Rochester, Minn (August, 2013)–Thursday night was a historic night in the Northwoods League as the Waterloo Bucks tied the league record for wins in a season. The Bucks beat the Battle Creek Bombers by a score of 7-2 to get win number 50. Waterloo has dominated all season long, and they will have several opportunities to break the record before the season ends on Sunday.
Elsewhere around the league, the Lakeshore Chinooks lost on the road in Rochester, which opened up an opportunity for the other teams in the South. The La Crosse Loggers jumped on this opportunity as they grabbed a road win against St. Cloud to pull within a half game in the standings. The Eau Claire Express lost after making a valiant comeback effort, so the Chinooks hold on to their lead in the South.
In the North, the Stingers and Huskies separated themselves from the Mankato MoonDogs on Thursday. With their loss to Madison, Mankato now falls multiple games behind both of the teams as they head into the weekend, meaning that they will need a lot of help to get into the playoffs.
Waterloo 7, Battle Creek 2
The Bucks scored seven times in the bottom of the first and then cruised for win number 50 on Thursday night. Starter Jacob Stone (Weatherford CC) struck out five batters over six innings and allowed a run in the winning effort. The 50 wins for Waterloo are the most since 2006.
Alexandria 6, Wisconsin Rapids 0
The Blue Anchors managed to work around ten hits and a walk as they shut out Wisconsin Rapids on Thursday. Spencer Koopmans (UC Davis) pitched a complete game and spread the hits out thin as he frustrated Rafters hitters all night. Shea Molitor (Des Moines Area CC) notched three hits and scored twice to lead the offense.
Rochester 2, Lakeshore 1
Quinn Carpenter (Iowa Western) was effectively wild for the Honkers as he made the start and pitched 5.2 innings on Thursday. Carpenter allowed two hits, walked five, and struck out ten batters on his way to the win. Despite getting off to a good start with a run in the top of the first, Lakeshore could not get the offense rolling as they lost a crucial game.
Willmar 6, Green Bay 2
The Stingers remain in the playoff chase as they got a great collective effort from their pitching staff on Thursday. Three different pitchers pitched multiple innings for the Stingers as they allowed just six hits and two runs as a unit. Marc Flores (Hawaii) collected three hits and scored three times in the win.
Thunder Bay 16, Wisconsin 3
Though the second half has been frustrating for the Border Cats, they put on a show for their fans on Thursday in a win over Wisconsin. Thunder Bay used an 11 run fourth inning to dismantle the Woodchucks. Dylan Becker (Missouri State) went 3/4 at the plate with three runs scored, five RBI, and his eighth home run on the season.
La Crosse 6, St. Cloud 1
The Loggers surrendered a run in the first inning, but that is all that St. Cloud would get on Thursday. Cameron Rowland (Diablo Valley CC) made the start as he threw six innings and allowed one run on two hits. He was followed by three innings of one-hit ball from the Logger bullpen as La Crosse pulled within a half game of Lakeshore in the standings.
Madison 5, Mankato 4
The MoonDogs could really have used a win over Madison on Thursday as they continue to slip in the standings heading into the final weekend of the year. The Mallards used five different pitchers to keep the MoonDogs down on offense while Drew Weeks (North Florida) drove in three more runs with his eighth home run of the season.
Duluth 11, Eau Claire 10 (F/12)
In the biggest match up of the night, the Duluth Huskies came up with a huge win against Eau Claire. With a lead of 8-3 heading into the ninth, the Huskies surrendered seven runs and then scored two of their own to force extras. Jered Meek (New Mexico) drew three walks, scored twice, and drove in two runs in the win.
Friday Schedule (times 7:05 unless otherwise stated):
Eau Claire vs. Duluth- 6:35
Wisconsin vs. Alexandria
Madison vs. Mankato
Green Bay vs. Willmar
Battle Creek vs. Waterloo
Wisconsin vs. Thunder Bay
La Crosse vs. St. Cloud
Lakeshore vs. Rochester
Check out all of the night’s highlights on our post game show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nXkZ46tiBY
Photo credit: Brandon Pollock – WCFcourier
