(Post game sound available here.)
Written By: Cody Shook, Larks Broadcaster
BISMARCK, ND– Larks scored six runs at home on Sunday afternoon to beat the Rochester Honkers by a score of 6-2. Carlos Lopez started on the mound for Bismarck and got the Larks their ninth win of the year to improve to 9-4 and take sole possession of first place in the Northwoods League standings.
The Larks got things started early when Christian Montes started the bottom of the first inning off with a walk and was followed up by a Ripken Reyes walk to make it first and second with nobody out. Two batters later, Dylan Rock the singled into right field and drove in Montes to make it a 1-0 ballgame. Brandon Barna then singled up the middle to bring home Reyes to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
“Carlos Lopez gave us everything we needed to get this victory at home,” said Larks Head Coach, Sean Repay. Lopez came up to us in the fourth inning and told us he didn’t have his best stuff on the mound, but he was going to give us his all.”
The Honkers scored their first of two runs in the top of the second inning when a leadoff double got things started and he later scored on a single up the middle. They would score again in the top of the third inning, when a leadoff single up the middle would drive in the Honkers leadoff batter for their second run of the game.
The Larks would score in the first four innings of the ballgame and that’s all they needed to take game one of this two game series against the Honkers. Jacob Nesbit scored two runs and got on base four times and Matt Warkentin got on base twice and drove in two runs to help the Larks. Repay said “Eau Claire was a difficult place to play, but coming back home helped us get back on track at the plate and score more runs to make it easier on our pitchers.”
Tristen Hudson closed the door in seventh, eighth and ninth innings to secure the victory for the Bismarck Larks. He struck out four batters and didn’t allow a runner to get on base.
As the Larks take over sole possession of first place through the first 13 games of the season, manager Repay said to his team “Remember to stay humble, this is a very long season and things aren’t even close to being over.”
The Larks will be back in action tomorrow night against the Rochester Honkers to finish this two game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark.
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The Bismarck Larks are a proud affiliate of the Northwoods League, the proven leader in development of elite college baseball players. The Larks mission is to use FUN to make a difference in the lives of our families, businesses, players, and communities we serve. This is accomplished with a commitment to putting fans first and providing high quality family entertainment at affordable prices. In 2017, the Larks sold out 27 of their 36 home games in Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, home of Dakota Community Bank and Trust Field, and were named the Northwoods League’s Organization of the Year.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 190 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
