ST.CLOUD, MN – The Bismarck Larks fell to the St. Cloud Rox in a 4-2 pitcher’s duel at Joe Faber Field. The loss put the Larks at 4-2 on the season and remain in a tie for first place with the Lacrosse Loggers.
Coming into the game the Larks had the highest team batting average (.280) on-base percentage (.421) and walks (37) in the Northwoods League through the first five games of the season.
The bats were silenced early, only recording one hit through the first five innings coming off of the bat of Jacob Nesbit.
Bennet Wiggins was on the mound for the Larks and pitched two 1-2-3 innings to start the game. The first run of the game came across in the bottom of third inning when Hance Smith singled with one out and later made it a 1-0 ballgame.
Wiggins pitched 6.1 innings and allowed four earned runs and struck out two batters in this afternoon’s game. Clayton Hill came in relief and pitched 1.2 scoreless innings. He struck out one and gave up two hits while keeping the Larks within striking distance.
Tristen Hudson got things started for the Larks in the sixth inning with a one out hustle double on a ball hit down the left field line. He came around to score on a Wyatt Ulrich single up the middle to make a 1-1 ballgame. Ulrich advanced to second on the throw to home plate but Bismarck wasn’t able to drive him in.
St. Cloud didn’t wait long to battle back and score two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The inning started with a leadoff walk by Ryan Davis and he would later score on a single by Ryland Kerr. Bobby Seymour would score for the Rox on a single into left field by Ryan Weisenburg to make it a 3-1 game.
The Larks stranded eight runners over the course of the final four innings and left the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Bismarck pushed across their second and final run in the ninth inning when Brandon Barna led the inning off with a single up the middle and would score with two outs when Ulrich singled into deep right-center field.
The Larks weren’t able to get a victory on the road against the St. Cloud Rox but they return home tomorrow for a two game set against the Lacrosse Loggers. Monday’s game starts at 7:35 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.