LA CROSSE, WI – The four-game winning streak that the La Crosse Loggers were on came to an abrupt halt tonight. The Loggers were haunted by poor pitching and errors, which allowed the Bismarck Larks to come out on top. This 8-11 loss drops the Loggers to 27-34 on the season and 13-14 on the second half alone. With playoffs quickly approaching, the Loggers are 4.5 games out of the lead in the North Division for the second half of the season. There are just 10 games left to pull off an amazing run to make the post-season.
The Loggers' pitching staff struggled tonight, as every single batter in the Larks' lineup walked at least once. This resulted in 12 total free bases handed out by the Loggers. Starting on the mound tonight was LHP Ryan Anderson (Nevada). Anderson lasted 3.2 innings allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Relief appearances were made by RHP Andrew Owen (Villanova), LHP Jason Seever (Arizona), and RHP Charlie Fletcher (William & Mary), but the Larks' offense did enough damage mid-game that the Loggers could not recover. RHP Joe Spradlin collected the win and RHP Chirs Roycroft secured the win with the save.
The Loggers' offense produced, but unfortunately, it would not be enough. Eight runs on eight hits were put together by David Villar (South Florida) going 2-for-3 with two doubles, Jake Hirabayashi (UCLA) and Korey Lee (California) going 1-for-3 with one RBI each, Jeremy Ydens (UCLA) going 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and Ryan Mantle (Creighton) having a 2-for-4 night with a double and a two-run homerun.
The La Crosse Loggers will now have an off day tomorrow and get right back at a playoff run on Thursday, August 3 at 7:05 PM. It is Jimmy Buffett Night presented by LANDSHARK! Wear your Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts and enjoy cheeseburgers in paradise! Gates open at 6:00 PM and "Happy Hour" with HOWIE'S ON LA CROSSE kicks things off. See you at The Lumberyard!
