The Green Bay Gamblers couldn't keep pace with a talented Team USA U-18 roster Saturday night as they lost in Michigan 10-3.

Team USA dominated in every facet of the game offensively, outshooting the Gamblers 42-22 and converting on three of its seven power play opportunities. As a result, Team USA scored at least three goals in every period including four in the fourth. Cole Eiserman scored four goals and Teddy Stiga had a hat trick for Team USA. 

The Gamblers were led by Blake Bechen, Libor Nemec, and Michael DeAngelo, who all scored in the contest. October 7th marks the home opener for the Gamblers. 

The Green Bay Phoenix basketball teams opened practices this week and it is the women that added a familiar face to its coaching staff this week.

The Phoenix announced earlier this week the hiring of Meghan Pingel as an assistant coach. Pingel spent five years with the Phoenix as a player, including as a member of the program's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament when the 2017-18 team won the Horizon League regular season and Tournament Championship. Head Coach Kevin Borseth said in a statement that "Meghan's familiarity with our program should make for a smooth transition into her new role."

Pingel isn't the first alum to be added to a Phoenix basketball coaching staff this offseason. Rahmon Fletcher was hired by head coach Sundance Wicks to be the  Director of Player Development earlier this year.

The Phoenix women play their first exhibition against UW Stout on October 25th while the men battle St. Norbert's on October 30th.

The Green Bay Gamblers open their normal regular season campaign on Saturday with a matchup against Team USA in Michigan.

The Gamblers have opened the season with two wins at last weekend's USHL Fall Classic, beating the Lincoln Stars 4-1 and the Sioux City Musketeers 4-3.

The Gamblers recently acquired forward Geno Carcone from the Des Moines Buccaneers in exchange for forward Tobias Pitka. According to the organization, Carcone was the 8th overall selection by Des Moines in the 2022 USHL Futures (Phase I) Draft. The Woodstock, Georgia native spent the last three seasons in the Bishop Kearney Selects program out of Rochester, NY, where he tallied more than 260 points at the 14, 15 and 16-under levels. He was also named to the USA Under-17 Five Nations Tournament in the summer of 2022.

Puck drop is set for 6 p.m.

Thousands in Honolulu blue looked comfortable at Lambeau Field Thursday night as the Detroit Lions built a 24-point halftime lead en route to a 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers.

Things looked promising at the start when Rudy Ford intercepted a Jared Goff pass that set up an Anders Carlson field goal. Things only went south from there as the Lions scored 27 unanswered points on offense and their defense held the Packers to less than 50 yards in the first half.

The Packers offense started to turn things around when Jordan Love threw for one touchdown and ran to another to make it 27-17 early in the fourth quarter. The Lions would eat up the next nine minutes thanks in part to a Quay Walker penalty on special teams to score one last back-breaking touchdown with only a Carlson field goal in the final three minutes to ease the pain.

David Montgomery had his way against the Packers, rushing for 121 yards on 32 carries and three touchdowns. The Lions outgained the Packers 211 yards-27 yards on the ground. Jordan Love had his worst game of the season, throwing two interceptions.

The Packers won't play again until they travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders on Monday Night Football October 9th. 

A losing streak to the Detroit Lions is rare for the Green Bay Packers, but they hope to end one to their Michigan rivals on Thursday night.

The Lions ended a five-game losing streak last season with two wins over the Packers, including what proved to be the game that ended the Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay. It is the longest winning streak the Lions have had against the Packers since winning four straight between 2017 and 2018. The Packers have had the upper hand against the Lions over the last 32 meetings at Lambeau Field with a 28-4 record, but it is Dan Campbell who has had his way against Green Bay, winning three of his four games as the head coach for Detroit.

The Packers are coming off a thrilling 18-17 win over the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field on Sunday with all of those points coming in the fourth quarter. The Lions beat the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field last week 20-6. The two teams are the only ones with wins in the NFC North as the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears hope to end their season-long losing streaks on Sunday. 

The kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m.

The Green Bay Packers' injury list continues to be troublesome ahead of Thursday's matchup against the Detroit Lions.

Jaire Alexander, Zayne Anderson, David Bakhtiari, De'Vondre Campbell, Rashan Gary, Elgton Jenkins, Aaron Jones, Zach Tom, Carrington Valentine, and Christian Watson were all listed on Monday's injury report, though the Packers did not hold practices on Monday according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. Of those players, only Rashan Gary and Aaron Jones were listed as a limited participant. None of those players have their game status defined on Packers.com. 

The Packers play the Lions at 7:15 p.m.

For 35 years, you’ve been able to support the work of the Friends of Potawatomi State Park by logging just a few miles on a fall Saturday. The annual Run Wild Quarter Marathon/5K and Smokey Bear Fun Run is scheduled to take place again on October 7th at Potawatomi State Park. While the run has seen its participant counts decrease in recent years due to an increase in the number of races available in Door County, the event still expects to welcome approximately 400 runners and walkers to its trails. Pat Saladin has been one of the race directors of the Run Wild for 20 years after first volunteering on the Run Wild committee in 1996. He is proud of the lasting legacy of the event and the projects it has helped support over the years.

While you still have just under a month to train, there are still some deadlines for you to consider. The price of the race is $30, but it will increase to $35 on September 18th. You also have until October 2nd to register online at this link, otherwise you will have to sign up at either the packet-pickup event at Bay Shore Outfitters on October 6th or at the park itself on October 7th. You can find more details about the race, including what you will receive for participating, by clicking this link.

When all hope was lost, love found a way in the fourth quarter as the Green Bay Packers stole a win from the New Orleans Saints 18-17 on Sunday afternoon.

The Saints tried taking the crowd out of the game early with Derek Carr marching the team down the field on their second drive of the game, finding Jimmy Graham in the endzone for a touchdown. A punt returned for a touchdown and a field goal later, the Packers found themselves in danger of losing their home opener after just one half of play, entering the locker room down 17-0. 

After a scoreless third quarter, the Packers finally got some points on the board with a field goal early in the fourth quarter that would provide the spark the team would need. Jordan Love squeezed his way into the endzone and converted a two-point play to make it 17-11 before throwing the eventual game-winning score to Romeo Doubs with under three minutes to play. The Saints would have one more chance to win the game, but a field goal attempt by Blake Grupe veered right to secure the win for the Packers.

The team will have just a few days to prepare for their next opponent as they host the Detroit Lions for Thursday Night Football. 

The Green Bay Packers open the Lambeau Field portion of their 2023 schedule on Sunday with a noon game against the New Orleans Saints. 

The Packers are coming off a disappointing one-point loss on a field goal to the Atlanta Falcons while the Saints are 2-0, winning both of their games by a grand total of four points.

History is on the Packers' side as they have won 10 straight home, which is the longest current streak in the NFL. The Packers will have some interesting decisions to make when they decide who in their stable of injured players will play on Sunday, including running back Aaron Jones, offensive lineman David Bahktiari, and wide receiver Christian Watson. Regardless of result, the Packers will have to turn around and play against the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

Kickoff is set for noon at Lambeau Field.

The Green Bay Gamblers have plenty of confidence leaving the USHL  Fall Classic unscathed and with two victories.

In Thursday's opener, the Gamblers topped the Lincoln Stars 4-1 thanks to a two-point night by Ben Poitras, who tallied a goal and an assist.

On Friday, they completed a comeback victory thanks to an OT winner from Rasmus Larsson against the Sioux City Musketeers to win the game 4-3. 

Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Adam Gajan was solid in net both games, stopping 52 out of 56 shots on goal.

The party will start in Titletown long before the Green Bay Packers kick off against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at noon.

The Packers will host their now traditional Kickoff Weekend concert on Saturday at 5 p.m. The free concert will feature the Stone Temple Pilots and Collective Soul, beginning at 5 p.m. outside Lambeau Field in the stadium's northwest side parking lot.

Blues Traveler, Everclear, Steve Miller Band, Jake Owen, and Train are some of the other performers that have marked the start of the Packers season with a free concert.

The Green Bay Packers saw a 12-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter as they lost to the host Atlanta Falcons 25-24.

Both teams scuffled with their offenses in the first quarter, but it was the Falcons who broke through first with a field goal from Younghoe Koo to make 3-0. The Packers would score 10 unanswered points highlighted by a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Jayden Reed. The Falcons would make it a one-point game at the break when they found the endzone with Drake London with seconds remaining in the half.

The Packers would seemingly take control with third-quarter touchdowns to Dontayvion Wicks and Reed to make it 24-12 entering the game's final stanza. Conservative play calling by the Packers on both sides of the ball along with clutch fourth-down pickups by the Falcons set up the visitors' ultimate disappointment. Koo drilled a field goal with 57 seconds left to send the Packers to their first loss of the season and with plenty of questions to ask of themselves before the New Orleans Saints come to Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The Green Bay Packers will try to improve to 2-0 on the season Sunday afternoon when they face the Atlanta Falcons at noon.

Jordan Love shined as the starting quarterback for the Packers, throwing for three scores while playing relatively mistake-free football in a 38-20 romp over the Chicago Bears. The Packers had several of its stars on the injury report this week including Aaron Jones and Romeo Doubs who accounted for all four of the offensive touchdowns. The other touchdown was registered on a pick-six by Quay Walker, who was in concussion protocol this week as well.

The Falcons' Tyler Allgeier scored twice as they beat the Carolina Panthers 24-14 at home last Sunday. Desmond Ridder was an efficient 15-18 on the day for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Playing in two different Wisconsin cities on back-to-back nights, the Green Bay Gamblers will evaluate the roster with a win and a loss to reflect on before the regular season starts.

Both games were against fellow Wisconsin USHL member franchise Madison Capitols. The regular season begins on September 29th and 30th in Michigan against Team USA.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ran through the tape at the end of the 2023 season.  The Rattlers beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels 8-5 on Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium to end the season on a four-game winning streak.

Luke Keaschall, the second round pick of the Minnesota Twins in the 2023 draft, hit a solo home run with one out in the top of the first inning off Aaron Ashby to put the Kernels up 1-0.  The homer was Keaschall’s first with the Kernels.

Cedar Rapids (82-50 overall, 42-24 second half) put the first two batters on in the top of the second inning on a walk and a double.  Edwin Jimenez replaced Ashby after the double and stranded both runners as he retired the next three batters in order.
 

Wisconsin (62-68, 36-30) rallied after there were two outs and none on base in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead.  Darrien Miller walked with Ben Metzinger and Eduarqui Fernández providing singles to load the bases.  Terence Doston beat out an infield single to get the tying run home.  Then, Robert Moore drew a walk to force in the go-ahead run.

The Rattlers sent eight men to the plate in the third inning to pad their lead with three runs.  Miller and Fernández had RBI singles with Doston providing an RBI double for a 5-1 lead.

The Kernels got a run off Jimenez in the top of the fourth on a two-out, RBI double by Misael Urbina, to cut into the Wisconsin lead.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Wisconsin added three more runs to go up 8-2.  There were two walks with one out before Eduardo García singled to drive in the first run of the frame.  Metzinger had a two-out, RBI single to make it 7-2.  García scored on a wild pitch for Wisconsin’s final run.

That outburst in the fourth turned out to be enough for the Rattlers as it gave them a cushion to withstand two more Cedar Rapids homers.  Keaschall hit his second homer, a two-run shot in the fifth.  Carson McCusker hit his seventh homer of the season, a solo shot in the sixth, to get the Kernels to within three runs.  They would get no closer.

Cedar Rapids finished the season with 137 home runs with twenty-six of those coming in twenty-four games against the Timber Rattlers.

Jimenez allowed four runs over 4-2/3 innings of relief and struck out four to pick up his seventh win of the season.

Miguel Guerrero got the final out of the sixth inning and worked 2-1/3 scoreless innings to hold the lead,

Nick Merkel had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning to close out the game and pick up his second save of the season.

Wisconsin won the final four games of the series from the Kernels to win the six-game series 4-2.  The Rattlers also ended the season tied in the season series with the Kernels as each team won twelve games.

The Timber Rattlers went 12-2 in their final fourteen games of the season.  The finishing rush allowed the Rattlers end the second half of the season 36-30 to tie the Peoria Chiefs for second place in the West Division behind the Kernels.  However, the Chiefs won the season series from Wisconsin to claim the tiebreaker and advance to the playoffs to face Cedar Rapids with Game One of the best-of-three series set to Tuesday night in Peoria.

The more things change, the more they stay the same in the Green Bay Packers' season opener Sunday afternoon in Chicago as they beat the Bears 38-20 in front of a capacity crowd at Soldier Field.

The Packers opened the scoring with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to Romeo Doubs only to see the Bears claw back with two drives that ended in Cairo Santos field goals. The half ended with Anders Carlson drilling a field goal as the clock expired to make it 10-6 at the break, setting the stage for a second half that was all Packers.

Aaron Jones scored touchdowns on consecutive drives for the Packers, including one on a 35-yard pass from Love to make 24-6. A touchdown pass from Justin Fields to Darnell Mooney narrowed the lead, only to see the Packers score twice to kick off the fourth quarter and exploit the rout. The second of those scores was especially backbreaking as Quay Walker intercepted a Fields pass and bounced his way through the Bears offense to score on a 37-yard touchdown return. The Bears would score once more with three minutes to play and the game well in hand.

Love threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns in his second start of the season, making up for a rushing attack well contained by the Bears' newly formed front seven. 

The Packers will rest up before making the trip to Atlanta next week for a noon kick.

Quarterback Jordan Love will get his first taste of the NFL's oldest rivalry Sunday afternoon when the Green Bay Packers meet the Chicago Bears on the lakefront.

Both teams are hoping their young quarterbacks can guide them to victory with Love having his second start under center for the Packers while Bears fans hope Justin Fields can usher in a changing of the guard for the charter franchise that have lost eight straight to their NFC North foes. With the help of some payroll and draft pick flexibility, the Bears gave Fields an important weapon in DJ Moore to complement Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool while adding some muscle in the linebacking corps with experienced players like Tremaine Edmunds. The Packers counter with the youngest team in the league with David Bahktiari, Preston Smith, and De'Vondre Campbell their only players over the age of 30.

The Packers and Bears kickoff from Soldier Field at 3:25 p.m.

 Luis Lara didn’t get a chance to drive in the winning run for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in their walkoff win on Friday night.  On Saturday night, he made sure the Rattlers didn’t need any runs in the ninth inning to beat the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Neuroscience Group Field.  Lara drove in the tying run in the fifth and the go-ahead run in the seventh.  Wisconsin’s bullpen tossed four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts to close out a 3-2 victory.

Saturday’s game was scoreless through four innings.  Then, both teams scored a pair of runs in the fifth.

Cedar Rapids (82-49 overall, 42-23 second half) struck first.  Misael Urbina singled to start the inning.  Wisconsin starting pitcher Tyler Woessner retired the next two batters before walking the two batters after that to load the bases.  Kala’i Rosario, the Midwest League leader in RBI, was next and he sent a liner up the middle.  Second baseman Robert Moore made a diving attempt, but the ball tipped off his glove and trickled into center for a two-run single.

Wisconsin (61-68, 35-30) answered back in their half of the fifth.  Alex Hall walked, went to second on a wild pitch, and took third on a flyout to center.  Eric Brown Jr doubled by sending a chopper over the head of the third baseman to score Hall.  Lara followed with a sharp single to center to score Brown with the tying run.

Sam Gardner relieved Woessner to start the top of the sixth inning.  He worked around a two-out walk in the sixth.  In the seventh, he had to pitch around a two-out walk that was followed by a two-out single.  Gardner found a way through and kept the game tied.

Malik Barrington relieved Cedar Rapids starting pitcher John Klein in the sixth.  Barrington retired the first five batters he faced.  Then, he walked Brown with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Brown stole second, his thirty-seventh stolen base of the season, with Lara at the plate.  Lara, who was in the batter’s box when Brown scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a balk on Friday night, took matters into his own hands on Saturday.  Lara ripped a line drive to right that rolled all the way to the wall for an RBI triple.  Brown scored easily and the Rattlers had a 3-2 lead.

Gardner gave up a one-out single in the top of the eighth inning but didn’t give up the lead as he retired the next two batters.  Gardner pitched three scoreless innings, walked one, gave up two hits, and struck out six.

Tanner Shears was called into the game to finish the game for Wisconsin, and he did so in style.  Shears got the first out on a weak grounder to first.  He struck out the next two batters looking to end the game and collect his seventh save of the season.

Wisconsin has won three straight games from the playoff-bound Kernels in this series.

The season finale for the Timber Rattlers is Sunday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Aaron Ashby is scheduled to make his third rehabilitation start for the Timber Rattlers.  The Kernels, who are heading to the playoffs to face the Peoria Chiefs on Tuesday night, have named Alejandro Hidalgo (0-4, 5.14) as their starter.  Sunday’s game has a special start time of 12:10pm CDT.  That means an early start to the day with the parking lot opening at 9:30am and the gates to the stadium opening at 10:30am.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers broke a brief two-game losing streak thanks to a fast start against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Wisconsin sent the fans home happy with an 11-6 win over the Kernels.

The Timber Rattlers (59-68 overall, 33-30 second half) scored seven runs in the first two innings to take control of the game. 

The scoring started with Eric Brown Jr at third and Robert Moore at first in the first inning.  Moore stole second to draw a throw that allowed Brown to steal home.

Later in the first inning, Matt Wood cracked a two-out, two-run single to add to the Wisconsin lead.

The Rattlers loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the second inning.  Moore drove in a run with a ground out.  Then, Brock Wilken tripled off the wall in center to knock in two more runs.  Wilken has a twelve-game hitting streak and has at least one hit in eighteen of his last nineteen games.

Hendry Mendez followed with an RBI single for a 7-0 lead.

Cedar Rapids (82-47, 42-21) scored single runs in the third and fourth innings after Wisconsin starting pitcher Joseph Hernandez walked the lead-off batter in each inning.  Jeferson Morales had an RBI single in the third.  Luke Keaschall added an RBI single in the fourth.

Kala’i Rosario got the Kernels to within two runs in the top of the fifth inning with a three-run home run off the videoboard.  Rosario has hit twenty-one home runs this season with eight of those homers coming against Wisconsin.  He leads the Midwest League in homers and RBI (92).

The Timber Rattlers responded in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs.  Wood drove in the first run with single for his third three-RBI game of the season.  Darrien Miller grounded into a 4-6-3 double play with runners at the corners to allow the runner from third to score and the Rattlers were up 9-5.

Mendez started the Wisconsin seventh inning with a triple.  Gray doubled to knock in Mendez.  Miller made it 11-5 in favor of the Rattlers with a single to send Gray across the plate.

The Kernels loaded the bases in their half of the eighth inning on two walks and a two-out error.  A bases-loaded walk forced in a run before Tanner Shears got a strikeout to end the inning.  Shears struck out the side in order in the top of the ninth to finish the game.

Gray led Wisconsin’s thirteen-hit attack with three hits, and he also scored three runs.  Mendez was on base four times with a single, a triple, and two walks to score three runs, too.  Wood knocked in three runs.

Wisconsin pitchers walked eleven but held the Kernels to 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position as the defense turned two key double plays to limit the damage.

Game four of the series is Friday night at Neuroscience Group Field.  Alexander Cornielle (1-3, 4.94) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Rattlers.  Zebby Matthews (4-2, 4.81) is set to start for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers lost 4-1 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Wednesday afternoon at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  The loss put the Timber Rattlers on the verge of elimination in their playoff race with the Peoria Chiefs.

Cedar Rapids (82-46 overall, 42-20 second half) pounced on several miscues by the Rattlers in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.  Noah Miller reached second on a dropped flyball to left to open the game.  A passed ball allowed him to take third.  A wild pitch by Aaron Ashby, who was on his second rehabilitation start from the Milwaukee Brewers, allowed Miller to score the first run of the game.

In the top of the second, Ashby retired the first two batters he faced before walking Kyler Fedko.  That ended Ashby’s day as he had reached his pitch limit.

Cameron Wagoner took over for Ashby and gave up a single and a walk to load the bases.  Then, Emmanuel Rodriguez singled to center to score two runs for a 3-0 lead.

Ashby was charged with two runs – one earned – on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts over 1-2/3 innings.  He threw 33 pitches with sixteen for strikes.

Wisconsin (58-68, 32-30) managed one hit over five innings against Cedar Rapids starter Cory Lewis.  Eduardo García singled with one out in the fifth.  An error on a force play allowed the Rattlers to have two on with one out, but Lewis escaped the jam with a popout, and a successful force play to maintain the 3-0 lead.

Brock Wilken singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning against reliever Mike Paredes to extend his current hitting streak to eleven games.  Then, rain halted play for nearly two hours.

Hendry Mendez set the Rattlers up with a single when the game restarted to put runners at first and second.  Darrien Miller knocked in Wilken with a two-out single to get the Rattlers on the scoreboard.  Miller tried to advance as the throw to the plate got away from catcher Nick Cossetti.  However, the ball didn’t get far enough away from Cossetti and Miller was out by a wide margin to end the inning.

Wagoner and reliever Nick Merkel kept the Kernels in check by retiring sixteen hitters in a row.  The streak was snapped when Noah Miller tripled with one out in the eighth.  Merkel was able to escape that jam with a pair of strikeouts and a flyout to left. 

In the bottom of the eighth, Eric Brown Jr reached on an error to start the inning, but he was left stranded.

Javier Salas added to the Cedar Rapids lead with a one-out, solo home run in the top of the ninth inning.

The Rattlers made the Kernels sweat a little bit in the bottom of the ninth when Miller singled and García reached on a fielder’s choice with one out to bring the tying run to the plate.  Then, Jarret Whorff, who got the final out of the eighth inning, got a popup and a strikeout to end the game for his third save.

The loss also all but ended Wisconsin’s playoff chances as the Peoria Chiefs now have a magic number of one.  If Peoria wins their home game tonight against the Beloit Sky Carp, the Chiefs will clinch the second half West Division playoff spot and a date with the Cedar Rapids Kernels in the first round of the Midwest League playoffs.

Game three of the series between the Rattlers and Kernels is Thursday night at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium.  Joe Hernandez (2-3, 3.98) is the scheduled starting pitcher for Wisconsin.  CJ Culpepper (2-1, 3.58) is set to start for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Green Bay Gamblers are already preparing for their 2023-2024 campaign.

The organization announced its preseason roster last Friday, bringing in players from Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United States. The Gamblers will practice at the Cornerstone Ice Arena in De Pere ahead of its four exhibition games that will take place throughout northeast Wisconsin. The roster will be reduced to 25 players before they head east for the USHL Fall Classic in Pittsburgh. You can find the roster below:

Last weekend the Door County Pickleball Club hosted their annual Summer Social gathering at Sunset Park in Sturgeon Bay where over 100 Pickleball club members attended.

 Part of the festivities included presenting the award for the 2023 Steve Schmelzer Sportsmanship Award. This award goes to the person that received the most nominations from their peers for demonstrating one or more of the following traits during the outdoor Pickleball season. These traits include kindness, integrity, sportsmanship, encouragement, positive attitude, and teamwork.

Over 20 nominations were received for nearly a dozen different Door County Pickleball players. Guy Fortin received the most nominations followed by Honorable Mention winners Barb and Brad Nikles, and Monica Lauscher.

Jay Renstrom, President of the Door County Pickleball Club stated, “The social aspect of Pickleball is what the sport thrives on and to receive this award is a great honor”. Some of the nominations for Guy included, “he is always encouraging a does so much for all of us”, “Guy is always there when something needs to be done”, “Guy ensures everybody has the best experience possible”, “Guy demonstrates a positive belief that playing Pickleball should be relaxing, fun, and to not worry too much about the shortcomings with their game”.

For more information about Door County Pickleball, please go to: https://www.doorcountypickleball.com/

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers keep on winning.  The Timber Rattlers beat the Beloit Sky Carp 6-3 on Sunday afternoon at ABC Supply Stadium for their eighth consecutive victory.  Brock Wilken had four hits, including a key, two-run homer, knocked in two runs, and scored three runs to lead Wisconsin’s fifteen-hit attack.

Beloit (51-74 overall, 24-36) took the lead in the third inning.  Ryan Ignoffo reached on an infield single.  Osiris Johnson executed a hit-and-run single with one out to put runners on the corners.  Javier Sanoja doubled to right to score Ignoffo.

The Sky Carp had the bases loaded with one out after a walk to Joe Mack.  However, Wisconsin starting pitcher Edwin Jimenez got out of the inning with no more damage as he got Torin Montgomery to ground into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Wilken started the Wisconsin fourth inning with a single.  That single extended his current hitting streak to nine games.  Wilken has at least one hit in fifteen of his last sixteen games.

Beloit starter Alex Williams retired the next two batters.  Then, Matt Wood kept the inning alive with a single to send Wilken to third base.  Joe Gray Jr tied the game with a single to left on a 1-2 pitch.

Wilken gave the Rattlers (58-66, 32-28) the lead in the top of the fifth inning with a two-out, two-run home run to left.  Wilken’s second Midwest League homer made it 3-1 in favor of the Rattlers.

The Rattlers added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning and Wilken was in the middle of that, too.  He singled with one out to collect his first four-hit game as a professional.  Wood sent Wilken home with a two-out RBI single for a 4-1 lead.

Jimenez went into shutdown mode after the third inning.  He retired the side in order in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.  Jimenez retired the first batter in the bottom of the seventh. Then, Ynmanol Marinez happened.

Marinez hit a grounder behind the bag at third.  Wilken made a backhand stop and threw the ball wildly to first from foul territory.  Marinez went to second and took off for third.  First baseman Ben Metzinger had chased down the ball in foul territory and tried to throw out Marinez at third.  However, the throw hit Marinez and the ball caromed to the wall on the third base side of the field.  Marinez scored and the Rattler lead was down to two runs.

Jimenez wasn’t affected by the odd play as he retired the next two batters to close out the inning.  He went seven innings, allowed two runs – one earned – on five hits with a walk and seven strikeouts to put himself in line for his sixth win of the season.

The Timber Rattlers added some insurance in the top of the eighth inning.  Darrien Miller doubled and went to third on a passed ball with no outs but was still there with two outs.  Fortune smiled on Luis Lara to get Miller home.  Lara hit a grounder to first that should have been the final out.  However, the ball hit the corner of the bag and went between the legs of Torin Montgomery for a hit to drive in Miller.

Lara stole second with Wilken at the plate and the Sky Carp elected to walk Wilken intentionally to deny him an opportunity for a five-hit game.  Hendry Mendez made the Sky Carp pay for that decision with a single to center to score Lara for a 6-2 lead.

It was not an easy march to the first six-game sweep in Timber Rattlers history.  Tanner Shears retired the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the eighth before two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases to bring the tying run to the plate.  Shears walked Cam Barstad to force in a run and that brought Shane Smith into the game from the Wisconsin bullpen to face Marinez.

Smith got the count full before getting Marinez to line out to Gray in right to end the inning with the Rattlers up 6-3.

In the ninth, Smith retired the first two batters before a walk and an error brought the tying run to the plate again.  There was no drama in the final at bat as Smith struck out Sanoja looking at a 2-2 pitch to end the game.

In the six-game series at Beloit, the Rattlers outscored the Sky Carp 34-8.  Wisconsin’s pitching staff allowed five earned runs in the series.

This is Wisconsin’s first eight-game winning streak since the 2012 season.

In the playoff race, Wisconsin needs to wait to see if they picked up ground on the Peoria Chiefs.  The Chiefs, who are current holders of the second half West division playoff spot, start the final game of their series at Quad Cities on Sunday night at 6:30pm.  The Chiefs magic number to clinch going into tonight is at four.

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday.  They return home to host the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Tuesday night.  Nate Peterson (2-2, 4.05) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Game time is 6:40pm.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers were looking for their first seven-game winning streak since the 2014 season but trailed the Beloit Sky Carp 1-0 with two outs and two on in the top of the ninth inning on Saturday night at ABC Supply Stadium.  That was when Eric Brown Jr took over the game.  Brown, who ended the game with four hits, launched a three-run homer to put the Rattlers in front.  The hit also opened the floodgates for the Rattlers as the team would collect four runs and ten hits after the homer to go on to a 7-1 victory over the Sky Carp.

Aaron Ashby made the start for Wisconsin on a rehabilitation assignment for the Milwaukee Brewers.  Ashby pitched a scoreless first inning with two walks and two strikeouts on eighteen pitches.

The Rattlers (57-66 overall, 31-28 second half) had opportunities early in the game against Sky Carp starter Karson Milbrandt.  Their best shot was a lead-off double by Eric Brown Jr, but the Rattlers could not score in that inning.  Milbrandt had seven strikeouts over four scoreless innings.

Tyler Woessner took over for Ashby to start the bottom of the second inning and worked through a few situations until the fifth.

Joe Mack reached on a one-out, infield single.  Woessner walked the next batter.  Torin Montgomery followed with an RBI single, and Beloit (51-73, 24-35) was up 1-0.

Holt Jones took over for Milbrandt and allowed one hit over two scoreless innings.

Matt Wood started the Wisconsin seventh inning with a single against reliever Christian Charle.  A wild pitch with one out put Wood at second base, but Charle got the second out on a routine fly ball to left.  There would be nothing routine about the next few batters.

Eduarqui Fernández drew a walk to extend the inning to Brown.  Charle got ahead of the Brewers #1 pick from the 2022 draft with two quick strikes.  Charle made a mistake and hung the next pitch over the plate.  Brown crushed the ball over the Wisconsin bullpen out to the base of the scoreboard in left field for a three-run homer.  Brown’s first Midwest League home run since June 29 gave Wisconsin a 3-1 lead.

Luis Lara kept the inning alive with a triple.  Then, Brock Wilken, Milwaukee’s #1 pick in the 2023 draft, roped a double down the line in left for a 4-1 lead.

The Rattlers kept the pressure on with three straight singles to start the eighth inning.  Wood’s single ended the sequence and gave the Rattlers a 5-1 advantage.

In the top of the ninth, Brown, who was a triple shy of the cycle, singled.  Hendry Mendez drove in Brown later in the inning with a single.  Robert Moore added a sacrifice fly to score the final run of the game.

Woessner navigated his way through a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning after a one-out double with help from a strikeout and a grounder to short.  Woessner allowed one run on six hits with seven strikeouts over five innings.  The offense took the lead in the top of the seventh to put Woessner in line for his sixth win of the season.

Nick Merkel nailed down that win for Woessner as he pitched three perfect innings out of the Wisconsin for his first Midwest League save.

Just for good measure, Brown made a stylish play with a sliding stop on a grounder up the middle to get the final out of the game.

Wood and Mendez each had three hits in the game for the Rattlers.  Wisconsin ended the game with seventeen hits and went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position.  The Rattlers defense played their fourth errorless game of the series.  Wisconsin pitchers have allowed three earned runs in 45 innings of the series against the Sky Carp.

Wisconsin has not had a seven-game winning streak since June 2 through June 9 in the 2014 season.  The Sky Carp have lost seven in a row.

The series finale is Sunday afternoon at ABC Supply Stadium.  Edwin Jimenez (5-5, 4.68) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Alex Williams (2-7, 4.76) is set to start for the Sky Carp.  Game time is 1:05pm.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are refusing to go down quietly at the end of the 2023 season.  Wisconsin beat the Beloit Sky Carp 4-2 on Friday night at ABC Supply Stadium for their sixth consecutive victory.  Alexander Cornielle earned his first victory of the season with nine strikeouts over six innings as the Rattlers got some clutch hits and stolen bases to take the lead in the seventh inning before the bullpen shut down the struggling Sky Carp.

Beloit (51-72 overall, 24-34 second half) took the lead in the bottom of the third inning.  Joe Mack doubled with two outs.  Zach Zubia followed with a double to drive in Mack for the 1-0 lead.

The Timber Rattlers (56-66, 30-28) loaded the bases with one out in the top of the fifth.  Matt Wood walked, Darrien Miller singled, and Ben Metzinger walked to set the table with one out.  Eric Brown Jr tied the game with a sacrifice fly to center to score Wood.
 

Wisconsin loaded the bases in the top of the sixth inning with no outs as Brock Wilken doubled, Hendry Mendez singled, and Robert Moore singled.  Joe Gray Jr grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to score Wilken with the go-ahead runs.
 

In the bottom of the sixth, Cornielle gave up a one out single to Ynmanol Marinez and committed a balk and threw a wild pitch to get the tying run to third base.  Cornielle got the second out on a popup but gave up a deep drive to center off the bat of Torin Montgomery that was just out of the reach of Luis Lara at the wall for an RBI double to tie the game.  Cornielle ended the inning with his ninth strikeout to keep the game tied 2-2.  He scattered six hits and walked one over six innings but was looking at a no decision unless the Rattlers bats got on the board in the seventh.

Kyle Crigger came on to face the Timber Rattlers.  He retired the first two batters he faced before Brown singled to center.  Then, Brown stole second and went to third on an error.  Lara slammed a pitch through the left side of the infield to score Brown with the go-ahead run.

Lara followed the pattern set by Brown by stealing second and taking third on an error.  Wilken launched a ball deep to left-center that was dropped for a two-base error to score Lara for a 4-2.

The Wisconsin bullpen took over from there.

Miguel Guerrero pitched a perfect seventh with a strikeout.  Justin King, who was just activated from the Wisconsin injured list before the game, worked a perfect eighth with two strikeouts.  Shane Smith struck out two and walked one in a scoreless ninth for his fifth save.

Wisconsin pitchers combined for fourteen strikeouts with just two walks. 

Beloit has lost six games in a row.

The Timber Rattlers are trying to chase down the Peoria Chiefs for the second half playoff spot in the West Division.  However, the Chiefs keep winning, too.  Peoria held on for a 9-8 win over the Quad Cities River Bandits on the road Friday night to remain four games in front of the Rattlers with eight games remaining in the regular season.  Peoria’s magic number was lowered to four with their victory over the Bandits.