In a game that featured an hour long rain delay, the bullpen could not preserve a late-inning lead.
EAU CLAIRE, WI – On July 21st, the Bismarck Larks captured a shutout victory of the Rochester Honkers recording their fourth win in a row and moving to 8-6 in the second half.
That was then, and this is now.
On August 9th, the Bismarck Larks were defeated 8-3 by the Eau Claire Express losing their fourth in a row falling to 12-20 in the second half.
Pitching was the early storyline in the ballgame. For the Express, it was Drew Gillespie. On the other side, it was JC Bonilla.
Both starters gave up a run in the first inning. Jeff Mayes scored on a wild pitch for the Larks. Garrett Wolforth came around on an RBI single from Daytona Bryden for the Express. Just like that, it was 1-1 after the first inning.
However, both starters would settle in quite nicely.
Nicely might be an understatement for Gilespie as he retired 15 of the last 17 batters that he faced. During that span, Gillespie struck out six Larks hitters.
Gillespie came out after the sixth inning allowing one earned run on three total hits while walking just one batter.
Bonilla wasn't as dominant, but ultimately got the same results. He allowed two baserunners in three out of the four innings following the first inning, but came out of each inning unscathed.
Most importantly was his last inning of work in the bottom of the fifth inning when Bonilla bounced back from back-to-back walks with back-to-back pop outs on the infield.
In his last start of the season, Bonilla went five innings allowing one earned run on six hits, three walks, and three strikeouts. Bonilla now has a team-best 2.46 ERA.
In the top of the seventh, the Larks would be the first to take advantage of a different arm in the ballgame. Spencer Gillund worked a one-out walk and advanced to second on an errant pick-off attempt at first. Quinn Irey would follow by putting the birds on top with an RBI single right back up the middle.
It was 2-1 and the Larks had their first lead since the top of the first inning.
The Express would take advantage of a new arm in the game as well. Unfortunately for the Larks, the Express would take advantage in a much bigger way.
Six Express runs would touch home plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, all off of Larks reliever Logan Johnson. The inning was highlighted by a bases-clearing double from Devon Garcia.
After taking the lead the previous half inning, the Larks found themselves down 7-2 heading into the eighth inning.
A rain delay lasting over an hour delayed the inevitable. With the momentum full grasped by the Express, a fourth straight loss for the Larks seemed nearly unavoidable.
Luke Horanski drove in Scooter Bynum with an RBI single into left after the rain let up and work was done on the field. That sliver of hope quickly dissipated when the Express added another run in the bottom of eighth inning.
Josh Gaworksi closed things out for Eau Claire in the top of the ninth inning and the Larks had dropped their final road game of the season.
With arguably the toughest travel in all of the North Division, Bismarck finished 14-22 on the road in their inaugural 2017 campaign.
The Birds of Bismarck head home for the final four games of the season. A two-game set with the top overall team in the North, the Mankato MoonDogs, and a two-game set with the La Crosse Loggers are on the docket.
First pitch for tomorrow's contest at The Nest is tabbed for 7:05pm.
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The Bismarck Larks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate 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, 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.bismarcklarks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Larks as your favorite team.
