Duluth 8, Willmar 7

The Duluth Huskies came out victorious in a seesaw battle with the Willmar Stingers on Monday afternoon at Wade Stadium.  The battle featured six lead changes and 22 total hits between the two teams.  K.C. Clabough (Florida Tech) had four hits in five trips to the plate, driving in three runs while scoring two.  Jake Wise (Arkansas) went 3-for-3 from the plate for Duluth.  Wise, who has had multiple hits in eight of the last nine games, also drove in three runs and scored one.  Tyler King (Nebraska) made the start for the Huskies and allowed three earned runs in 7.0 strong innings pitched.  Dylan Vogt (Nebraska) threw 1.0 innings, and earned his second win of the season for Duluth. 

Alexandria 14, Rochester 5

The Rochester Honkers traveled to Alexandria to take on the Beetles, in the final series of the first half of the 2011 campaign, falling 14-5.  Aaron Siefken (Bethany Lutheran) ran into early trouble, letting two runs across home plate in the second before a grand slam to cap a six run second inning.  Siefken pitched 4.2 innings, and allowed 11 runs on 12 hits. Johnny Coy (Wichita State) went 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI on the day, almost doubling his hit total to nine on the season.  Erik Mattingly (Creighton) had the only other Honker RBI, as the final two runs were unearned and scored on a double play. The Beetles Chris Fritts (Tennessee) did much of the damage at the plate.  Fritts was 2-for-4 with six RBIs while Nick Gumm (Maple Woods) drove in three runs as well. 

Wisconsin Rapids 10, Green Bay 3

Three runs in their first at bat, coupled with six in their final at bat provided plenty of offense as the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters bested the Green Bay Bullfrogs 10-3 Monday afternoon. After leading in a close game all day, the Rafters entered the eighth inning looking for some insurance for the ninth and left with a commanding seven run lead. Brandon Hohl (Illinois) took care of the insurance, belting his first home run to lead off the frame. After a walk, Josh Cyr (North Alabama) belted a ball over the wall in straight away center for two more. In all, the Rafters racked up five hits as they sent ten to the plate.

Waterloo 2, La Crosse 1

Two unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning for the host Waterloo Bucks turned out to be the difference in an Independence Day pitcher’s duel that was won by the host Bucks over the visiting La Crosse Loggers by a final of 2-1. Loggers starter Jake Stassi (Long Beach State) retired the first two Waterloo batters in the bottom half of the first inning before Cameron Perkins reached on a fielding error by Logger shortstop Tyler Smith (Oregon State).  After Stassi issued a walk, Joel Hutter lifted a fly ball to right field that Dex Kjerstad (Texas) misjudged, allowing two runs to score, the only two runs Waterloo would need. Bucks starter Mike Wisecarver (Nicholls State) was brillant over 7.2 innings, limiting the Loggers to just one run on six hits while striking out four to earn the victory. The lone Logger run came in the eighth when Corey LeVier (San Diego) double in Trentt Copeland (Evansville) after Copeland had laced a two-out single. 

Mankato 8, St. Cloud 3

What a way to celebrate the fourth of July for the MoonDogs and their fans. The MoonDogs clinched the first-half North Division title Monday night with an 8-3 win over the St. Cloud River Bats at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato. With the win, the MoonDogs also clinch a playoff spot. Jordan Remer (San Francisco) pitched a fabulous game from the mound, pitching 7.1 innings ,giving up a measly two hits and one run while striking out six batters. Remer is now 2-2 on the season and carries a 5.50 ERA. Brennan Moore (Texas Tech) and Nick Judkins (Creighton) led the offense. Moore was 2-for-4 on the night from the leadoff spot with a double, a stolen base, and scored three runs. Judkins batted in the second slot and was 3-for-4 on the night with a double, scoring one run and driving in two.     

Madison 11, Eau Claire 2

The Madison Mallards defeated the Eau Claire Express 11-2 at Carson Park on Monday evening. The win puts the Mallards just one win away from clinching the Northwoods League South Division First-Half Championship. Madison was able to get off to a good start on home runs by Nate Theunissen (Central Michigan) and Willie Argo (Illinois) and built on the lead thanks in-part to consistent offense and another solid outing by pitcher Rusty Shellhorn (Texas Tech). The Mallards scored the first five runs in Monday’s game. Taking the loss for Eau Claire was Ryan Longstreth (Central Michigan). 

Battle Creek, Wisconsin

Brainerd, Thunder Bay