Three double-headers, a walkoff single and a 14-run outburst. A typical day in the Northwoods league as several teams doubled up on Sunday after rainouts yesterday. Alexandria finally got their first win while Kalamazoo won their fifth straight to jump into first place in the South division.
Willmar 5, St. Cloud 1 (resuming from Saturday)
Willmar put up four runs in the ninth in a 1-1 game to down St. Cloud, 5-1. After getting delayed and ultimately postponed on Saturday, the Stingers and Rox picked it up with the score tied at zero after five innings. Eric Loxtercamp (St. Cloud St) scored on a single in the sixth to give the Rox a 1-0 lead, but the Stingers scored in the 8th and piled on in the 9th. Sam Hall (Western Nevada) led off with a home run and three more unearned runs (on errors) was plenty. Hayden Cleveland (Franklin) went three shutout innings of one-hit ball with three strikeouts to earn the win.
Willmar 5, St. Cloud 3
In the second game of a double-header, Willmar scored three runs in the sixth and two in the eighth and fended off a late St. Cloud rally to win, 5-3. Austin Klein (Lindenwood) got the win after 7.2 innings of work with four strikeouts. He had seven shutout innings before running into trouble during a three-run Rox eighth. Tyler Hanson (Lindenwood) came in and got out of the jam to pick up the save. Rox starter Kenny Anderson (Georgia State) took the loss after giving up three runs in the sixth, including a two-run home run to Max Ayoub (Nebraska-Kearney).
Duluth 2, Rochester 1
In the first game of a double-header, Duluth scored two runs in the third and overcame a Rochester rally to down the Honkers, 2-1. A RBI single and a bases loaded hit-by-pitch was enough offense for the Huskies. Jake Popovich (Florida Southern) picked up the win with a scoreless any of relief, while Patrick McGrath (Belmont) picked up his first save of the season.
Rochester 4, Duluth 1
The Honkers scored four runs over the final two innings to earn a split with the Huskies on the day. Both starters- Duluth's Alex Winkleman (Southeast Missouri St) and Rochester's Logan Spitzack (St. Cloud State) dueled over the first five innings before the Honkers finally got to Winkleman. He was handed the loss after giving up two runs while striking out five. Spitzcak took the win with another quality start as he went six shutout innings to keep his ERA at 0.00 over the first 12 innings.
Kalamazoo 7, Wisconsin Rapids 2
The Growlers league-best offense showed up once again on Sunday in a 7-2 win over the Rafters. Kalamazoo scored three runs apiece in the fifth and sixth innings to pull away after being down a run. Ryan Colegate (Ohio Dominican) went six innings with seven strikeouts while allowing just one earned run to earn the win and Ryan Smoyer (Notre Dame) had a three-inning save. Last night's player of the night Nick Yarnall was at it again, going 2-3 with three runs and a walk to raise his season average to .417.
Lakeshore 9, Battle Creek 5
Battle Creek jumped out to a 4-0 lead and it was tied heading into the ninth but the Chinooks broke it open en route to a 9-5 win, their fourth straight. The Bombers continued to struggle as they dropped their fifth straight game after reliever Jordan Grossjean gave up five runs on seven hits over the last two innings. Three of those runs came on a Brett Siddall (Cansius) home run as he had three RBIs while Ryan Krill (Michigan State) went 4-4 with three runs and a walk.
Eau Claire 7, Waterloo 1
The Express completed a sweep of the Bucks with a convincing 7-1 win. Waterloo starter Aaron Myers was chased after three innings as he gave up eight hits and five runs in the loss. Jordan Ruckman (Northern Illinois) was solid over six innings as he gave up just one run on three hits with seven strikeouts to pick up the win. Eau Claire was led by Mike Porcaro (UW-Milwaukee) went 3-5 with a run and a RBI.
Thunder Bay 4, Alexandria, 3
No information was available.
Alexandria 7, Thunder Bay 4
The Blue Anchors finally got a mark in the win column with a 7-4 victory over the Border Cats. Alexandria jumped out to a 5-0 lead and fought off a Thunder Bay rally to get their first win in the second game of the doubleheader. Lucas Herd was good over five innings as he allowed two runs on four hits while striking out three. Herd helped his own case when he moved to right field and went 2-3 with a run. Kris Goodman added a home run and three RBIs and two runs on a 1-2 night.
Kenosha 4, Mankato 3
The Kingfish walked off to end a one-game skid and move into second place in the South Division with a 4-3 win. Mankato's Levi Scott went 3-4 with a run and 4 RBIs, including a game-tying solo home run in the top of the ninth. However, Kenosha had an answer. Zach Ratcliff led off the 9th with a single and eventually, after pinch runners, balks and hit-by-pitches the bases were loaded. Then, Spencer Gaa (Bradley) ended a 0-for-12 stretch with a walkoff, game-winning RBI single. Brett Shimanovsky (St. Louis) picked up the win in relief.
Wisconsin 5, Madison 3
The Woodchucks beat the Mallards for the second straight night, 5-3. Madison jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Wisconsin tied it in the third and went ahead for good with a three-run fifth. Ryan Donovan (Hofstra) had a solo home run, his second on the year, and the Woodchucks added two more unearned runs on errors. Logan Sawyer (Lincoln Memorial CC) worked his way out of several jams as he gave up seven hits over five innings but managed to give up just one earned run. Sawyer picked up the win, while Max Ising (Creighton) picked up the save.
Green Bay 14, La Crosse 3
The Bullfrogs picked up their second straight rout against the Loggers as Green Bay had a five-run first inning and never looked back in a 14-3 win. Matt Beaty (Belmont) was a beast at the top of the lineup as he hit his second home run of the year (and second in consecutive games) on a 3-5 night with three RBIs, two runs and a double. Mike Ellenbest (Saginaw Valley St.) had plenty of run support as he picked up the win, going 5.1 innings and allowing three earned runs while striking out five.
Monday's Games:
Green Bay @ Duluth (6:35)
St. Cloud @ Waterloo (6:35)
Alexandria @ Eau Claire (6:35)
Rochester @ Thunder Bay (7:05)
Willmar @ Mankato (7:05)
Wisconsin @ La Crosse (7:05)
Madison @ Kenosha (7:05)
Wisconsin Rapids @ Battle Creek (7:05)
Lakeshore @ Kalamazoo (7:05)