(Photo Courtesy: Lyle Ripplinger)
Written By: Cody Shook, Larks Broadcaster
WATERLOO, IA– The Bismarck Larks fired on all cylinders tonight as they dominated all three phases of the game and won 11-0 over the Waterloo Bucks. Moving to 17-10 on the season the Larks are now just one game back of the Duluth Huskies for first place in the Northwoods League standings. Each game gets more and more important as the first half of the season comes to an end because the winner of the first half gets an automatic spot in the playoffs at the end of the season.
Jeff Lindgren got the start for the Larks tonight and was dominant during his six inning appearance, not allowing a single while striking out three batters. The Larks were able to supply with plenty of runs in the beginning of the game to be able to pitch with the lead. Head Coach, Sean Repay said “Jeff gave us exactly what we thought he would, he threw a lot of strikes and we knew he was going to give us a quality start.”
Scoring five runs in the top of the second inning, the Larks jumped out on top 5-0 and never looked back. A two out single up the middle by Wyatt Ulrich score two runs and then Cristian Montes hit a three run home run over the left field fence scoring Carson Bartels and Ulrich. Coach Repay sent Nesbit home on the single by Ulrich and there was a play at the plate that resulted in the catcher dropping the ball and the Larks scoring their second run of the game. Coach Repay said “We have to be aggressive, we aren’t a team that is going to hit single after single, we have to take chances like that and force the opponent to make a perfect play to get our runners out.”
The Larks would score one run in the third and fourth innings to go on top 7-0 and with a dominant pitching performance on the mound the Larks were in cruise control. They didn’t stop the scoring as they would tack on three more runs in the top of the 6th inning to increase their lead to 10-0 against the Bucks.
Coach Repay said “We capitalized on their mistakes tonight, we played well with two outs and we pitched extremely well.” He then said “We put together all three phases of the game together tonight and when we do all of those things, we will be this this type of team on a consistent basis.”
Matt Ponsiglione came on in relief for the Larks and pitched two hitless innings before turning the ball over to Michael Farnell to close the door in the ninth.
Bismarck would score their 11th run of the game in the top of the 8th inning when Matt Warkentin came around to score his second run of the game. Hitting Coach Brett Lindsey said “Everyday these guys show up to the park with something that they want to work on and we try to help them in early work and in batting practice to line them up for as much success as possible in the game.”
Kyle Stevns, Warkentin, and Montes all scored two runs in the victory and Farnell was able to get on base five times and score one run for the Larks. Coach Repay said “We scored two huge runs and then our guys relaxed at the plate because they knew Lindgren was on the mound and then Montes came up and hit the homerun that put us up five runs.”
The Larks won by a score of 11-0 and are now 17-10 on the season. The Larks will be back in action tomorrow night when they take on the Waterloo Bucks. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Catch all the action on http://mixlr.com/larksbaseball/.
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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.
