Rochester, Minn (August 1st, 2013)–The schedule flipped to August on Thursday, which means the stretch run is on in the Northwoods League. After Madison and Waterloo clinched playoff spots with first-half division titles, two more playoff spots are at stake.
With Lakeshore falling to Rochester, teams in the South had a great opportunity to play catch up. This is where the red-hot Eau Claire Express stepped in. Winners of nine of their last ten, the Express erupted for 20 runs in their game on Thursday and pulled a game closer to the Chinooks.
In the North Division, the Mankato MoonDogs won again, allowing them to maintain their second-place standing behind Waterloo. St. Cloud did well to keep pace as they won 6-5 in La Crosse in 11 innings. Both teams are neck-and-neck as they fight for the chance to pass Waterloo and win the second half title.
Duluth 4, Wisconsin 3
The Huskies withstood a late rally from the Woodchucks for the win on Thursday night. Starting pitcher Clay Chapman (Florida Southern) was the star on the night as he pitched 7.1 IP and gave up a run on three hits while striking out eight batters. His ERA on the season has dipped down to 2.17.
Rochester 5, Lakeshore 4
The Chinooks looked as if they were going to come away with yet another win on Thursday until the Honkers rallied in the ninth inning. The Honkers pushed across three runs in the top of the ninth and then held on for the win. Matt Halloran (Minnesota) hit a big two run shot in the top of the ninth that wound up being the decisive blow in the game.
Eau Claire 20, Thunder Bay 12
With Lakeshore losing, Eau Claire had a great opportunity to gain some ground. With ten runs in the bottom of the first inning and ten more sprinkled out through the other seven innings they batted in, the Express cashed in. Tim Wise (Cal Poly) turned in a big night for the Express with a home run and five RBI.
Mankato 7, Green Bay 1
The MoonDogs have been playing well in the second half, and that trend continued on Thursday. Mankato rode the offensive efforts of Jonathan Rodriguez (Oklahoma City) to victory over the Bullfrogs. Rodriguez recorded four hits, including two doubles, and drove in a pair of runs in the win.
Alexandria 3, Wisconsin Rapids 2
After being held in check through six innings, the Blue Anchors broke through with a pair of runs in the seventh inning to take a late lead against the Rafters. After the starter for Alexandria lasted three innings, the Blue Anchor bullpen combined for six shutout innings while allowing just two hits.
St. Cloud 6, La Crosse 5 (F/11)
After the two teams traded runs in the ninth inning, the Rox finally pushed across the decisive run in the eleventh. Clay Williamson (Cal State Fullerton) went 3/5 on the day with two RBI, and he was responsible for driving in the winning run in the top of the eleventh inning.
Willmar 10, Madison 7
13 combined runs were scored in the first three innings of this game, but bullpens eventually settled things down. After a rocky start, the Stingers allowed just two runs over the final seven innings as their bullpen worked to hold the Mallards down long enough to get the win. Danny Brennan (St. Louis) scored three runs and collected three hits in the win.
Battle Creek 3, Waterloo 2
Outside of a two run inning for Waterloo and a three run inning for Battle Creek, offenses were silent in this game. The story wound up being the Bombers’ bullpen, which pitched six innings and allowed just two hits while shutting out the Bucks. Amazingly, the Bucks drew ten walks for the second consecutive day, but they were unable to come up with a win on Thursday.
Friday Schedule:
Alexandria vs. Duluth- 6:35
Wisconsin vs. Lakeshore- 7:05
Green Bay vs. Battle Creek- 7:05
La Crosse vs. Madison- 7:05
Eau Claire vs. Wisconsin Rapids- 7:05
Willmar vs. Waterloo- 7:05
Rochester vs. St. Cloud- 7:05
Thunder Bay vs. Mankato- 7:05
