A 12-run sixth inning, a 10th inning comeback and several crazy streaks continued on Monday night. Kenosha scored 12 runs in one inning to rout Kalamazoo. 12-3 while Waterloo came back in the bottom of the 10th against Eau Claire to score twice and win. Wisconsin Rapids dropped their 10th straight and Kalamazoo lost their 8th in a row while La Crosse won their seventh straight.
Madison 1, Battle Creek 0
Madison rode a second strong start from righty Sterling Sharp (Eastern Michigan) to shutout Battle Creek, 1-0. Sharpe went six shutout innings and struck out nine to extend his scoreless inning streak to 11 and earn the win. The one Madison run was unearned as an error on the Battle Creek shortstop allowed the Mallards to go ahead for good in the second. Tim Black (Central Michigan) picked up his fourth save on the season and hasn't allowed a run in five appearances.
St. Cloud 9, Alexandria 1
The hottest team in the Nortwoods League has been the St. Cloud Rox, who took their fifth straight game with a 9-1 win over Alexandria to remain in possession of the best record. Austin Caspersen (Doane) went seven innings for the second straight start to get the win, allowing just one run on seven hits. He was given plenty of offensive support as Mitchell Cranson (Cal-Berkley) went 4-5 with a pair of doubles and Bradley Strong (Western Carolina) and Eric Loxtercamp (St. Cloud St) both had two RBIs.
Wisconsin 7, Duluth 1
The Woodchucks almost made history as they took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and easily beat Duluth, 7-1. Duluth didn't manage to get a hit until the eighth when the no-hitter and shutout was spoiled by a home run by Vinnie Rodriguez (Montevallo), one of just two hits the Huskies managed. John Oltman (Creighton) picked up the win in relief for the Woodchucks and he was supported by Troy Traxler (Minnesota), who went 3-4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs.
Lakeshore 2, Green Bay 1
The Chinooks remain tied with Madison atop the South Division as they rallied past Green Bay, 2-1. Lakeshore scored a run in the sixth and seventh to erase an early Bullfrog lead and pick up the win. Jake Tuttle (UW-MIlwaukee) picked up the win in relief with three nearly-perfect innings of work. He was boosted by a solo home run by Michael Morman (Valapraiso) and the Chinooks saw Luke Lowery (Southern Mississippi) pick up the save in the ninth.
Waterloo 9, Eau Claire 8 (10 innings)
The Bucks didn't panic in the 10th when Eau Claire jumped ahead 8-7, rallying for two runs to walkoff 9-8. Doubles by Luke Stramnan and Kevin Kaczamaraski drove in the tying and winning runs for Waterloo, who won their fifth straight. Jon McAllister boosted the Bucks at the top of the lineup as he went 2-5 with four runs and a walk in his first Northwoods League game. TJ Peterson earned the win in relief for Waterloo.
Willmar 5, Thunder Bay 4
Casey Hughston led off the bottom of the ninth with a double and came on an error to walkoff with Willmar's third win in a row. The Stingers pulled into sole posession of second place in the North Division, downing Thunder Bay in a back-and-forth battle. Nick Rivera (FGCU) went 2-4 with a double and two RBIs for Willmar, supporting a strong relief performance after starter Kurt Yinger left after just four innings. Josh Matheson (Minnesota-St Mankato) picked up the win in relief after throwing a scoreless ninth.
Kenosha 12, Kalamazoo 3
The Kingfish were down one heading into the sixth and erupted for 12 runs, easily handing the Growlers their eighth straight loss and earning the series sweep with a 12-3 win. Kenosha had 14 consecutive batters reach base after a leadoff strikeout, drawing eight walks and picking up 12 runs on four hits. Eight of the ten Kingfish batters in the lineup scored at least one run in the convincing win. Connor Kelly (Chandler-Gilber CC) went six one-run innings to pick up his second win.
La Crosse 5, Wisconsin Rapids 2
Two long streaks continued as the Loggers won their seventh straight, 5-2 and handed the Rafters their 10th consecutive loss. La Crosse moved into second place in the South, completing a turnaround from a 2-5 start. The Loggers scored all five of their runs in the first five innings and fought off a late Rafters rally to win. Ryne Brik (Texas A&M) went 1-2 with a run, a RBI and a pair of runs and stolen bases. Kevin Roy earned the win with six one-run innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six. Ty Provencher (Long Beach State) went three innings, allowing one run- not earned- in relief to pick up the save.
Mankato 8, Rochester 3
The MoonDogs handed Rochester their third straight loss as Mankato pulled into a tie for third with the Honkers, winning 8-3. Ridge Smith and Derek Umphres both hit home runs for the MoonDogs in support of starter Taylor Elman, who went six one-run innings and struck out six. Umphres finished the day with three RBIs while teammate Tyler Sullivan went 1-2 with two runs, three walks and a pair of RBIs along with two stolen bases.
Tuesday's Schedule (All games at 7:05 unless otherwise noted)
Alexandria @ Thunder Bay (6:05)
Eau Claire @ Duluth (6:35)
Willmar @ Waterloo (6:35)
St. Cloud @ Mankato
Wisconsin @ Kenosha
La Crosse @ Green Bay
Rochester @ Battle Creek
Lakeshore @ Madison
Kalamazoo @ Wisconsin Rapids
