Rochester, Minn (July 30th, 2013)–With teams returning to action following the Big League Dreams showcase, an opportunity was presented for certain teams to make up precious ground in division races. With the contest between Waterloo and Lakeshore being rained out, teams trailing them had an opportunity to play catch up.
La Crosse is one of the teams needing to make up ground in a hurry, and they took advantage of that chance on Tuesday. With the Alexandria Blue Anchors in town, the Loggers pounded out ten runs and delivered a shutout for the win.
In the North, Mankato is the team trying to play catch up. In a key game on the road in Madison, the MoonDogs grabbed a 6-2 victory. Brock Dykxhoorn (West Virginia) turned in a quality performance on the mound to give the MoonDogs the chance to win.
Battle Creek 4, Rochester 1
Keegan Yuhl (Lee) was on point on Tuesday in the win over Rochester. Yuhl pitched six innings and surrendered one run while striking out nine batters. Matt Fears (Valdosta State) contributed three hits and a runs scored behind him in support. The win gave Battle Creek a sweep in the two-game set against Rochester.
Eau Claire 16, Duluth 6
This game was 8-6 after seven and a half innings, but Eau Claire turned up the heat in the bottom of the eighth. The Express scored the rest of their eight runs in the frame and finished up with a spotless top of the ninth. The Express were able to overcome five errors in the field, but they also benefited from three miscues from the Huskies.
Thunder Bay 14, Wisconsin 7
The Border Cats drew six walks and collected 11 hits as they pounded the Woodchucks on Tuesday. Dylan Becker (Missouri State) and Tyler Duplantis (Nicholls State) combined for four hits, five runs, and ten RBI as they did the bulk of the work on offense.
St. Cloud 5, Wisconsin Rapids 4
The Rafters collected 12 hits as an offense, but they were only able to push across four runs. When this was combined with their four errors in the field, it was not enough to overcome the Rox. The St. Cloud bullpen was forced to pitch a lot on Tuesday as they went six innings and gave up just two runs while striking out six batters.
Mankato 6, Madison 2
The MoonDogs drew seven walks and collected eight hits in their win over Madison on Tuesday. The MoonDogs were also assisted by three errors from the Mallards as Madison turned in one of their poorest efforts on the season. Brock Dykxhoorn (West Virginia) turned in a solid start with six innings and just two runs allowed.
La Crosse 10, Alexandria 0
The Loggers got a good start from Cale Henke (Kirkwood CC) in their win on Tuesday. Henke went five innings and didn’t allow a run despite his four walks allowed. Mike Nadratowski (Grand Valley State) collected four hits and drove in two runs to support on the offensive side.
Green Bay 8, Willmar 5
The Bullfrogs were able to take this interleague match up behind a strong offensive effort early on. Green Bay scored four runs in the first inning to put the Stingers in a big whole that they were unable to come out of. Jose Godinez (St. Norbert College) drove in three runs to serve as the difference on the scoreboard.
Waterloo 1, Lakeshore 1 (Suspended/10, Rain)
This game was suspended and will be completed on August 6th.
Wednesday Schedule:
Thunder Bay vs. Eau Claire- 6:35
Rochester vs. Lakeshore- 6:35
Duluth vs. Wisconsin- 6:35
Waterloo vs. Battle Creek- 7:05
Alexandria vs. Wisconsin Rapids- 7:05
Willmar vs. Madison- 7:05
St. Cloud vs. La Crosse- 7:05
Mankato vs. Green Bay- 7:05