Eau Claire 6, Wisconsin 2
The 2010 NWL Champions began 2011 with a win in Wausau, WI against the Woodchucks on Wednesday night. The Express were led by right fielder Nick Addison (Illinois-Chicago) who went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI. Four other Express batters recorded multi-hit games as Garrett Custons (Air Force), DeMarcus Tidwell (Southern Poly Tech), Josh Scheffert (Nebraska), and Pat Ross (Notre Dame College) all had two hits. Express starter Ryan Knott (Duke) earned the win after allowing three hits in 5.0 innings. Jerad Havey (Feather River) took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits in 5.2 innings.
Green Bay 2, La Crosse 0
The Bullfrogs beat the La Crosse Loggers in a pitchers duel on opening night in the NWL. The Bullfrogs received a fantastic pitching outing from Tim Giel (Columbia) who only allowed three hits in 8.0 innings to earn the win. Cameron Dulling (Western Carolina), Steven Halcomb (Gonzaga), Andy Hunter (Gonzaga) and Chris Migani (Quinnipiac) all registered a hit in the win for the Bullfrogs. Tim Peterson was the tough luck loser for the Loggers as he allowed one earned run over 7.0 innings.
Alexandria 5, Brainerd 4
In the 1st extra inning game of the year, the Alexandria Beetles beat the Lunkers 5-4 in 11 innings. The Beetles Nick Gumm (Maple Woods CC) scored the games winning run in the top of the 11th off Brainerd relief pitcher Derek Hansen (Augustana, SD). Gumm, Michael LeViseur (Seton Hill) and Eric Birch (Mary, SD) all had two hits in the win. The Beetles Michael Schweiss (Dallas) earned the win in relief after allowing two hits in 2.0 innings.
Duluth 3, St. Cloud 1
The Duluth Huskies won their home opener in 2011 as they beat the St. Cloud River Bats 3-1 at Wade Stadium. The Huskies were out hit by St. Cloud but used a three run sixth inning to earn the win. Duluth’s Mike Bisenius (Wayne State, NE) was 1-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI in the win. In his 2nd season with the Huskies, starting pitcher Ben Hughes earned the win after a 6.0 inning two hitter. Jason Whalen (Lynn, FL) registered the save after throwing the 9th inning.
Willmar 6, Thunder Bay 4
Willmar found themselves down 4-0 after two innings of play against the Border Cats, but bounced back with six unanswered runs. The Stingers scored one run in the 5th, 6th, and 7th inning and put up three more in the 8th to register a 6-4 win. The Stingers Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win. Willmar’s Tanner Banks (Salt Lake College) earned the win in relief after throwing 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball.
Mankato 4, Rochester 1
The Mankato MoonDogs pounded out ten hits and scored four runs to beat the Rochester Honkers at Franklin Rogers Park. The MoonDogs Zach Borenstein (Eastern Illinois) was 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored in the victory. Zak Wasserman (Louisville) and Blair Moore (San Diego State) each had two hits in the win for Willmar. Blake Schwartz (Mankato State) earned the win while throwing a five hitter through 6.2 innings and striking out nine Honkers.
Madison 4, Wisconsin Rapids 2
The Madison Mallards beat the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 4-2 at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids Wednesday night. The Mallards Mike McQuillan (Iowa) was 4-for-5 with a stolen base and run scored in the victory as Niko Fraser (Elon) was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Rusty Shellhorn (Texas Tech) earned the victory for the Mallards after throwing 5.0 strong innings of two run baseball.
Battle Creek 7, Waterloo 4
The Battle Creek Bombers used a seven run inning to win the 1st game of the 2011 season. The Bombers batted through the lineup in the 3rd inning as four different players recorded an RBI. Matt Hitt (Eastern Michigan) went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win for the Bombers. 2010 All-Star Joe Battestelli (Eastern Michigan) picked up the win after throwing 5.0 impressive wins.