Waterloo won their fifth straight, a streak that currently leads the Northwoods League as they pulled a half game out of first place while Wisconsin Rapids beat La Crosse in extras to give Lakeshore, who split two games with Eau Claire, sole possession of first place by a game. Thunder Bay also downed Willmar to take a series split.  

Eau Claire 9, Lakeshore 2 (Continued game)

A four-run first was enough for Eau Claire, who picked up where they left off in a continuation of a suspended game to down the Chinooks, 9-2. The Express scored three quick runs when the game picked off and they outslugged Lakeshore as they picked up 12 hits. Jack Zoellner (New Mexico) hit a three-run double while teammate Mike Porcaro (UW-Milwaukee) scored three runs for the Express. Aron McRee threw six shutout innings while allowing just three hits in relief to pick up the win.

Lakeshore 9, Eau Claire 4 (Game 2, 7 innings)

A huge seven-run fourth allowed the second place Chinooks salvage a split with Eau Claire with a 9-4 victory. Shaun Anderson went six innings, allowing two runs- just one earned- while striking out five to lower his season ERA to just 2.84. Three different Chinooks picked up at least two hits and two runs, while Zack Bowers picked up a pair of RBIs on a 2-3 day. Luke Meeteer and Blake Butler hit back-to-back home runs during the seven run fourth.

Rochester 9, St. Cloud 2 (Game 1, 7 innings)

The Honkers picked up their fourth straight win in the opening game of a double-header as they won their fourth straight, 9-2. Rochester scored four runs in the first inning and didn't look back behind the strong start from Nick Gruener (Harvard). Gruener went five innings to pick up the win, allowing two runs (just one of which was earned) while striking out four. Jeff Campbell (North Dakota) drove in three runs on a 3-4 night with a double and a run.

Thunder Bay 6, Willmar 5

The Border Cats overcame a late Willmar rally to pick up a series split with the Stingers and win their seventh of their last nine with a 6-5 win. Both teams scored runs in the last three innings, but Willmar came up a run short in the top of the ninth as Lucas Scocchia (Oakland) picked up the save despite giving up a run and leaving the game-tying run on. Ryan Powers (Miami-Ohio) went six innings, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six to pick up the win. Nick Studer (Doane) drove in two runs on a 2-2 day with two walks for the Border Cats.

Waterloo 7, Duluth 6

Waterloo improved to 9-1 over the last ten games as they won their fifth in a row to pull just a half game behind first place Willmar with a 7-6 victory over Duluth. The Huskies dropped their fifth straight as they gave way to a Bucks rally in the late innings. A four-run sixth had Duluth up 6-4, but Waterloo scored twice in the ninth to tie it and pull ahead. Will Sparks drove in three runs to support starter Aaron Myers, who went three shutout innings in relief. Adam Dian picked up his ninth save as he set down the Huskies in order with two strikeouts in the ninth.

Mankato 7, Alexandria 4

A four-run third put the MoonDogs up for good as they downed Alexandria, 7-4. All but two members of the Mankato lineup picked up hits with five different players picking up RBIs. Patrick Massoni (Chabot CC) scored two runs out of the number nine spot in the MoonDog lineup. Taylor Elman (Creighton) gave up seven hits over six innings but just two earned runs (three total) to pick up the win. Teamamte Tyler Mark (Cal St. Dominguez) set the side down in order with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth to pick up the win.

Green Bay 5, Madison 4

The Bullfrogs fought off a late rally by Madison to down the Mallards, 5-4, for their third straight win. Brian Celsi (California) and Ivan Vieitez (Lenoir-Rhyne) both drove in two runs. Jake Stolley (Northwestern) picked up the win with a scoreless inning in relief while Cody Pollack (Midland) picked up his first save on the season. Madison had scored three runs in the seventh to pull ahead 4-3 but Green Bay came back in the bottom half to win, 5-4.

Wisconsin Rapids 7, La Crosse 5 (10 innings) 

A two-run top of the tenth put the Rafters up for good as they downed the Loggers, 7-5. Marc Frazier (Nicholls St) went 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs, while teammate Nash Knight (Dallas Baptist) hit a double and drove in two runs for La Crosse but Wisconsin Rapid's Chandler Tracy (Saint Martins) hit a two-run single to win it. Zach Jackson (Arkansas) picked up the win in relief while Hector Lujan (UC Santa Barbara) earned the save. 

Battle Creek 7, Kenosha 4

After falling behind 4-3, the Bombers scored four runs in the seventh to down Kenosha, 7-4. Five different members of the Battle Creek lineup picked up a RBI while three different players had multi-hit games. Dan Martinson (Richmond) picked up the win in relief with two plus shutout innings of work while teammate Joshua Leone (Louisiana Monroe) picked up the save.

St. Cloud 5, Rochester 4 (Game 2, 9 innings)

Originally supposed to be just seven innings as the second game of a double-header, it went the full nine innings with St. Cloud walking off, 5-4, to snap Rochester's four-game winning streak. Chris Paul's one out sacrifice fly brought home teammate Eric Loxtercamp to give the Rox a victory. Tyler Peitzmeier picked up the win in relief with four shutout innings with five strikeouts.

Kalamazoo 8, Wisconsin Rapids 7 (11 innings)

Wisconsin Rapids and Kalamazoo went into extras as the Growlers won, 8-7, in the top of the 11th. Nick Yarnall drove in Dylan Ahern with a RBI single to give Kalamazoo the go-ahead run. Devon Bronson picked up the win while teammate Joshua Buchlaski threw a scoreless bottom half of the frame to earn the save.

Saturday's Schedule:

Waterloo at Alexandria (3:05)
Kalamazoo at Kenosha (6:05)
Wisconsin at Wiscosin Rapids (6:05)
Eau Claire at St. Cloud (6:05)
Thunder Bay at Mankato (6:05)
Lakeshore at Madison (6:05)
Duluth at Green Bay (6:05)
La Crosse at Battle Creek (7:05)
Rochester at Willmar (7:05)