Rochester, Minn (July 7th, 2013)–On what could have been a lazy Sunday afternoon, Northwoods League action was thrilling. Sunday’s action produced six games that wound up with a margin of two runs or fewer. After an exciting finish to the first half, the second half has not disappointed through the first weekend.

In Waterloo, the Bucks stayed hot in an epic clash with the Rochester Honkers. After blowing a four run lead in the 8th inning, the teams went deep into extras. In the top of the 15th, the Honkers took a lead by plating a single run. In the bottom frame, the Bucks retaliated with two runs to walk off.

In Madison, the Mallards also enjoyed winning in walk off fashion. In their case however, they did not have to use 15 innings. In the bottom of the 9th, Mike Fitzgerald (Indiana State) pushed across the winning run with a single.

Waterloo 8, Rochester 7 (F/15)

No list of "Game of the Year" candidates can be complete without Sunday’s game between Waterloo and Rochester. After Waterloo blew a four run lead in the 8th inning, the game was sent deep into extras. In the top of the 15th, the Honkers took a lead with a single run. In the bottom of the inning, the Bucks responded with a walk off double off the bat of John Ziznewski (Long Island).

Madison 7, Wisconsin Rapids 6

While this game wasn’t the marathon that occurred in Waterloo, it still ended in walk off fashion. The Rafters and Mallards traded three run innings twice in the middle innings. This sent the game into the 9th as a tie. In the bottom of the 9th, Mike Fitzgerald (Indiana State) drove in the winning run with a single to send fans home happy.

Lakeshore 8, Wisconsin 7

After getting up 5-0 after a big 5th inning, the Chinooks struggled to keep the Woodchucks down. With six runs crossing the plate between the 7th and 9th innings, the Woodchucks gave themselves a chance to tie the game before Lakeshore closed the door for good. Andrew Stevenson (LSU) had another solid game out of the lead off spot as he went 2/4 with a walk and a pair of RBI.

La Crosse 4, Battle Creek 2

Josh Frye (Long Beach State) had his out pitches working on Sunday as he racked up nine strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work while surrendering just two runs. On offense, the bottom of the Logger order contributed all four RBI along with six of the seven hits.

Willmar 6, Thunder Bay 2 (Game 1, F/7)

After trailing 2-0 heading into the 5th inning, the Stingers scored six unanswered runs to grab a convincing win in game one of Sunday’s double header. Max Kuhn (Kentucky) led the way on offense as he contributed two hits and three RBI in the win.

Willmar 11, Thunder Bay 2 (Game 2, F/7)

Much like game one, the Willmar Stingers won game two convincingly. Unlike game one, this time they got ahead early and never looked back. With a seven run 4th inning, the Stingers dominated this game. Marc Flores (Hawaii) led the charge on offense with two hits in three at bats along with four RBI. The outburst included his 7th home run of the season.

Duluth 5, Alexandria 3

The Huskies used four runs in the bottom of the 1st to gain control of Sunday’s game. Thanks to a great effort from their pitching staff, the Huskies were able to make this early lead hold up throughout the game. The Huskies did the bulk of their work on Sunday through solid plate discipline as they were able to walk eight times.

St. Cloud 14, Mankato 8 (F/8)

The Rox have had big offensive outbursts on multiple occasions this year, and Sunday was just another game added to the list. The Rox scored multiple runs in the last five innings of Sunday’s game and were able to win despite making three errors and giving up 11 hits. Clay Williamson (Cal State Fullerton) had a big night out of the 9th spot in the lineup with three hits and five RBI.

Eau Claire 6, Green Bay 4

The Express got down 4-0 early, but they were able to rally back and take a road win from the Bullfrogs. Sunday was a big day for the bottom of Eau Claire’s lineup. The 8th and 9th hitters combined to go 5/8 with three RBI and three runs scored. This production certainly helped the Express in coming back and earning Sunday’s win.

Monday Schedule:

La Crosse vs. Lakeshore- 6:35
Madison vs. Eau Claire- 6:35
Duluth vs. Willmar- 7:05
Thunder Bay vs. St. Cloud- 7:05
Mankato vs. Rochester- 7:05
Wisconsin Rapids vs. Battle Creek- 7:05
Waterloo vs. Alexandria- 7:05
Wisconsin vs. Green Bay- 7:05