Thursday’s Recap
Alexandria 4, Duluth 2
The Alexandria Beetles matched the two spot the Duluth Huskies put up in the eighth with their own two spot for the win. Eric Birch (Waldorf) was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. In the eighth he hit a single that gave the Beetles a 4-2 lead. David Randall (Mercer) threw a great game for the Beetles giving up two hits while striking out nine over 7.0 innings. Randall has still not allowed a run in 17.1 innings this season for the Beetles. Huskies third basemen Mark Threlkeld (Louisiana Tech) was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Eau Claire 7, La Crosse 2
The Eau Claire Express put up six runs in the first three innings and it was too much for the La Crosse Loggers to come back from. Eau Claire used RBI’s from four different Express batters. Drew Heithoff (Augustana) is still leading the NWL in hitting and his 1-for-2 day with two RBI only helped his average. Tony Mueller (Winona State) was 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot for the Loggers with an RBI. Express starter Matthew McDaniel (San Diego State) threw 8.0 innings to earn the win while throwing out of jams all night. He gave up twelve hits, but only gave up two runs.
Madison 11, Wisconsin 1
Madison used three innings with three runs each to take a 9-1 lead and eventually tacked on two more to beat the Woodchucks 11-1 at the ‘Duck Pond’ in Madison. The Mallards pounded out five extra base hits. Harold Riggins (NC State) was 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. The Mallard pitching staff only gave up three hits on the night and were led by starter Matt LaMothe (Oakland) who only gave up one hit over 5.0 innings.
Waterloo 4, Wisconsin Rapids 3
It took extra innings to get the winner at Witter Field on Wednesday night. The Waterloo Bucks scored in the top of the tenth to take the game 4-3. Landon Anderson (Dallas Baptist) was 3-for-5 with one run scored. Luke Putz (Minnesota State Mankato) threw the final 2.0 innings of relief to earn the win for the Bucks. He gave up one run on one hit. The Rapids Cody Koback (Wisconsin Stevens Point) was 2-for-4 with one RBI in the loss.
Battle Creek 3, Green Bay 2
Battle Creek jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back. Dan Dispensa (Western Illinois) was 3-for-4 with two RBI which helped Battle Creek to a 3-2 victory over the Green Bay Bullfrogs. Bomber starter James Jones (Louisiana Monroe) earned the win while throwing 7.1 innings of two run baseball. Green Bay had three hitters who had two hit games; Joel Hutter (Dallas Baptist), Tom Barry (San Francisco) and Troy Scott (Washington).
St. Cloud 7, Mankato 2
Nick Sutherland (Youngstown State) and J.C. Casey (Missouri State) held the Mankato MoonDog hitters at bay. The duo gave up six hits on the night and only gave up two runs. They struck our thirteen MoonDog hitters on the night. Steve Nyistzor (Rutgers) continued his hot hitting while going 2-for-5 with a stolen base.
Willmar 6, Rochester 2
The Willmar Stingers used a four run first inning to beat the Rochester Honkers 6-2 at Mayo Field in Rochester. The Stingers Jordan Smith (St. Cloud State) continued his hot hitting while going 2-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored. Charley Olson (Georgia State) improved his record to 3-2 with a complete game eight hitter. The Stingers made quick work of Honker starter Joey Housey (Oregon) who only threw 1.0 inning while giving up four earned runs.
Brainerd 4, Thunder Bay 1
Brainerd’s Vince Bruno (Cal Berkeley) had a great day at the plate against Thunder Bay in helping the Lunkers to a 4-1 victory. Bruno was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Lunkers starter Ian Horkley (Davidson) threw 5.0 innings to earn the win while giving up no runs. Ray Black (Pittsburgh) earned his first save of the season in 1.0 inning of work with two strikeouts.
