WILLMAR, Minn. — The Stingers nearly pulled off one of their largest come-from-behind efforts of the season against La Crosse on Thursday night, but a big rally fell short in an 11-7 loss to the Loggers at Bill Taunton Stadium. 

Willmar trailed 7-0 to the Loggers after the top of the third inning, but Willmar (26-23, 8-5 second half) stormed all the way back to get within a run at 8-7 after the seventh inning. 

But La Crosse scored three times in the top of the ninth inning to open the lead back up to four, the final margin of victory in the game for the Loggers (23-25, 6-6). 

Willmar had plenty of opportunities in the game and finished with one of its highest hit totals of the summer, pounding out 16 hits against five different Loggers pitchers.

Three different players had three-hit nights for Willmar, including Justin Toerner who went 3-for-4 and reached base safely in the final five plate appearances of his night. Toerner (Cal State Northridge) also came through in the clutch for the Stingers with four RBIs in the game. 

Trailing by seven going to the bottom half of the third, Toerner came through in the clutch to get the Stingers right back in the game. Toerner singled home a pair in the third and then did the same thing again in the fourth to bring Willmar within three runs. Eddie Estrada (Minnesota) followed Toerner in the fourth with the first of his two RBIs, singling home Greg Lambert (Southern Illinois) to make it a 7-5 game. 

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning, as the Stingers answered a single Loggers run with two of their own to climb within one run. With one out, Danny Pardo got hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a wild pitch with Justin Toerner at the plate. Pardo reached base five times and scored three runs. 

Estrada singled in Lambert later in the seventh to bring the game to 8-7. Lambert also had a three-hit night and scored three runs. 

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Justin Toerner. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.

The Stingers return home on Friday night for the second game of the four-game homestand, taking on the Loggers at 7:05 p.m. for Pillowcase Giveaway Night presented by Sleep Center of Willmar. The first 250 fans through the gates will receive a Stingers pillowcase. 

The 2016 Stingers season is presented by Marcus Construction. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.