Rochester, Minn (July 27th, 2013)–Winning games at home down the stretch is huge in a pennant chase. On Saturday night, the majority of the home teams in the Northwoods League made sure to capitalize on this chance. Of the eight games on the schedule, seven were won by the home team.
The team with the most to lose on Saturday was arguably the Lakeshore Chinooks. They faced the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at home with a chance to expand their lead in the South. Thanks in part to Aaron Machbitz (South Dakota State), the Chinooks were able to take advantage of the opportunity and come away with the win.
The Mankato MoonDogs found themselves on the road against Waterloo. This provided them the opportunity to gain some ground on the Bucks for the second half championship. Unfortunately for Mankato, they were unable to capitalize as the Bucks came out with a convincing win.
La Crosse 10, Green Bay 7
The Loggers got multi-RBI games out of four different hitters as they claimed a win against Green Bay. Bobby Juan (Minnesota) did most of the heavy lifting by driving in three runs on three hits. His teammate Brandon DeFazio (College of San Mateo) also enjoyed a great night with three hits, two runs, and two RBI.
Madison 9, Battle Creek 4
After the Bombers got up three runs in the very first inning, the Mallards battled back for the win. Madison pounded out 18 hits on their way to nine runs against the Bombers. The bottom of Madison’s order did a lot of the damage as they combined for six RBI while everyone in the lineup recorded at least one hit.
St. Cloud 4, Alexandria Blue Anchors 3
The Rox got up early with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. However, they soon found themselves down 3-2 in the middle of the fourth. They would soon tie the game and eventually take the lead in the sixth. St. Cloud starter Lucas Long (University of San Diego) turned in a solid start with six innings and just one earned run.
Thunder Bay 7, Duluth 3
The Border Cats scored seven runs, but the night belonged to Chris Kerwood (Arkansas State) in Thunder Bay on Saturday. Kerwood allowed just one run in seven innings as he worked around four hits and four walks. While he wasn’t dominant, he limited the damage and helped his team win.
Waterloo 10, Mankato 4
The Waterloo Bucks continue to be the best team in the league as they won again on Saturday. This time around they were led by Austin Pernell (Washington State). Pernell was 4/4 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored as he helped set the table out of the second spot in the order.
Lakeshore 7, Wisconsin Rapids 6
In a back-and-forth contest, the Chinooks got down 3-0 in the first inning. However, Lakeshore would have the final say as they scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth and then shut the door in the top of the ninth to get the win. Aaron Machbitz (South Dakota State) led the way with two hits and four RBI. He also hit his first home run on the season.
Eau Claire 11, Wisconsin 4
The Eau Claire Express put this one away early as they scored ten runs in the first three innings. Mike Porcaro (UW-Milwaukee) led the offense with five RBI while Taylor Lehnert (Central Michigan) did not yield an earned run over seven innings on the mound.
Willmar 3, Rochester 2
Colin Poche (Arkansas) made the start for Willmar and went seven strong innings. Poche allowed just two runs on four hits while striking out ten batters and driving his season ERA down to 1.66. He was followed by two nearly perfect innings from the bullpen, which allowed just one hit and no walks walks in support. Willmar was the only road team to come out with a win on Saturday.
Sunday Schedule:
Willmar vs. Green Bay- 1:05
Duluth vs. Eau Claire- 5:05
Alexandria vs. La Crosse- 5:05
Waterloo vs. Lakeshore- 5:05
Mankato vs. Madison- 5:05
St. Cloud vs. Wisconsin Rapids- 5:05
Thunder Bay vs. Wisconsin- 5:05
Rochester vs. Battle Creek- 5:05
