Duluth 4, Rochester 1
Rochester 4, Duluth 2
The Duluth Huskies and Rochester Honkers split two games on Friday at Wade Stadium after rain forced the two teams to postpone their game on Thursday night and play two seven-inning games in a double header on Friday. Success at the plate played a key role in the first game for the Huskies, beating the Honkers 4-1. Duluth had 11 hits in the game, with K.C. Clabough (Florida Tech) going 3-for-4 and Adam Humes (Northwood) contributing with a 2-for-3, 1 RBI performance at the plate. Dylan Vogt (Nebraska) earned the win for the Huskies on the mound, going 3.0 innings while allowing no hits and striking out three.
In the second game of the double header, the two teams battled it out until the end. In the top of the 8th, the Honkers gained the lead on a home run, but the Huskies battled in the bottom half of the inning when Brian Hansen (St. Cloud State) scored on an error. Rochester then scored two runs in the top of the ninth, and the Huskies were unable to manufacture any runs in the bottom of the inning. Jacob Wise (Arkansas) raised his batting average to .346 on the year going 2-for-4 at the plate. Dylan Thomas (Des Moines Area CC) gave up three runs in three innings pitched, and was handed the loss for the Huskies.
St. Cloud 5, Thunder Bay 2
The River Bats used a four run 3rd inning to take down the Thunder Bay Border Cats Friday night. St. Cloud’s Bryan Peters (Nebraska) led the way offensively with a 3-for-5 night with two RBIs and one run scored. Matt Iannazzo (Pittsburgh) picked up his 1st win of the season as he threw 7.0 innings and Alex Caravella (Pittsburgh) picked up his 2nd save in 2011. Caravella threw the final inning and only allowed one hit.
Eau Claire 2, Waterloo 1
A bases loaded walk and a wild pitch. That is how the Eau Claire Express scored both of their runs Friday night in the 2-1 victory over the Waterloo Bucks in front of 2,718 fans at Carson Park. The game was a pitcher’s duel for most of the night. Express starter, Brad Goldberg (Ohio State) was great in his first start of the season. He went 6.0 innings and gave up only two hits, no runs and struck out seven batters. The win is the seventh in a row for the Express, who have not lost a game since dropping two in Madison to the Mallards.
Green Bay 3, Wisconsin 1
The Green Bay Bullfrogs snapped a three game losing streak on Friday night behind Tim Giel’s (Columbia) 7.0 shutout innings. Mitch Haniger (Cal Poly) hit a two-run homer in the 3-1 win over the Wisconsin Woodchucks. John Colella (Holy Cross) earned the 2.0 inning save, his 5th of the year which leads the Northwoods League.
Battle Creek 4, Wisconsin Rapids 3
The Bombers pulled out another late-inning victory on Friday night, a 4-3 win over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, evening the series up a 1-1 in C.O. Brown Stadium. Battle Creek struck early when Troy White (Northern Illinois) scored from second base on a botched double-play in the first inning. Both teams brought a pair across in the third: Rapids on a sac fly and an RBI single by Kyle Peterson (Eastern Michigan), and Battle Creek on a two-run homerun by White. Nick Frey (TCU) picked up the win in his first appearance of 2011, and Kristian Calibuso (Eastern Michigan) notched his fifth save.
Alexandria 10, Mankato 5
The Beetles doubled up the MoonDogs 10-5 Friday night at Knute Nelson Memorial Park. Alexandria knocked out 18 hits and all Beetles registered a hit on the night. Seven of the nine hitters had multi-hit games and were led by Ben Magsig and Will Fullmer (Montevallo) who had three hits apiece. Jon Reed picked up the win after he only allowed five hits in 8.0 innings of work.
Madison 11, La Crosse 9
The Loggers blew a 9-4 lead late regulation innings and eventually fell to the Madison Mallards on Friday night. A game that last 4:58 and finished on Saturday morning, took fourteen innings to finish. Madison’s offense was paced by Jordan Owen (Tennessee-Martin) and Niko Fraser (Elon). The two combined for seven hits and six runs scored. The Mallards Tony Bryan (Oregon State) picked up the win in relief as he threw 2.0 innings of scoreless baseball.
Willmar 2, Brainerd 1
With two outs in the bottom of the 12th inning, Jake Stinnett (Maryland) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to end the game and give the Willmar Stingers a 2-1 victory over the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers at Bill Taunton Stadium at Baker Field Friday night. Mitch Rowan (Willamette) scored the winning run after leading off the inning with a single. The contest featured great pitching throughout with both starters going at least seven innings and only allowing one run. Thomas Taylor (Kansas) had his best start of the year for the Stingers, going 8.0 innings and only allowing one run, which was unearned.
