(Photo Courtesy: Lyle Ripplinger)
Written By: Cody Shook, Larks Broadcaster
THUNDER BAY, ON– The Bismarck Larks scored four runs in the top of the 9th inning to beat the Thunder Bay Border Cats 6-4 and get their first win of the second half. The Larks are now 26-17 on the season with 29 left in the regular season. Interim Field Manager, Dj Engle said “Tonight’s win was huge, the guys got that energy back that we saw in the first half.”
Joey Filosa started on the mound for the Larks and pitched 6.2 innings, allowing three runs with all of them coming in the bottom of the 3rd inning. He struck out four batters and walked two. After the third inning, Filosa settled in on the mound and was able to avoid any more big innings.
Jacob Nesbit continued his hot hitting at the plate in tonight’s game recording three hits and two runs. He scored the first run of the game for the Larks in the top of the 6th inning after he hit a leadoff single and came around when Braden Williams hit a slow chopper to first base. The Larks trailed 3-1 after six innings. Engle said “We grinded out at bats all night and that was something we haven’t seen in a few games.”
Matt Warkentin joined the action in the top of the 7th inning, when he hit an opposite field home run to make it a 3-2 score.
Matt Butler came on in the bottom of the 7th inning to get one out and keep it a 3-2 ballgame. Matthew Ponsiglione record two outs in the eighth inning and gave up one run, which gave the Border Cats a 4-2 lead. Chris Roycroft then came on to get the final out of the 8th inning. When asked about the pitching staff, Engle said “The pitching was there for us all night and that kept us in the game.”
In the top of the 9th inning, the bats came alive with the bottom of the order leading things off with back to back singles off the bats of Carson Bartels and Warkentin. With two outs, Ripken Reyes hit a single to load the bases. Chase Coker would then pinch hit for Warkentin as the tying run at second base. Nesbit tied the game on a two run double that made it a 4-4 game with two outs in the top of the 9th inning. Tristen Carranza then followed that up with a double of his own, which drove in Reyes and Nesbit giving the Larks a 6-4 lead.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, Roycroft finished the job on the mound and secured the victory for Bismarck. “There were a lot of positives in the game tonight and we have something to build on moving forward in the second half” said Engle.
When asked about what this win would do for the Larks moving forward, Engle said “Anything is possible with this team and if the energy is there, then we are capable of doing incredible things.”
The Larks won 6-4 and are now 26-17 on the season and 1-6 in the second half. The Larks will be back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Thunder Bay Border Cats in game two of this four game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Catch all the action on http://mixlr.com/larksbaseball/.
###
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.
