his five scoreless innings.

The Timber Rattlers got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning against the Cubs bullpen.  Je’Von Ward singled to start the inning on the first pitch from Max Bain.  Then, Jose Acosta homered to right field.  Acosta has homered in two straight games.  He also hit a three-run homer on Sunday in Wisconsin’s 4-0 win over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at home.

South Bend added two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning against Justin King.  Shaw singled.  Triantos drove him in with a triple.  Josh Rivera, Chicago’s third round pick in 2023 who was also making his Midwest League debut, picked up his first Midwest League RBI with a sacrifice fly for a 9-2 advantage.

In the ninth, Wisconsin got a runner aboard with an error and another with a walk, but never threatened to rally.

The Timber Rattlers were held to three hits in the game and had just four at bats with runners in scoring position during the game.  South Bend cracked fourteen hits and six of those went for extra bases with two homers, two triples, and two doubles.  Ballesteros led the hit parade with three hits and an RBI.  Triantos knocked in three runs and scored three runs for the Cubs.

Gray had a double and a walk to be the only Rattler to reach base twice in Tuesday’s game.
 

Game two of the series is Wednesday night at Four Winds Field.  Cameron Wagoner (2-11, 7.53) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  The Cubs have named Brody McCullough (0-1, 5.40) as their starter.  Game time is 6:05pm CDT.  

Some of the best women's basketball outside of the WNBA can be found in Oshkosh this weekend.

Frequent championship contender Wisconsin GLO will host this weekends GWBA Semifinals and Finals on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets purchased on Saturday will be good for both playoff games being played. The GLO will start their tournament run with a 5:30 p.m. Saturday matchup against the St. Louis Surge with a chance to play either the Flint Monarchs or the Kansas City Crossover. The GLO just swept the Surge last weekend, winning by 10-plus points in each contest. They went 4-0 against them on the season. The GLO won all three matchups against Kansas City by 40-plus points while they lost both of their matchups to Flint.

The Green Bay Rockers' pitching staff rebounded from a rough Sunday to throw a shutout against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders Monday night, winning the game 3-0.

The crowd of just over 1,000 people had to wait until the ninth inning as the Rockers' Grayson Walker and the Dock Spiders' Amar Tsengeg pitched into the seventh inning without giving up a run. The Rockers finally struck in the ninth, registering three of their four hits in the final frame with Jayson Jones and AJ Anzai driving in runs and Andrew Harris coming home on a balk. The Dock Spiders were able to get one guy aboard in the ninth, but could not bring him around against Michael Riley the closer.

The Rockers are back in action on Wednesday when they host the Dock Spiders at 6:35 p.m.