Woodchucks Walk off Dock Spiders to Win Four-Hour Marathon
Northwoods Wausau Woodchucks

Woodchucks Walk off Dock Spiders to Win Four-Hour Marathon

Published on July 30, 2026 under Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Wausau Woodchucks News Release


WAUSAU, WI- After the Woodchucks lost an insane game by the score of 18-17 Monday night on the road against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, the game paid them back on Wednesday, as Wausau prevailed in a 33-run thriller at Athletic Park, 17-16, over the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.

In the bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded, Peyton Firgens (McClennan CC/Mississippi State) took a bases-loaded walk, bringing home the game-winning run for Wausau's fourth walk-off win of the summer. He was joined by a slew of phenomenal offensive performances, most notably Max Soliz Jr. (Kansas), who went 4-6 with two RBIs, and two runs scored. Jackson Petsche (Southeastern CC/LSU-New Orleans) finished 3-5 with three RBIs, and Bryce Hubbard (Oregon State) reached five times and had two RBIs in a 2-4 night at the plate.

On the mound, Pete Jezerinac (Kennesaw State) earned his first win of the summer thanks to two scoreless innings of work in relief, and two strikeouts. Logan Lenz (UW-Whitewater) made his season debut, and the freshman recorded one inning of work, where, despite allowing four hits, he didn't allow an earned run.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Offense ruled the game from the start. Fond du Lac took the lead with a run in the first, but Wausau answered with an RBI single from Bradon Durfee (Pasco-Hernando State/Kansas) to tie the game at 1-1. Then, Fond du Lac scored five runs in the top of the second to make it 6-1, but Wausau got two key runs back in the bottom half off of an RBI single from Keagen Jirschele (South Dakota State) and a bases-loaded walk from Jackson Petsche.

The teams traded runs in the third, with Wausau scoring a run on a Holden Groebl (Cowley CC/Kansas) sacrifice fly RBI. With the score at 7-4 at that point, Fond du Lac then scored four runs in the fourth and another one in the fifth to stretch their lead out to seven runs, which would be its largest of the game.

Then, in a game where big innings were common, Wausau had a mega 10-run inning in the bottom of the fifth that changed the game and gave the Woodchucks the lead. The first six hitters reached in the inning, and Wausau edged closer after Max Soliz Jr, Peyton Firgens, and Keagen Jirschele each picked up RBIs. However, later in the frame, six consecutive Woodchucks batters got a hit: Jackson Petsche (RBI single), Lane Walton (RBI single), Joey McLaughlin (game-tying two-RBI single), Bryce Hubbard (go-ahead two-RBI single), Max Soliz Jr. (single), and Holden Groebl (RBI triple). Once the offensive onslaught was over, it gave Wausau a 14-11 lead, and the momentum they needed in order to finish the game.

Both teams traded a run in the seventh, with the Woodchucks getting their run in the frame on a Max Soliz Jr. RBI infield hit. However, Fond du Lac threw one last big punch in the eighth, scoring four runs to take a stunning 16-15 lead. The Woodchucks, however, stayed the course, tying the game in the eighth after a Dock Spider error, and taking four walks to win the game in the ninth, without picking up a hit.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

The Woodchucks scored more than 15 runs for the second time in the last three games.

The game had 38 total hits, and the Woodchucks took 11 walks in the victory.

Wausau has now played two games this week where there have been more than 30 combined runs scored, and the game was decided by one run.

Max Soliz Jr. registered his first four-hit game since July 27, 2025 at Lakeshore.

Despite the Woodchucks scoring 17 runs, none of them came on home runs in the win.

The Woodchucks scored 10 runs in an inning for the second time this season, with tonight's frame joining the bottom of the eighth inning back on June 6, where Wausau scored 13 runs in a record-setting 29-2 win over Wisconsin Rapids.

The Woodchucks finished the 2026 season with a 9-3 record against Fond du Lac, with three walk-off wins against the Dock Spiders in the process.

WHAT'S NEXT

Wausau improves to 38-19 on the summer, and now have a 24-6 home record. They also have a 17-10 record in the second half, and stay three games back of the Lakeshore Chinooks, who won their seventh straight tonight to maintain their cushion atop the second half Great Lakes West standings. The Woodchucks will have a chance to close the gap in the standings on Saturday and Sunday in a two-game series with the Chinooks.

Wausau turns its attention next to its final two-game set of the summer against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, as they will host the Great Lakes West foe at Athletic Park tomorrow, Thursday, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. There will be a Thorogood Woody Bobblehead Giveaway at the ballpark, as the first 500 fans through the gate will receive a Woody Bobblehead, courtesy of Thorogood. The Wausau West Band also has a fundraiser, and it's Thirsty Thursday, where fans can enjoy the $4 Domestic 16 oz Draft Beer special for one final time in the 2026 regular season! Fans can purchase tickets to the final six home games of the 2026 Woodchucks season online at woodchucks.com.

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Northwoods League Stories from July 30, 2026


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