Published On: July 23rd, 2009

Rochester 2 – Mankato 1

All-Star closer Arik Sikula stranded the tying run on second in the ninth inning to give the Rochester Honkers a 2-1 victory over the Mankato MoonDogs Thursday evening at Mayo Field. Sikula’s (Marshall) save lengthened his league lead, as he posted number 15 on the summer. After Danny Miller (Minnesota State) reached second on a wild pitch, Sikula bore down to strike out Jimmy Patterson (Arizona St.) and Kyle Knudson (Minnesota) to end the game. Both teams had five hits, but Corey Jones (Cal State Fullerton) was the only player with multiple hits, going 2-3 with a run. The Honker bullpen of Sikula, Nick Ramirez (Cal St. Fullerton) and Scott McGough (Oregon) held the MoonDogs to just two hits and no runs over the last four innings. The MoonDogs (32-19, 9-9) never led in the game, as Rochester jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second. Aaron Johnson (Illinois) led off with a looping single to right before he was moved to second on a bunt. Corey Jones (Cal State Fullerton) then brought him home with a sharp single up the middle that was bobbled in center by Ryan Durant (Iowa) that allowed Johnson to score the game’s first run. The MoonDogs came back to tie the game with a pair of singles and a Rochester error. Durant singled on a slicing line down the right field line and moved to second on an error. With two outs, Tony Strazzara (San Diego) singled deep behind second base. John Tommasini (Oregon State) tried to make the off-balance throw, but Danny Brock (St. Louis) moved off first, allowing the throw to get by Brock, and scored Durant. The winning run for the Honkers (31-20, 12-6) came in the sixth, as Jones singled P.J. Sequeira (Oral Roberts) doubled to put the two on second and third with nobody out. Rance Roundy (UNLV) grounded out to the right side to score Jones, but that’s the only run the Honkers would get, as the Mankato bullpen minimized the damage. Alex Burgos (Manatee CC) also had a solid performance for the Dogs, throwing three innings of hitless relief, The Honkers and Dogs continued their trend of playing close games, as of their seven games, six have been decided by two runs or less, including four one-run contests.

Eau Claire 7 – Green Bay 5

Eau Claire built a comfortable lead with six runs over the first two innings to take the opening game of the series, 7-5, over Green Bay on Thursday night at Jones Sign Field inside Joannes Stadium. The Express’ bats connected on almost everything thrown their way by Bullfrogs’ starter Zach Varce (Portland) in the first two frames. Twice they nearly batted around the order, as they piled on five singles and double during their offensive explosion. Varce had been solid over his last two outings, allowing no more than one run on the scoreboard. During his two innings on the mound he gave up six runs on six hits. He did record three strikeouts to push his Northwoods League leading strikeout total to 93 on the season. Green Bay made a late rally in the bottom of the seventh inning with three runs to close the gap to one, 6-5. It failed to plate a runner on second base in the frame, as it left five runners in scoring position during the contest. Nolan Fadness (UW-Oshkosh), Kole Calhoun (Arizona State), and Andrew Leonard (UIC) each recorded a pair of hits for the Express. In total, four Eau Claire base runners stole a bag. Green Bay was led by Riley Henricks (Portland) and Sam VandenHeuvel (Rhode Island) who also had two hits on the night. Aaron Conway (Missouri State) was one of three Bullfrogs to steal a base. He pushed his league leading steal total to 27 on the year. Tim Jolly (La Verne) pitched five solid innings of hitless ball for Green Bay in relief. He struck out seven and walked two. Jolly allowed only three Express batters to reach base during his time on the mound. Eau Claire’s Matthew Klein (NE JC) earned the victory on the mound in 6.2 innings. He scattered seven hits and gave up five earned runs, while striking out four and walking two. Brooks Pinckard (Baylor) earned the save after throwing in the ninth and striking out two. The Express exploded out of the gates for a quick 6-0 lead. In the opening frame, Eau Claire used three RBI singles for its three runs. During the second inning, Calhoun had the highlight with a RBI double to right field. Green Bay responded with two runs in the fourth frame to cut the deficit to 6-2. Henricks led off the frame with a bunt single and was driven home by a Nick O’Shea (Minnesota) single. VandenHeuvel capped the inning with a RBI single. The Bullfrogs tacked on a trio of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Tony Jandron (St. Norbert) hit a RBI line shot through the left of the infield to score VandenHeuvel. A pair of wild pitches scored Collin Kuhn (Arkansas), while a Chris Schaeffer (North Carolina State) doubled to plate the third run of the inning. Eau Claire added an insurance run in the ninth frame for the final score. Fadness reached on a bunt single and scored on a throwing error. Schaeffer’s double increased his hitting streak to seven-consecutive games, his longest of the season.

Wisconsin 6 – Madison 0

The Mallards opened the post All-Star break portion of the schedule with a tough 6-0 loss to the Wisconsin Woodchucks before a crowd of 6,733 at the “Duck Pond” on Thursday night. Wisconsin starter Bryce Butt (Ohio) went the distance in a complete game shutout, scattering just four hits while striking out three and walking two. Not a single batter on either side recorded more than a hit to their credit. On the other side, Cody Winiarski (MATC), despite giving up five runs (4 earned) went seven strong innings, allowing just six hits. The Woodchucks got on the board first when Carson Vitale (Creighton) singled up the middle past a drawn in infield in the second inning, scoring Casey Rihn (South Carolina). Rihn reached on a hit-by-pitch by Winiarski to lead off the inning and finished the game 1-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. Winiarski got out of a tough jam in the fourth. Runners reached first and third with only one out via a hit-by-pitch, a walk, an error, a wild pitch and a passed ball, but the right-hander recovered nicely by striking out the number eight hitter, Vitale, and then getting Khayyan Norfork (Tennessee) to fly out to left to end the inning. In the fifth, the Mallards endured a nightmare-ish inning as four runs crossed the plate for the Woodchucks. Chad Wright (Kentucky) led off with a solid single up the middle, the only hard-hit ball of the inning. Joey Hainsfurther (Baylor) followed with a single and Brett Krill (UCLA) flew out, putting runners at first and third. Chaos then ensued. With Troy Frazier (Kentucky) at the plate, Hainsfurther broke for second and Wright, on third, scored before the throw could get him. It appeared that the Mallards salvaged at least an out as a consolation when the tag by the second baseman, Muller, appeared to get Hainsfurther on the back, but the umpire ruled him safe back at first. Frazier flew out to left for what would have ended the inning. Hainsfurther then scored by breaking up a play at the plate and then two more runs crossed when a slow roller by Mike Marshall (Stanford) gave Troy Channing (St. Mary’s) a difficult play. The third baseman booted it towards the first baseline as the score ran to a 5-0 lead for the Woodchucks. Things just weren’t going the Mallards’ way and it was evident once again in the sixth inning. Jimmy Parque (St. John’s), after reaching on a walk, was picked off at first while a fouled grounder was trickling towards the Mallards’ dugout on the third base side. It was presumed time was called while the ball was being retrieved, as shown by the homeplate umpire’s hands raised in the air, but the call stood. An argument by Thieleke was to no avail. The Woodchucks added a run in the eighth to push the lead to 6-0 and sent the Mallards to their seventh loss in their last 10 games at home. The Mallards have 17 games remaining and fall a game out of first place in the South Division after La Crosse’s victory over Thunder Bay on Thursday night.

St. Cloud 9 – Brainerd 2

Even though the Lunkers outhit the St. Cloud River Bats at Mills Field, they fell in Game One of the home-and-home series, 9-2. The River Bats jumped all over the Lunkers in the top of the first. Eight men came to the plate, four recorded hits, and another reached on an error as three runs scored to put St. Cloud up early. In the bottom of the first though, the Lunkers went down in order. Then in the second, the River Bats loaded the bases with one out, and one pitch later, a bases clearing triple doubled the lead to six. Two hitters later, a sacrifice fly extended the lead to seven after only an inning-and-a-half of play. The Lunkers plated their first run in the third behind Dennis O’Grady’s (Duke) sacrifice fly to left that brought home Will Piwnica-Worms (Duke). In the fourth though, they were put to rest behind St. Cloud’s two solo homers. Starter Brian Garman threw just two innings in the loss. He allowed seven runs on six hits, walked two, and struck out two. He fell victim to his second defeat of the year. Offensively, four Lunkers finished with two hits apiece. Those four players were Stephen Wickens (Florida Gulf Coast), Mike Kvasnicka (Minnesota), Mike Gedman (UMass), and Justin Gominsky (Minnesota). However, the offense also fell victim to five double plays, including a critical inning ending strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play in the fifth.

Waterloo 4 – Battle Creek 2

A ninth inning rally lifted the Waterloo Bucks over the Battle Creek Bombers by the final score of 4-2. Tied in the bottom of the ninth, All-Star shortstop Michael Giller (Illinois) hit a two-out, two-RBI single to center to break the deadlock. Giller had an outstanding night at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a double, a run scored, and two RBI. He continues to be the toughest out in the Northwoods League, leading all others with a .363 average. Waterloo got off to a fast start, as second baseman Tyler Robbins (Des Moines Area CC) led the game off with a single to left. After a fly-out, a double by Michael Giller and a walk would load the bases. The next batter hit a ground ball to first, but an error on the play put the Bombers into an early 2-0 hole. After the rocky start to the game, Eddie Sipple (Florida Southern) held the Bucks scoreless over the next five innings. The Bombers would quickly rebound from the early set-back, scoring two runs of their own in the second frame. Parker Berberet (Cypress) drew a walk to lead-off the inning, and Joe Van Meter (VCU) would move him to second with a single up the middle. A sacrifice bunt by Doug Otto (VCU) moved both men into scoring position, and a wild pitch and an infield single helped the Bombers tie the game at 2-2. The Bombers offense threatened in the third, putting men on the corners with nobody out. But those were the last two hits for the Bombers. Starter Jarod Wagoner (Butler) would retire the next three batters in order, and the Bucks would hold the Bombers hitless over the final six frames. The Bucks led the ninth inning off with a single to right, and after a strikeout another single to right put men on the corners. The Bombers would strike out the next batter, but then walked the bases loaded. Knowing they had to pitch to him, Michael Giller drove the first pitch he saw up the middle, bringing in two runs. A heads-up play by catcher Parker Berberet caught Zach McCool (Iowa) trying to advance to third base for the third out of the inning, but the damage was already done. The Bombers drew a walk to begin the ninth, but right fielder Phil Keppler (Iowa) was able to double-up the runner on first to close-out the game for the Bucks. The loss drops the Bombers below .500, and they are now three-games back of the La Crosse Loggers for the South Division title.

Duluth 7 – Alexandria 6

The Duluth Huskies (7-11) beat the Alexandria Beetles (8-8) in the bottom of the 9th inning 7-6.  The Huskies trailed right off the bat by giving up 3 runs in the top of the first inning.  Duluth scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning getting the game close.  The Huskies trailed 6-4 going into the bottom of the 9th inning when they rallied to score 3 runs. The Huskies had 13 hits, and four of the Huskie hitters each had 2 hits apiece.  Nathan Melendres (Miami) and Jared Womack (Oklahoma State) each had doubles on the night.  The bottom of the 9th started off with Melendres getting his double, and then Womack drew a walk.  After a strikeout Doug Joyce (Florida International) hit a single to score Melendres.  Matt Harrison (UNC) hit a game winning double to drive in his 2 RBI of the night. Huskie starting pitcher Drew Smyly went 5 innings giving up 4 runs (2ER) on 6 hits.  Chris Jensen (San Diego) came in throwing 3 solid innings allowing 2 runs on 4 hits.  Brodie Brumley (Harding) got the victory allowing 0 runs on 0 hits in 1 inning pitched.

La Crosse 6 – Thunder Bay 5

The La Crosse Loggers topped the Thunder Bay Border Cats 6-5 on a foggy Thursday night at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario to remain in first place in the South Division second half standings. The Lumbermen would work a 6-2 league through seven and one-half innings, scoring twice in the fourth, once in the fifth, once in the sixth and twice more in the eighth.  Loggers starter Richie Erath, a NWL All-Star selection, worked six strong innings limiting the Cats to just two runs over those six frames before giving way to Pete Woodworth in the seventh and eighth innings. Things would get interesting in the eighth as the fog rolled in and thickened from Lake Superior.  After trimming the Logger lead to 6-3, the Cats would lift a ball to left centerfield with two men and two men out that neither Boomer Collins nor Nick Baligod could see and it landed safely, plating a pair of runs to cut the Logger lead to 6-5. Craig Crumbly would come on and work a scoreless ninth thanks to Justin Preckajlo throwing a runner out at the plate and catcher Robert Brantly throwing a would-be base stealer out to end the game and secrure the victory for La Crosse. Baligod would lead the Loggers ten-hit attack by going three-for-three on the night.  Chris Engell and Preckajlo also added a pair of safeties and Boomer Collins blasted his third home run of the season. With the win the Loggers improved to 11-6 in the second half and 32-19 overall.

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