Eau Claire 2, Madison 1
The Eau Claire Express continued their winning ways tonight at Carson Park in a 2-1 victory over the Madison Mallards. The win is Eau Claire’s fifth in a row and third at home, bringing the team’s record to 5-1 on the season. The Express take sole possession of first place in the South Division and Madison falls to the middle of the pack and drops to 3-3 after starting the season 2-0. Runs came at a premium tonight and the Mallards scored first after starting Express pitcher Steven Florez (New Mexico) struggled with his command early on. Florez gave up two quick walks in the first and Madison short-stop Justin Scanlon (Madison College) scored on a fielding error.
La Crosse 4, Wisconsin 2
The Wisconsin Woodchucks fell to the La Crosse Loggers 4-2 in another slow night for the ‘Chucks bats. The ‘Chucks offense could only muster five hits. Travis Whitmore (Pittsburgh) was the offensive leader, going 2- for -3 with two doubles, a run scored, and a run batted in. The offense had their chances, as they had the bases loaded in the top of the first, a runner thrown out at home in the fifth, and had the tying run on first in the bottom of the ninth. Troy Marks (Fresno City) fared well in his second start in front of a Woodchucks crowd of 943. Marks pitched 5.1 innings, allowing two runs, five hits, and striking out six.
Green Bay 12, Waterloo 3
The Green Bay Bullfrogs came into Riverfront Stadium and shocked the Waterloo Bucks with a high-powered offensive show. Bucks starter Corey Witkowski (Barry) had his hands full with Green Bay’s offense, allowing five runs off of eight hits in four innings. The Bucks also looked to their bullpen for answers. Relief pitcher Matt Grabowski (Princeton) allowed four runs in 3.0 innings, and utility pitcher Phil Keppler (Iowa) allowed three runs in two innings, both failing to hinder the Green Bay offense. Bullfrogs’ starting pitcher Riley Tincher (Wisconsin Whitewater) was credited with the win. Offensively, the Bucks managed to record ten hits but were unable to convert those base runners into runs. Green Bay Bullfrog Scott Schebler (Wichita State) hit a three-run homerun while going 2-for-5 with two runs scored.
St. Cloud 10, Duluth 9
The River Bats and Huskies combined for 24 hits and 19 runs in front of 499 fans. The Huskies were up 4-0 after the third, but couldn’t respond to the 10 runs of offense from the River Bats in the 4th thru 8th. Josh Smith (Wichita State) there 3.1 innings and got the win. The Stingers were led by catcher Adam Weisenburger (Miami Ohio) who was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Wisconsin Rapids 7, Battle Creek 3
The Rafter’s offense burst out for their largest run total to date in a 7-3 win Wednesday over Battle Creek. Down 1-0 early Wisconsin Rapids tallied three runs in the second and never looked back. Zach Harazin (Wisconsin La Crosse) notched a 2-for-4 night with two RBI in just his second start. Mitch Running (Wisconsin La Crosse) held the Bombers to just two runs through 5.0 innings in his first start of the season. Running struggled through the first, allowed a run and tossed 27 pitches. Tommy Organ (North Florida) nailed down the final seven outs and struck out the side to end the game.
Mankato 5, Thunder Bay 3
The Mankato MoonDogs started the series against the Thunder Bay Border Cats with a 5-3 win. In front of 1,022 fans, the MoonDogs showed some offensive spark and solid pitching to beat the Border Cats. Jordan Steranka (Penn State) started the action in the first with a two out single and advanced to second on an error. The MoonDogs’ cleanup hitter Robbie Robinson (Valparaiso) drove him in with a single to left field but was thrown out at second for the last out of the inning. The MoonDogs never looked back as Blake Schwartz (Minnesota State Mankato) had a solid outing, going six innings giving up one run and striking out five Cats.
Brainerd 3, Rochester 2
After surrendering a single to Bryan Lippincott (Concordia St. Paul) in the third inning, Nick Anderson (St.Cloud) retired the final 17 batters he faced, leading the Lunkers to a 3-2 victory, ending their four game losing streak. With the Lunkers up 1-0, Lippincott’s single loaded the bases with nobody out, but Anderson got out of the inning allowing only one run to cross after getting Drew Beurelein (UNLV) to ground into a double play, the first of the streak of 17 in a row put down by Anderson. Anderson, who struck out seven on four hits, allowing only one run, bested Sean Martin (San Jose State), who picked up the loss after five innings. The combination of Martin and reliever Ian Kadish (Marshall) retired the final 13 Lunkers they faced, but not before T.J. Berge’s (Northern Colorado) first homer of the season gave the Lunkers a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
Willmar 7, Alexandria 6
In stunning, walk-off fashion, the Stingers climbed over the .500 mark for the first time ever with a 12-inning, 7-6 win over the Alexandria Beetles. It took four-plus hours, but with runners on the corners and one away in the 12th, Joe Sever (Pepperdine) delivered an opposite field single to drive home Zach Rowles (Minnesota State Mankato) for the winning run. Sever may have come away the hero, but the offensive star of the night had to be Isaac Ballou (Marshall). The Stingers leadoff man went 2-for-6 with three RBI coming on a pair of clutch hits. Roy Metter (Nebraska Kearney) lasted just 3.2 innings, giving up a run on six hits, giving way to Wally Marciel (Kansas) in the fourth. After Marciel allowed four in the top of the sixth, Jayson Huett (Northwest Missouri State) took over for two and a third. But it was a spotless two and two thirds from Daniel Zapata (Dixie State) that gave the Stingers a chance to win. Zapata was near perfect in his third outing of the year, striking out half the batters he faced. Logan Birr (St. Cloud) got credit for the win after throwing a scoreless top of the 12th.
