Only one team has had the better end of the Green Bay Blizzard this season, and they just so happen to be lining up against them on Saturday in Moline, Ill.

The Blizzard will cross state lines to play the Quad City Steamwheelers for a third time this season. In the Blizzard's last game, they outscored the San Antonio Gunslingers 23-0 in the fourth quarter to sprint to a 62-28 win for their sixth straight victory. Liam Thompson threw for three touchdowns and rush for another one while teammate Kairee Robinson nearly rushed for 90 yards while finding the endzone four times himself in the rout.

The Blizzard beat the Steamwheelers 65-40 on May 8th, but a 51-36 road loss remains the team's lone blemish on the season.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

More than a dozen track athletes from across Door and Kewaunee counties will begin their match toward the podium at UW-LaCrosse when the WIAA State Track and Field Championships begins on Friday.

In Division 2, Luxemburg-Casco will send five entries to the meet including Claire DuChateau in the 1,600 and 3,200, Mason Trimberger in the 110-meter hurdles (4th, 15.00) and 300-meter hurdles (3rd, 39.95), and the boys 4x400 relay team. 

In Division 3, Kewaunee's Hannah Miller qualified in both the 800-meter run (1st) and 1,600-meter run (2nd), while the Storm's 4x400 relay team of Natalie Miller, Noelie El Kout, Kaylyn Martin and Hannah Miller claimed a sectional title. Natalie Miller also advanced with a second-place finish in pole vault. Southern Door will send a large group to state, led by Grant Pieschek (pole vault), Lauden Berg (long jump, triple jump), Elise Jackson (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles), Frankie Nellis (long jump) and the girls 4x800 relay team. Sevastopol's Cash Kuehn qualified in both the high jump and triple jump, Gibraltar's Azucena Jauregui advanced in the 300 hurdles, and Algoma's Cooper Fay and Estella Marrero both earned state berths in pole vault.

Division 2 and 3 athletes begin at 3:30 p.m. on Friday with the finals beginning at 9:30 a.m. for field events and 10 a.m. for running events.

The Green Bay Rockers needed three extra innings to beat Fond du Lac on Thursday night, winning 5-4 in 12 innings.

The Rockers led 2-0 after five innings before the Dock Spiders tallied runs in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game. The two teams traded single tallies in the 10th and 11th innings before RJ Furcal Jr drove in John Handy on a sacrifice fly to win the game. 

Max Humphrey and Eli Selga each had two hits while Furcal, Selga, Mike Dee, Dom Bello, and Zach Novakowski registered RBI. 

Ricky Howell earned the win as the last man out of the bullpen, allowing one run (0 ER) on no hits while striking out two over the final two innings.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Cedar Rapids Kernels battled all night long and right down to the wire on Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.  The Timber Rattlers had just enough to escape a bases loaded jam in the ninth and close out an 8-5 victory over the Kernels.

The Timber Rattlers (29-22) scored four times in the first inning.  The first three hitters walked against Cedar Rapids starting pitcher Michael Ross.  Josh Adamczewski, who had five RBI in Wednesday’s 10-4 win for Wisconsin, gave the Rattlers the lead on Thursday with a two-run single to center.

Adamczewski stole second with Daniel Dickinson at the plate and the move paid dividends almost immediately for the Rattlers.  Dickinson sent a drive to left-center, the deepest part of Veterans Memorial Stadium.  Yasser Mercedes made a fine running catch near the wall about 405 feet from home plate.  Andrew Fischer, the runner at third, tagged and scored easily.  Adamczewski tagged from second and never stopped running until he crossed home plate for a two-run sacrifice fly and a 4-0 lead.

The Kernels (26-28) also got on the scoreboard in the first.  Wisconsin starting pitcher Josh Knoth walked Brandon Winokur and gave up a two-run home run to Eduardo Tait to bring Cedar Rapids to within two runs two batters into the bottom of the first.  Knoth retired the next three batters in order to end the inning.

Adamczewski struck again in the top of the third with a two-run home run to center and a 6-2 lead.  Adamczewski has nine homers on the season and nine RBI in his last two games.

Fischer, who had already extended his on-base streak to 23 games with two walks earlier in the game, lined a single to right to drive in Luis Peña in the fifth.  Fischer moved his current hitting streak to eight games with that RBI single to make the score 7-2.

Tait hit a lead-off homer in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Jack Seppings.  Khadim Diaw followed with a double.  He moved to third on a flyout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Quinn McDaniel.

Brandon Winokur got the Kernels to within 7-5 on a two-out, RBI triple in the bottom of the seventh.  Seppings got Diaw to end the inning on a high popup as rain started to fall.

The seventh inning could have been much worse for the Rattlers.  Danny DeAndrade started the inning with a double to left-center that landed just out of the reach of Adamczewski, who made a diving attempt at a catch after a long run to his left.  The next batter sent a flyball to left.  Adamczewski had a long run to his right and this time he was able to make the diving catch for the first out.

The rain slackened but the tension tightened in the eighth with several close calls leaving both teams fuming at fate.  The drama was ratcheted up even more for the ninth inning.

Eston Stull, the fourth pitcher of the night for the Kernels, walked the first three Rattlers of the ninth.  Braylon Payne took a called third strike and was ejected from the game.  Peña, in his return to the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game with illness and sitting out Wednesday, delivered an insurance run for the Rattlers with a sacrifice fly.  Another walk to Fischer loaded the bases and brought Adamczewski to the plate.

The Rattlers cleanup batter didn’t have a chance to add to their advantage.  Stull threw the ball to the backstop on a 1-1 pitch.  Luiyin Alastre, the runner at third tried to score.  The ball took a weird carom back to Tait.  The Kernels catcher caught the ball, turned, and lunged at Alastre.  The call was out and the Rattlers missed on a chance to make it a four-run lead.

Seppings gave up a lead-off single in the ninth.  Then, he induced a 5-4-3 double play to get the Rattlers close to victory.  But a hit batsman and a walk on a 3-2 pitch ended the night for Seppings, who tossed 73 pitches in 3-2/3 innings.

Chandler Welch entered the game to face Winokur, the potential tying run.  Welch walked Winokur on four pitches to load the bases and bring Tait to the plate with the winning run.

Tait hit a line drive to center on a 1-0 pitch.  Alastre was playing very deep but was able to race in and over to make the catch for the final out of the game.

Wisconsin has won four straight games, their second four-game winning streak of the season and first since April 21-24.

Game four of the series is set for Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.  Ethan Dorchies (1-4, 7.30) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Riley Quick (0-1, 4.41) has been named as the starter for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:35pm.

The Green Bay Packers announced a key part of their summer programming on Thursday, placing its popular Family Night scrimmage on August 7th. 

While placing it on Friday night is new for the event entering its 25th year, it fits the team's preseason schedule of one Thursday and two Friday games. The other details are very similar to past years, according to Packers.com. 

The format of this year's Family Night will once again be a full practice, in order for the team to accomplish its preparation goals for the regular season with the rest of the training camp schedule to be announced in the coming weeks.  

Doors for the event will open at 5:30 p.m., with the team taking the field for warmups at 7 p.m. and practice beginning at 7:30. Tickets go on sale on June 15th.

THE STATE MEET:  The 130th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Boys Track and Field Championships and the 55th Girls Track and Field Championships will be held Friday-Saturday, June 5-6 at the Veterans Memorial Stadium Complex on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. 

MEET INFORMATION:  The meet features two sessions Friday. The Division 1 session begins at 9:30 a.m. with the competition proceeding in the order of events, which can be found on the Track &?Field Tournament page on the WIAA website. The Divisions 2 & 3 session begins at 3:30 p.m. The competition resumes Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The order of the finals for each event Saturday begins with Division 3, followed by Divisions 2 and then Division 1.

2025 TEAM RESULTS-GIRLS:  Arrowhead won the Division 1 girls’ team title for the second consecutive year, compiling 51 points. Neenah finished second with 46 points. Freedom won the gold trophy for the second year in a row in Division 2, scoring 40 points. University School of Milwaukee was runner-up with 37 points. In Division 3, Cochrane-Fountain City secured the team title by accumulating 40 points, one more than runner-up Lourdes Academy with 39 points. Sun Prairie East won the girls’ wheelchair team championship for the second straight season by compiling 36 points, and Madison East was second with 32 points. 

2025 TEAM RESULTS-BOYS:  De Pere won the Division 1 boys' team championship by accumulating 46 points, one more than Homestead with 45 points. In Division 2, Notre Dame scored 44 points to earn the title. Winneconne finished in second place with 42.5 points. Marathon was the team champion in Division 3 with 48.5 points, and Coleman finished second with 38 points. Marquette won the boys’ wheelchair team championship for the third consecutive season, compiling 38 points, and Waupaca was second with 31 points. 

BY THE NUMBERS-GIRLS:  Madison West and Rosholt have won the most girls’ team titles with six. Three of West’s titles came in succession from 1980-82. Arcadia, Marathon, Nekoosa and Waukesha West have won five titles with Edgar, Madison Memorial, Milwaukee Bradley, Milwaukee King, Prairie du Chien and Whitewater each having won four. Twenty-nine girls have won the same event four times during their career. Kennedy Blahnik of Algoma, Cami Davre of Whitefish Bay, Bonnie Draxler of Wrightstown, Joanna Schultz of Holmen and Molly Seidel of University Lake School are the only athletes to accomplish the feat in two different events. Blahnik won the discus and shot put from 2011-14; Davre won the gold in the 800 and 1,600 runs from 2014-17; Draxler won the 400 dash and pole vault from 2011-14; Schultz captured the titles in the 200 and 400 dashes from 2003-06; and Seidel won the 1,600 and 3,200 runs from 2009-12. Davre, Draxler, Jaclynn Kriegl of Florence, and both Elizabeth Pospyhalla and Tess Thurs of Edgar hold the record for the most championships won in a career by an individual with 10. Dana Collins of Milwaukee Marshall, Heather Hyland of Nekoosa and Jenni Westphal of Marinette are next in line with nine. Edgar has won the most events in the history of the meet with 42 titles. Madison Memorial is next on the list with 35.

BY THE NUMBERS-BOYS:  Whitefish Bay has won the most boys team championships with 18, 16 of them coming consecutively from 1937-52. Milwaukee Riverside and Kohler are second with 16 titles each. Only two competitors have ever won the same individual event four times. Dave Greenwood of Park Falls won four titles in the high jump from 1976-79, and Paul Annear of Richland Center repeated the feat in the same event from 2005-08. Three individuals have won four relay titles in the same relay. Kevin Bledsoe of Milwaukee South did it in the 400 relay (1984-87) as did Josh Dickerson of D.C. Everest (1993-96) and Greg Bracey of Milwaukee Vincent (2000-03). Justin Austin of Brown Deer (2005-08) holds the boys record for the most titles won by an individual in a career with nine. Darrell Jansen of Kimberly (1958-60) and Annear have won eight championships. Four others have won seven titles. Only Alvin Kraenzlein of Milwaukee East has won five State titles in one meet (1895), and Andrew Rock of Stratford is the only other athlete to win four State titles in the same year (2000). Joe Schubert of Marquette is the only wheelchair competitor to win the same event four times. He did it in both the 100 and 400 races (2014-17). He leads all wheelchair participants with 10 total championships. Milwaukee South and Whitefish Bay lay claim to having the most event titles throughout the history of the meet with 99. 

DIVISION 1 NOTES - GIRLS:   Arrowhead has the most events with participants competing in the division with 15, including representation in 11 individual events and four relays. Muskego and Nicolet have the second-most entries in the meet with 13. Both programs are represented in 11 individual events and two relays. Ten of 14 individual events and three of the four relays claim at least one former champion returning to contend for another gold medal. Junior Kyenret Rinkam of Brookfield Central and senior Lydia Lazarescu of Holmen are both former champions in the 100-meter dash. Rinkam captured the gold last year after placing fifth in 2024, and Lazarescu sprinted to the title in 2024 and finished runner-up a year ago. Lazarescu has qualified with the swiftest time this season at 11.85, and Rinkam is the third-fastest qualifier at 11.88.  Senior Avery Bott of Arrowhead is the returning champion in the 200 dash with the second-fastest qualifying time in the event of 24.33, which is .01 better than the 24.34 seed time Lazarescu recorded at sectionals. Bott finished runner-up in the 200 in 2024. Lazarescu won the championship in the 200 in 2024 and was runner-up last season. Senior Ella Anschutz of Muskego is a four-time qualifier in the 1,600 run. She won the title in 2023 followed by a runner-up finish in 2024 and placing fifth last year. She has the second-fastest qualifying time this year at 4:56.65. Senior Lauren McCalla ran to the cross country title last fall, and she has the best qualifying time in the 1,600 at 4:45.79 after a runner-up finish last year and placing ninth in 2024. Anschutz is the two-time defending champion in the 3,200 run after placing 12th in 2023. She also is the State cross country runner-up in 2025 after earning the titles in 2023 and 2024. Anschutz will need to shave time off her qualifying time to add a third title, entering with a seed time of 11:26.08, which ranks 17th among qualifiers. The 10:34.73 qualifying time turned in by freshman Karstin McCabe of Whitefish Bay is the fastest among qualifiers in the 3,200. Senior Sydnee Nelson of Oshkosh West is the two-time defending champion in the 100 hurdles, and she is the leading contender to win the championship again this season with the fastest qualifying time of 14.26. Senior Maci Heise of Wausau West returns to defend the title she won in the 300 hurdles with a seed time of 46.96. Rylee Faehling of West Bend West has the fastest qualifying time in the event by more than three seconds after finishing runner-up last season and fourth in 2024. Senior Peyton Keller of Port Washington is the 2025 champion in the high jump. She attempts to win back-to-back titles with the second-best height among qualifiers at 5-5. Senior Elise Schroeder of Arrowhead is the two-time returning champion in the pole vault after a runner-up finish in 2023. Her sectional performance of 13-3 tops the next-best qualifying height by seven inches. After a runner-up performance in 2024, junior Celia Gentile of Neenah won the long jump last year and returns to defend the title with a qualifying mark of 19-2, which ties her with Payton Eicher of Arrowhead for the best sectional performance. Eicher finished fourth a year ago and third in 2024. Gentile is also the returning champion in the triple jump. She possesses the field’s top mark at sectionals with a distance of 39-1. The Mukwonago 400 relay returns to the meet seeking a third straight championship, qualifying with the fourth-fastest qualifying time of 48.44. The Germantown 800 relay squad has qualified with the 17th-fastest qualifying time at 1:44.31 after winning the event in 2025, and the Verona 1,600 relay has the 13th-swiftest seed time at 4:00.48 after earning gold the past two seasons.

DIVISION 1 NOTES - BOYS:   Homestead has entries in the most events with 17, including representation in 14 individual events and three relays. Oak Creek is next with 12 entries, including nine individual events and three relays. Five individual events and three relays have their champions from last year returning this year. Senior Jemekhi Tally of Homestead is the returning champion in the 800 run. He is back attempting to retain the title this season with the fifth-fastest qualifying time in the 800 at 1:53.86. Senior Grady Lenn of De Pere is the returning champion in both the 1,600 and 3,200 runs. He also ran to the State cross country title in the fall. In addition, Lenn ran to a sixth-place finish in the 1,600 and a third in the 3,200 in 2024. After capturing the State cross country crown last fall, he is the fastest qualifier in the 1,600 with a time of 4:13.02. His qualifying time of 9:26.74 in the 3,200 ranks 11th on the qualifier list. Senior Aiden Dykstra of Germantown won the high jump last season following a ninth-place effort in 2024. He returns with the highest qualifying leap at 6-10. Junior Cole Zielinski of Waukesha West returns with the top qualifying performance in the long jump with a leap of 23-10 1/4 after he won the gold medal last season, moving up from a 22nd place in 2024 . The Homestead 400 relay is back to defend its title with a sectional time of 42.40, which ranks 14th among the field. The Oak Creek 1,600 relay has qualified this year with the fourth-fastest seed time of 3:20.63 after earning the title a year ago. The Homestead 3,200 is also in pursuit of a second straight championship. The Highlanders possess the fourth-quickest time in the distance relay at 7:51.93.

DIVISION 2 NOTES - GIRLS:   Bloomer and Kettle Moraine Lutheran have  the division’s most event entries with 13. Both programs have representation in 11 individual events and two relays. Little Chute is the only other team with double-digit events represented with 10, including eight individual events and two relays. Nine individual events and three relays feature a former champion returning to contend for another title this year. Senior Elletta Uddin of Osceola highlights the division. She is attempting to become only the sixth girl to win four championships in two different events. Uddin is a three-time State champion and record holder in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. She will again contend for the titles in both events with the fastest qualifying times of 13.77 in the 100 hurdles and 42.33 in the 300 hurdles. In addition, Uddin is the returning champion in the long jump. She has the top qualifying mark entering the meet at 18-8 1/2. Senior Sydney Falkowski of Kettle Moraine Lutheran seeks a second consecutive crown in the 400 dash with the second-best qualifying time of 55.55 this year. Junior Harper Sheehan of Hayward owns the top seed time at 54.83 after a runner-up finish in 2025. Junior Ciara Hartman of Bloomer won the 1,600 run last season after placing third in 2024, and she finished runner-up last year 3,200 run after winning the title in the 2024. She returns to those events this year with the top qualifying time in the 1,600 at 4:54.73 and the second-best time in the 3,200 at 10:50.67, behind her sister, Aliya, a junior who qualified with an effort of 10:36.40. Junior Hayden Lauer of Kettle Moraine Lutheran is attempting to return championship form in the triple jump. She returns for another attempt at the title after winning the title in 2024 and placing third a year ago.  Her sectional performance ties for 10th best among the qualifying field this year.  Junior Eva Akpandja of Edgewood is the returning champion in the shot put. She is back this year with the top qualifying throw of 44-0 1/2. Senior Daelyn Rieck won the Division 3 championship in the discus last year after a runner-up finish in Division 2 and placing 10th 2023. She qualifies this season in Division 2 with the fourth-furthest throw of 135-6. New Berlin West attempts to win its third straight gold medal in the 800 relay after setting the State record in the event last year. The Vikings return to the event this year with the event’s best seed time of 1:40.66. The Kettle Moraine Lutheran 1,600 relay is the reigning champion seeking a second straight title after setting the State Meet record a year ago. The Chargers possess the ninth-fastest seed time from sectionals at 4:04.71. Bloomer enters the State Meet in pursuit of its third championship in a row in the 3,200 relay. After setting a State Meet record in the event last season, the Blackhawks qualify with a time of 9:19.88, which ranks second among the qualifiers in the field.

DIVISION 2 NOTES - BOYS:  Osceola has the distinction of having the most entries covered in the division with 13, including representation in nine individual events and four relays. Winneconne is next on the list with qualifiers in 11 events, including nine individual events and two relays. Fox Valley Lutheran is the only other program in double figures with 10, including seven individual events and three relays. There are three individual events and three relays that return former champions. Senior Lucas Hansen of Hayward returns to defend the 300 hurdles title he won in record fashion last season after his runner-up finish in 2024. He has the third-fastest qualifying time of 38.83. Senior Cooper Effa of Little Chute possesses the top seed time in the event at 38.62 after finishing third in 2025. Junior Breck Anderson of Edgerton is the defending champion in the high jump. He is tied with the third best qualifying performance at 6-6, one inch lower than the top qualifiers. Senior Gage Mika of Ashland won the pole vault last year after a ninth-place finish in 2024. He will contend for the title again this season with the top qualifying height of 15-0. The Prescott 400 relay qualifies this season after winning the event in record time a year ago. The Cardinals enter the meet with a seed time of 42.78, which ranks fourth among the qualifiers. Winneconne returns to the 800 relay to defend its title with a qualifying time of 3:24.96, which ties for  eighth-swiftest in the field. The McFarland 3,200 relay is seeking a third straight championship with the event’s fourth-fastest qualifying time of 8:06.80.

DIVISION 3 NOTES - GIRLS:  Ladysmith has the most event entries in the division with 10, including eight individual events and two relays. Bonduel is next on the list with competitors in eight events, including participants in  six individual events and two relays. Four individual events, and three relays feature returning champions. Senior Bella Thomas of Assumption attempts to join the prestigious list of four-time event champions. She has sprinted to titles in the 100 dash the last three seasons, and she possesses the second-fastest qualifying time in the event this year at 12.21. Senior Sydney Knaus of Dominican has the top seed time at 11.89 after finishing third in Division 2 last year and eighth in 2024. Thomas is also the two-time defending champion in the 200 dash after finishing runner-up in the event in 2023. She possesses the second-fastest qualifying time at 24.67. Knaus is the fastest qualifier at 24.40 following a fourth-place finish in Division 2 last year. Senior Iszy Sonnegtag from Cadott, the State Meet record-holder in the 400 dash, is also attempting to become a four-time champion. She has won the event the last three seasons, and she is in position to win the event for the fourth consecutive year with the fastest seed time of 55.84. Senior Rylee Berryman of Deerfield was the champion in the long jump in 2024 and finished fourth last year. She qualifies this season with a qualifying mark of 35-9  1/4, which ranks fourth among the field. The Kickapoo/LaFarge 400 and 800 relay teams return to defend the titles won last season, setting a State Meet record in the 400 relay. The co-op’s seed time in the 400 relay of 48.95 ranks first among qualifiers and its 1:44.00 in the 800 relay is positioned second. Kohler will attempt to retain the title it won last season in the 3,200 relay, entering the meet with the top seed time of 9:37.65.

DIVISION 3 NOTES - BOYS:  Marathon has the most events with qualifiers in the division with 11, including representation in eight individual events and three relays. Stratford is second on the list of most entries with 10 including seven individual events and three relays. There are six individual events and two relays that return former champions to the meet this year. Senior Paxton Kuehn of Shiocton returns to the 100 dash after earning gold in the event last year. He is tied for the fourth-swiftest time in the field at 10.95. Senior Alex Wierzba of Rosholt attempts to return to the top of the podium in the 200 after winning the event in 2024 and dropping to second last year. The four-time qualifier in the event also placed eighth in 2023. He claims the fourth-fastest qualifying time at sectionals last week at 22.10. Junior Benjamin Dean of Eastbrook Academy has recorded the fastest qualifying time in both the 100 and 200 dashes this year at 10.85 and 21.93, respectively, after finishing fifth in the 100 and third in the 200 in 2025. Senior Brady Thompson of Glenwood City was the 2025 champion in the 400 after a fifth-place finish in 2024. He enters the race with the second-fastest qualifying time of 48.95. Senior Ashton Clark of Ladysmith is the leading contender for the gold medal in the high jump after capturing the title a year ago and posting the best leap at sectionals with a height of 6-5. Senior Chris Marcell of Marathon seeks to defend the titles he won in the shot put and discus last year, setting the State Meet record in both events. The four-time qualifier in the discus also placed runner-up in 2024 and eighth in 2023. Marcell possesses the top qualifying distances in both events this season at 62-7 3/4 in the shot put and 201-4 in the discus. Cambridge is in contention for a second straight title in the 800 relay, returning to the meet with the fourth-fastest seed time of 1:31.10. The Abundant Life Christian 3,200 relay has qualified in pursuit of retaining the crown it captured last year but will need to improve on its qualifying time of 3:20.09, which positions the Challengers ninth on the event’s performance list of qualifiers.

Bouncing back from their lost to the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at Fox Cities Stadium on Tuesday, the Green Bay Rockers won the second matchup against their I-41 rivals on Wednesday 13-2.

The Rockers scored at least two runs in four of the nine innings played, including four in the seventh inning as they outhit the Dock Spiders 11-6 and and drew six walks. They also played long ball against the Dock Spiders with RJ Furcal clubbing two homers and driving in five runs. Aidan Kuni and Seungmin Shin also homered in the win for the Rockers. Shin and Furcal each recorded three hits, aiding Tyler Straily, who picked up the win with four innings of relief as he allowed no runs on three hits while striking out four.

Josh Adamczewski had a big day at the plate for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in a 10-4 victory over the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Wednesday.  Adamczewski finished a triple shy of the cycle, drove in five runs, stole a base, scored two runs, and even threw out a runner at the plate to contribute to the win.

Adamczewski’s day started in the top of the first with a two-out, two-run double to give the Rattlers (28-22) a 2-0 lead.

Cedar Rapids (26-27) got a run in the bottom of the second on an RBI single by Jay Thomason. The Kernels loaded the bases with one out against Wisconsin starting pitcher Braylon Owens before the hurler escaped with a pair of popouts to end the threat and maintain the lead.
 

Consecutive two-out doubles by Josiah Ragsdale and Marco Dinges plated a run for the Rattlers in the top of the fourth for a 3-1 lead.

Adamczewski got to show off his arm as he saved a run in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Quinn McDaniel reached on a one-out triple.  Thomason hit a flyball to medium left and McDaniel challenged Adamczewski by trying to score.  The throw was on target and in plenty of time.  Blayberg Diaz dropped the tag on McDaniel for the inning-ending double play for Adamczewski’s sixth outfield assist of the season.

The Rattlers added to their lead in the top of the fifth with Adamczewski leading the way.  He singled with one out, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Tayden Hall.

Five runs in the sixth inning pushed Wisconsin’s lead to 9-1.  Braylon Payne, playing in his first game since May 21, singled with the bases loaded to drive in two runs.  Adamczewski followed with a three-run home run, his eighth homer of the year.
 

Owens found his footing after the bottom of the second.  He would pitch five innings, allow one run, and put himself in line for his second win of the season.

The Kernels wouldn’t go quietly.  In their half of the sixth, Yasser Mercedes hit a three-run home run with one out against Tanner Perry, who replaced Owens to start the inning.

Perry recovered and struck out the next two batters to end the rally.  He would pitch a perfect seventh and – thanks to a double play – work around three hits for a scoreless eighth.

Daniel Dickinson got the Wisconsin offense to double digits in runs with a two-out, RBI double in the top of the eighth.

José Nova, who had been reinstated from Wisconsin’s development list earlier in the day, closed out the game with a scoreless, hitless ninth inning.  Nova walked three and struck out three in the frame.

Ragsdale went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and two runs scored to extend his current hitting streak to a season-high seven games (11-for-29).   Ragsdale also racked up his team-leading fourteenth multi-hit game of the season with his Wednesday afternoon performance.

Payne celebrated his return to the lineup with two walks and two runs scored to go along with that two-run single.

The Timber Rattlers have won three in a row and are now 18-7 in road games this season.
 

Game three of the series is Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.  Josh Knoth (0-0, 1.80) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Michael Ross (4-2, 5.27) is set to start for the Kernels.  Game time is 6:35pm. 

The first game of the season between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Cedar Rapids Kernels featured big comebacks by both teams, wild swings of emotion, and crazy moments.  The Timber Rattlers earned the 14-11 victory Tuesday at Veterans Memorial Field with a huge two-out rally in the top of the seventh, an important two-run homer in the eighth for insurance, and lockdown pitching from the bullpen over the final four innings.

Wisconsin (27-22) jumped out to an early lead.  Luis Peña reached with one out on an infield single.  Andrew Fischer followed with a home run to left for the 2-0 advantage.

Fischer has hit sixteen homers in 45 games this season.  He is tied with Thomas Dillard for the most homers in a single season by a Rattler since the franchise moved up to the High-A classification for the 2021 season.  Dillard hit his sixteen homers in 78 games during the inaugural season at High-A in 2021.

Josiah Ragsdale doubled the Wisconsin lead with a two-out, two-run double in the top of the second.

The bottom of second was trouble for the Timber Rattlers.  Peña became ill at his shortstop position with a runner at second and no outs and left the game.

The Kernels (26-26) would score a run on a double steal with Yasser Mercedes stealing home after a throw to second on a steal attempt by Quinn McDaniel.  Rattlers starting pitcher J.D. Thompson walked Jay Thomason with one out, got a strikeout for the second out, and went to 3-2 to Marek Houston before leaving the game with an injury.

Garrett Hodges entered the game from the Wisconsin bullpen and threw ball four to Houston before striking out Eduardo Tait for the final out to leave the bases loaded.

Daniel Dickinson made it 6-1 in favor of the Timber Rattlers with another two-out, two-run double in the top of the third.

Cedar Rapids narrowed the gap with an RBI single by Khadim Diaw in the third.

The fourth was a tightrope walk for Hodges as the first five Kernels reached on two walks and a single, an error by Dickinson, and a single by Brandon Winokur scoring two runs.  Hodges left the bases loaded with a popout to shallow right and back-to-back strikeouts.

The Rattlers added three runs in the top of the fifth for what appeared to be a very comfortable lead of 9-4.  A throwing error on a potential inning-ending double play let Marco Dinges score from second.  Luis Castillo followed with a towering home run to right, his sixth home run of the season.

Travis Smith took over in the bottom of the fifth and worked a scoreless inning.  The sixth was very different.  The first seven Kernels reached base against him and all seven scored to grab an 11-9 advantage.

The inning started with consecutive walks.  Diaw doubled in one run.  An error by Luiyin Alastre, Peña’s replacement at short, allowed the second run to score.  McDaniel singled to load the bases.  Another error on Alastre let in one more run.  Then, Thomason pounced on a first pitch from Smith and launched a grand slam to put the Kernels in front for the first time in the game.

Wisconsin responded in their next turn at bat.  Castillo was at first with two outs when Ragsdale, who was on base five times in the game, drew a walk to bring Alastre to the plate.  Alastre got immediate redemption with a double to left to score Castillo.  Fischer was next and he hit a line drive single to right to score both Ragsdale and Alastre for an 12-11 lead.

Tensions boiled over in the top of the eighth.  Josh Adamczewski was at the plate with Dinges at first base and was ruled to have gone around on a check swing by base umpire Dylan Reeves for strike three for the first out of the inning.  Adamczewski stood at the plate in disbelief for a moment and walked lowly back to the Wisconsin dugout.  Plate umpire Dakota Kilgore ejected Adamczewski and also manager Nick Stanley, who charged down from third to protect Adamczewski.
 

The dust settled eventually before Bitonti stirred up the Wisconsin dugout three pitches later by hitting a long two-run homer to left-center on an 0-2 pitch for a 14-11 lead.

Yerlin Rodriguez, who had taken over for Smith in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings yielded the mound to Ayendy Bravo for the eighth.  Bravo pitched a perfect inning, the first of the night by a pitcher on either team.  He went back out in the ninth and – despite two walks – nailed down his first Midwest League save.

Fischer (2-for-5) and Ragsdale (3-for-4) each collected their team-leading thirteenth multi-hit game of the season.  Bitonti stayed hot as he was 2-for-3 for his fourth multi-hit game during a five-game hitting streak during which he is 10-for-19 with eight runs scored.

Tuesday also marked the second game in a row for Fischer and Castillo to hit home runs for the Rattlers.

Game two of the series is Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Stadium.  Braylon Owens (1-0, 4.24) is the scheduled starting pitcher for the Timber Rattlers.  Cedar Rapids has named Dasan Hill (1-4, 6.26) as their starter.  Game time is 12:05pm.

A fast start and dominant relief pitching powered Kolberg (3-0) past West Jacksonport (1-2) 10-5 on Sunday in Door County Baseball League week 4 action. The game was broadcast live on 105.1 The GOAT and the NEW Radio Sports Network.

Kolberg seized control early, capitalizing on patience at the plate in the first inning. Nick LeCaptian and Tyler Neinas each drew bases-loaded walks to force in runs, and Devin Schinktgen followed with a two-run single to give the Braves a 4-0 lead before West Jacksonport recorded an out.

The Ports answered immediately. Woody Schartner electrified the home crowd with a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the first, cutting the deficit in half while his son Frankie was on the mic.

Kolberg added to its lead in the second on Trevor Reinhardt’s solo home run to center, but West Jacksonport continued to battle back. Jake Lebotte’s sacrifice fly in the third helped the Ports pull even at 5-5, erasing the early deficit.

The game remained tied until the sixth, when Kolberg broke through. Neinas delivered a two-run triple to give the Braves the lead, and pinch hitter Sam Koss followed with an RBI single to extend the advantage to 8-5.

From there, Reinhardt took over on the mound. The Kolberg reliever shut down the Ports over six innings, allowing just one hit while striking out 12. Despite issuing six walks, Reinhardt kept West Jacksonport off the scoreboard to secure the victory.

West Jacksonport totaled nine hits, with Schartner and Frankie DeYoung each collecting two. Schartner and Lebotte both drove in two runs, while the Ports also showed discipline with six walks.

Kolberg finished with 10 hits and 11 walks. Neinas led the Braves with four RBIs, while LeCaptian, Schinktgen and Jack Peterson each had two hits. Austin Rohe reached base four times via walk.

West Jacksonport will travel to face the undefeated Bays (3-0) in its next matchup Sunday in Sister Bay, live on 105.1 The GOAT with Gary Barta and Adam Collins calling the game.

In other Door County Baseball League action Sunday, Washington Island (3-0) defeated Baileys Harbor (0-3) 15-5 behind a 10-run sixth inning. The Bays outlasted Maplewood (0-3) 6-1 in extra innings, and Egg Harbor (2-1) rallied late to edge the Institute Cubs (0-3) 5-4.

The Sister Bay Bays needed five runs in the top of the 11th inning to get the 6-1 road win against Maplewood on Sund

The game was tied entering extra innings with the Bays getting their tally in the first inning and the Mets tying it in the seventh inning. After a scoreless tenth, the Bays sent nine to the plate in the 11th with Matt Hecht's two-run double providing the exclamation point. Spencer Krause retired the Mets in order in the bottom of the inning to make it a Bay Day for Sister Bay.

For the Bays, Krause and Hecht each had two hits with the latter driving in two runs. Tom Sawyer, Sam Forkert, and Sawyer Johnson also recorded RBI. Krause earned the win in relief for Forkert, allowing no runs on two hits over the final three innings.

For the Mets, Jaden Diller, Kordell Draves, Will Jandrin, and Jeremiah Jahnke provided the offense with hits. 

The Egg Harbor Indians scored at least one run from the fifth inning on to beat the Institute Cubs 6-4 at home on Sunday.

After the two teams traded runs early, the Indians scored twice in the fifth inning, taking advantage of an error and a wild pitch. After tacking on a run in the sixth inning on a Brady Kita solo shot to make it 4-1, the Cubs tied the game in the seventh with three runs with Caleb Hoffman's single, an error, and Quinn Schram sacrifice fly driving in the runners. Kita broke the tie in the seventh  with a single before Drew Price drove an insurance run in the eighth on a double.

For the Indians, Kita led the way with a 3-4 afternoon with two RBI. His brother Nick went 2-3 and an RBI while three others recorded one hit. Kita also got the win on the mound, allowing three runs (2 ER) on three hits across three innings of relief with two strike outs.

For the Cubs, Jared Pflieger went 2-5 to pace the team offensively as Will Hartman took the loss, allowing five runs (3 ER) on six hits across 6.1 innings with four strikeouts.

A tie ballgame turned into a blowout on the island as the Washington Island scored 10 runs in the sixth inning to beat Baileys Harbor 15-5.

The Islanders recorded five extra-base hits in the frame with Bennett Isaacson-Krueger, Ben Johnson, and Alex Johnson doing the damage. The A's were able to stave off an early ending wih a run in the seventh inning on an Isaac Baudhuin single, but a bases loaded hit by pitch ended the game in the eighth inning.

For the Islanders, Ben Johnson led the way with a 3-4 day that included three RBI while Ben Geiger and Alex Johnson each had two hits. Four different Islanders had at least two RBI. Issacson earned the win on the mound, allowing one run (1 ER) on one hit across 2.1 innings of work.

For the A's, Caleb Plzak paced the team with a 2-4 day with an RBI. Baudhuin had two RBI as he went 1-4, but took the loss on the mound as he gave up eight runs (6 ER) on four hits across one inning.

After playing the Chicago Kics to 1-1 draw on Friday, the Green Bay Glory women could not muster the offense against their Wisconsin rivals Bavarians United on Sunday, falling 4-0.

It was a part of a doubleheader sweep at the hands of Bavarians United, with the Glory men falling to their counterparts 3-1. 

The Green Bay Rockers still can't figure out a way to beat the Wausau Woodchucks this season, falling to their divisional rivals on Sunday 11-10.

Trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning, the Rockers pushed across four runs thanks in part to a Zach Novakowski double. The Woodchucks tied the game in the ninth inning before both teams went on a tear in extra innings. The two teams each scored three runs in the 10th inning, but a Dawson Harman double proved to be the difference for the Woodchucks as it pushed across the eventual winning run. The Rockers plated two runs in their half of the 11th inning thanks to a two-run double by Caden Mitchell, but Novakowski popped out to end the threat.

Novakowski led the Rockers with a 2-5 afternoon with two doubles and three RBI. 

Ricky Howell took the loss for the Rockers, allowing six runs (4 ER) on five hits across 1.1 innings while striking out two. 

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers had been 0-2 with two ugly losses in Sunday home games going into today’s contest against the Peoria Chiefs at Neuroscience Group Field.  This Sunday was much different with a 5-3 win over the Chiefs behind solid pitching from a trio of pitchers and homers from Luis Castillo and Andrew Fischer.

Cameron Nickens gave the Chiefs (24-27) a 2-0 lead in the top of the second with a two-run double.

Castillo brought Wisconsin (26-22) back to even with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second.

Peoria scored a run in the top of the fifth inning and were looking for a lot more before Rattlers starting pitcher Wande Torres shut them down.  Tre Richardson III started the inning with an infield single with two errors on the play allowing him to take third base.  Jesús Báez doubled to drive in Richardson for a 3-2 lead.  Torres walked the next batter before he got a 6-4-3 double play and a grounder to short to end the inning.

The Chiefs nearly added to their lead against reliever Quinton Low in the top of the sixth after a single and a walk with one out and a hit batsman with two outs loaded the bases.  Low struck out Jesús Báez, Low’s third strikeout of the inning, to end the rally and hold the deficit at a single run.

Wisconsin rallied in the bottom of the sixth.  Two walks and a single loaded the bases with no outs against Peoria reliever Ruben Menes.  Daniel Dickinson drew a four-pitch walk to force in the tying run.  Menes got a strikeout for the first out.  Then, Juan Baez beat out a potential inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to allow the go-ahead run to score from third.

Fischer gave the Rattlers an insurance run with a solo homer, his fifteenth home run of the season, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Chandler Welch closed out the game with three scoreless innings for his first professional save, but not without incident.  Welch retired the Chiefs in order in the seventh but gave up a single and a walk to the first two batters in the eighth.  Welch got a flyout to left and two strikeouts to finish that inning.

In the top of the ninth, Jesús Báez walked as the lead-off batter.  Báez tried to steal second with Jack Gurevitch at the plate but was thrown out by catcher Daniel Garcia for the first out of the ninth.  Welch got Gurevitch on a grounder to first only to see Jalin Flores single to extend the game and bring the tying run to the plate for the second time in the inning.  Josh Kross sent a sinking line drive to leftfield that Josh Adamczewski caught to end the game.

Wisconsin pitchers kept the Chiefs in the ballpark on Sunday to snap Peoria’s home run streak at sixteen games.  Torres, Low, and Welch also held the Chiefs to 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position.

The Timber Rattlers are off on Monday.  They return to action on Tuesday with game one of a six-game series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Iowa.  J.D. Thompson (0-1, 5.40) is the announced starting pitcher for Wisconsin.  Game time is 6:35pm.