Rochester, Minn (July 26th, 2013)–The Northwoods League opened its first weekend following the All Star break on Friday. As the season carries on, the pressure continues to build on teams that have no yet clinched playoff spots. In Mequon, the Rafters and Chinooks met up for a key double-header.
After the Chinooks took game one of the two-game set, the Rafters got revenge with a win in the second game. The split helped Rafters keep pace in the chase, and it left open a door for other teams to catch up. The Wisconsin Woodchucks took advantage of that opportunity with a big win against Eau Claire.
In the South, the Mankato MoonDogs grabbed a big win over the Waterloo Bucks. While the Bucks are already playoff bound, they continue to work for positioning. At the same time, the MoonDogs moved closer to a potential post season birth.
Lakeshore 7, Wisconsin Rapids 2 (Game 1, F/7)
The Chinooks scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning on their way to a win in game one on Friday. Mike Hollenbeck (Illinois State) went 2/3 with a double and three RBI to lead the Chinooks on offense.
Wisconsin Rapids 8, Lakeshore 4 (Game 2, F/7)
Donnie Dewees (North Florida) had four hits in his four trips to the plate on Friday while he recorded three RBI and two runs. Dewees led the offense out of the number two hole. On the season, Dewees now has 36 RBI and the Rafters managed to split the double header to stay put in the playoff race.
Wisconsin 18, Eau Claire 5
The Woodchucks poured on the runs in the middle innings on their way to a route of Eau Claire. Both teams suffered from three errors in the field, but Wisconsin did the better job of working around the mistakes. Levi Meyer (Florida Atlantic) had a big night on offense with four hits, four RBI, and three runs scored.
Green Bay 5, La Crosse 4
The Bullfrogs pushed across a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a late lead against the Loggers on the road. The Bullfrog bullpen put forth a solid effort in relief as they held the Loggers to just one hit in four innings while allowing just one run and striking out five.
Alexandria 10, St. Cloud 9
After getting out to an early lead, the Blue Anchors surrendered a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning and found themselves tied heading into the final frame. Keegan Dale (Cal State Fullerton) drove in the winning run with a single.
Battle Creek 11, Madison 9
The Bombers put up an eight spot in the fourth inning and held on for a win despite a late rally from the Mallards. Rouric Bridgewater (Arizona State) went 3/4 with three RBI in the win. Bridgewater contributed his 11th double on the season to help lead the offense.
Rochester 5, Willmar 1
Matt Kent (Texas A&M) made a great start on Friday as he grabbed the win against the Stingers. His six shutout innings and six strikeouts baffled Willmar as he cruised. The Honker bullpen followed him with three innings and just two hits with one run allowed.
Mankato 4, Waterloo Bucks 3
The MoonDogs scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and held on for the win on Friday. John Michael Twichell (UT-Arlington) and Jonathan Rodriguez (Oklahoma City) both hit home runs to support Jon Perrin (Oklahoma State) who contributed a quality start on the mound.
Duluth 11, Thunder Bay 7
Despite out-hitting the Huskies, the Border Cats were inefficient in turning their base runners into runs on Friday. Trey Vavra (Eastern Illinois) had a huge night with two doubles, one home run, and four RBI as he did most of the heavy lifting on offense.
Saturday Schedule:
Battle Creek vs. Madison- 6:05
Alexandria vs. St. Cloud- 6:05
Duluth vs. Thunder Bay- 6:05
Green Bay vs. La Crosse- 6:05
Wisconsin Rapids vs. Lakeshore- 6:35
Wisconsin vs. Eau Claire- 6:35
Mankato vs. Waterloo- 7:05
Willmar vs. Rochester- 7:05