WILLMAR, Minn.—After a cool start to the season offensively, the Stingers bats have caught fire recently and continued to stay molten in a four-game series against Eau Claire. Despite dropping the first game Sunday at Bill Taunton Stadium, the Stingers responded with two home runs in game two, including a grand slam from Casey Hughston, topping the Express 7-3.

Eau Claire scored first in the game, but as had been the case in the previous two games in the series, the team that scored first ended up losing. Tyler Cohen, who was starting in his first game for the Stingers, came back from the first inning and set down the next eight batters in a row to prevent the Express (28-25 overall, 12-8 second half) from adding to their lead.

In the time that Cohen was rolling through the Express hitters on the mound, the Stingers (36-17, 14-9) struck back for a run to tie the game and then took the lead for good. In the bottom of the first inning, Dan Motl led off with a walk, took second on a passed ball and then came into score on Reagan Fowler's single. But the big inning for the Stingers was the bottom of the third where they tallied five runs, which included the grand slam by Hughston. Max Dutto began the third inning with a double into the right field alley, and then three straight walks by Eau Claire starter Travis Neubeck brought a run into score to give the Stingers the 2-1 lead and the lead for good. With the bases full for Hughston, he sent a 1-1 pitch from Neubeck over the centerfield wall, making it a 6-1 advantage.

Eau Claire responded with two runs in the top of the fifth, but that was all the more it would get, as Matt Geislinger shut down the Express' bats in the final two innings to secure the win. Cohen earned his first win on the mound while Neubeck suffered his first loss.

The 2014 season is presented by Charter. For more coverage of the Stingers visit www.wctrib.com.

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Casey Hughston. 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.