Eau Claire 11 – Waterloo 1

The Eau Claire Express busted out of their slump and exploded for eleven runs in dominating the Waterloo Bucks 11-1.  The Express scored early and often and received solid pitching. The offense wasted no time as they pounded Waterloo starter Chris Pack (Villanova) for six runs in the first inning.  Robbie Knight (Creighton) and Nolan Fadness (UW-Oshkosh) led off the inning with back-to-back walks.  Kole Calhoun (Arizona St.) singled and that brought Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) to the plate with the bases loaded. Pinckard delivered a bases clearing triple down the right field line.  Andrew Leonard (UIC) and Lucas Herbst (Santa Clara) followed with back-to-back singles and the Express jumped out to a commanding lead. With a 6-0 lead after the first inning, the Express added one run in the second, three runs in the third and one more run in the sixth.  Pinckard was a home run short of hitting for the cycle.  He finished the game 3-5 with three RBIs on the night. Matt Klein (NE JC) provided the pitching for the Express.  Klein made two previous relief appearances for the Express since arriving last Friday, but Tuesday night was his first start of the season.  He was very solid in his start as he went seven innings and allowed only one run on the night.  With an early lead he threw strikes and pitched effectively with the lead. Ryan Kiel (Marshall) came on to pitch the final two innings and he was lights out.  He faced the minimum batters in two innings and struck out the side in the eighth inning. 

Madison 4 – La Crosse 3

The La Crosse Loggers had their six game winning streak snapped Tuesday night at Copeland Park by the Madison Mallards in front of 3,029 fans. La Crosse got out to a 2-0 lead after the second inning when they scored the first run on a throwing error and later on an RBI single by Aaron Gates (Pepperdine).  Madison would get one run back in the top of the fourth and eventually tie the game in the top of the fifth by an RBI single by Kurtis Muller (Iowa).  Madison would take the lead for the first time in the top of the seventh when Muller struck again, this time with an two run double to take the 4-2 lead.  La Crosse would get one run back in the bottom of the eighth when Nick Baligod hit a solo home run but this is where the scoring would stay for the night.  Madison’s Dan Burawa (St. John’s) came in for the bottom of the ninth inning and earned the save as he struck out two batters and got catcher Rob Brantly to pop out foul to the third baseman with the bases loaded. Driving in three of the four Madison runs was lead off hitter Kurtis Muller who went 4-5 on the night with a run scored.  Mallards starting pitcher Cody Winiarski picked up his fifth win of the year after going six innings allowing two runs on only two hits while striking out five batters.  Austin Knight of La Crosse reached base safely in all four of his plate appearances going 2-2 with two singles and two walks.

Thunder Bay 5 – Green Bay 4

Kyle Robinson hit a towering three-run home run in the eighth inning, but the deficit was too much to overcome for Green Bay as Thunder Bay won the first game of the series, 5-4, on Tuesday night at Jones Sign Field inside Joannes Stadium. With runners at first and second, Robinson (Indian River State College) took a fastball and smashed it off the scoreboard in left field, breaking a pair of lights in the process. It was his first homer of the season and cut the Green Bay (4-7) deficit to 5-4 at the time. AJ Schugel (Central Arizona) also hit a monster shot, a three-run bomb, off the left field scoreboard in the sixth for his third of the season. Thunder Bay (5-6) added the game-winning run in the seventh off Matty Johnson’s (Bellevue) only RBI of the night. Joel Delorit (UW-Stevens Point) and Randy Mower (St. Joesph’s) battled back-and-forth through the first five innings with neither hurler allowing a run. Mower earned the win in 6.2 innings of work, striking out four and walking none. Tim Combs (Eastern Michigan) worked his way out of a ninth inning jam to earn the save for Thunder Bay. Aaron Munoz (Gateway CC) and Johnson each tallied a pair of hits to lead the Border Cat offense. Johnson also stole two bases and Garrett Houts stole another. Joel Hutter (Des Moines Area CC) went 3-for-4 at the plate, including a double and a stolen base, leading the Green Bay attack. Daniel Torrente (Missouri State) hit a pair of singles to finish 2-for-5 with a run scored, while five other Bullfrogs had a hit. Thunder Bay broke the game wide open with a four-run sixth inning for a 4-0 lead. Schugel highlighted the frame with his homer. Eli Tupuola (Viterbo) hit a RBI single through the left side to plate Derek Hamblen (Belmont) and the fourth run of the frame. Johnson drove in Munoz, adding an insurance run and pushing the Border Cat lead to 5-0 in the seventh. Green Bay scratched the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom half of the seventh frame. With the bases loaded, Collin Kuhn (Arkansas) hit a RBI fielder’s choice sending Robinson across the plate cutting the deficit to 5-1. Robinson’s towering homer cut the deficit from four to one, but it was as close as the Bullfrogs could get on the night. Delorit, a newly named NWL all-star, took the loss after giving up seven hits, four runs – three earned – and a homer.

Wisconsin 8 – Battle Creek 4

The Bombers got off to a fast start, but were unable to keep it going tonight as they fall to the Wisconsin Woodchucks by the final 8-4. After a four-run first inning, Woodchucks starter Bryce Butt (Ohio) settled down to retire the side in order in the next three innings, and the Bombers’ offense never was able to get back on track. The Woodchucks took the lead with a six-run third, and would later tack on insurance runs in the sixth and eighth innings. The loss snaps a three-game win streak for the Bombers, and also ends a three-game losing streak for the Woodchucks. The Bombers were poised to dominate from the get-go. A leadoff walk, followed by a sacrifice bunt, a single, and an RBI ground-out, gave the Bombers a 1-0 lead in the bottom half of the first. The next batter, Jimmy Tanner (USC-Upstate), would reach base on an error, setting up a big inning for the Bombers. Back-to-back-to-back singles, capped off by Mike Murphy’s (Arizona State) 2-RBI single to left, brought the score to 4-0, and the Bombers seemed to have control of the game. That would change in the third, as the Woodchucks led the inning off with four consecutive singles. Brett Krill (UCLA) hit a two-RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 4-2. The next batter would reach first on a wild third strike, and after walking the bases loaded Dan Holcomb’s (Evansville) night was over. Three more runs would score in that inning, on a single to left and a botched pick-off throw, and the Bombers saw what was a 4-0 lead slip through their fingers. The Bombers were unable to answer offensively, and only saw two men reach scoring position after the first inning. The Woodchucks recorded 10 strikeouts (all after the first inning) and walked only three, retiring the side in order four times. Their gritty response to a difficult first inning is a large reason why the Woodchucks ended the night on top.

Mankato 3 – Duluth 2 (Game 1; 14 Inn.)

Jimmy Patterson (Arizona State) ended game one of the suspended doubleheader with a single to left field giving the MoonDogs a 3-2 victory in 14 innings. Game two was another marathon, as Duluth used five runs in the 11th inning to take a 10-6 victory and doubleheader split at Franklin Rogers Park Tuesday evening. Game one was the resumption of the June 21 game between the two squads that was halted in the 11th inning. Adam Jung (South Alabama) moved to 3-0 on the year by pitching the last three innings Tuesday (seven total on the game) and allowing just two hits while striking out five. Alex Kent (Central Missouri) fell to 3-3 for the Huskies, pitching the last three and one-thirds, and allowing the game-winning single.

Duluth 10 – Mankato 6 (Game 2; 11 Inn.)

The MoonDogs (29-16, 6-6) couldn’t carry the momentum over to the nightcap, however, as six errors and a blown lead in the ninth inning led to the Husky (17-28, 4-8) victory. With John Brebbia (Elon) on the hill and the Dogs clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth, the Huskies rallied to score the tying run. Jerico Weitzel’s (Florida) looping line drive down the left field line turned into a triple, as it got past a diving Danny Miller (Minnesota State) , and Andy Burns (Kentucky) brought him home with a single in the next at-bat. That preceded a five-run 11th by the Huskies. Two consecutive errors to start the inning snowballed into a huge rally, as three straight RBI singles by Burns, Nathan Melendres (Miami) and Todd Baumgartner (Arkansas State) gave the Huskies more than enough support. The Huskies doubled their MoonDogs hit output as Melendres led the way with a 4-5 night with three runs and two RBI. Baumgartner was 3-6 with three RBI and Pete Cappetta (Illinois) went 3-4 with a run and an RBI. For the MoonDogs it was KC Serna (Oregon) and AJ Pettersen (Minnesota) that did most of the damage as Serna went 2-5 with two runs and two RBI, while Pettersen was 2-4 with a run and two RBI of his own. Brebbia took the loss in game two, throwing three innings and allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits. Matt Patterson (Creighton) allowed one run on two hits in three innings of work to pick up his fourth win (4-0). The MoonDogs used a big four-run third to take an early lead. Xorge Carillo (Arizona State) was hit by a pitch and Kenny Held (New Mexico) double to move him to third. Serna then brought home Carillo with a single to cut a 2-0 deficit to one. Pettersen then brought Held in with a bunt single, but after a wild run down that saw Serna go to third and back to second, and Pettersen go to second and back to first, Nick Rickles (Stetson) threw the ball away allowing Serna to score on the play. The inning was capped off by a Cody Fick (Evansville) RBI single to put the Dogs up 4-2. Serna walked to start the fourth, stole second and came home on a Pettersen single to make it 4-2 at that time. Baumgartner and Doug Joyce (Florida International) had RBI singles in the fifth and eighth respectively before they rallied to tie and eventually win the game.

Alexandria @ St. Cloud (Ppd.)

Tuesday’s game between the Beetles and River Bats was postponed.  It will be made up in St. Cloud on August 10th, when the two clubs play a pair of seven inning ballgames.

Rochester @ Brainerd (Ppd.)

The scheduled game between the Rochester Honkers and Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers Tuesday at 7:05pm in Brainerd was been postponed due to weather. The game will be made up as part of a double header Wednesday consisting of two seven-inning games beginning at 6:05pm with a 30 minute break between the two games. Ironically Tuesday was Umbrella Night. The first 300 fans through the gate Wednesday will receive a full size Lunkers Umbrella.