Eau Claire and Lakeshore continued to win, with the Chinooks walking off in the tenth for their seventh straight win while Eau Claire picked up their fifth. Willmar put up 15 runs on 22 hits in a rout of Waterloo, while Madison downed Wisconsin Rapids in the second of six games between the two.

Eau Claire 4, Alexandria 2 

CJ Eldred (Indiana) turned in a strong seven-inning start to carry Eau Claire to their fifth straight win, a 4-2 victory over Alexandria. Eldred was in control for the second start in a row, as he gave up just one earned run on five hits over seven innings with five strikeouts to pick up the win. He was boosted by a three-hit night from Daniel Salters (Dallas Baptist) and teammate Jeff Hendrix (Oregon St) added a solo home run for the Express. They've won five in a row and sit in first in the Northern Division. 

Kenosha 3, La Crosse 2

A two-run first put Kenosha ahead early as they out-hit La Crosse, ten to three and downed the Loggers, 3-2. The Kingfish snapped a brief one-game skid behind a strong start from J.D. Nielsen (Illinois) and a good offensive performance from Pat Porter (Ohio State). Nielsen went six innings and gave up just one run on two hits while striking out five and was boosted by a four-hit performance from Porter. One was a solo home run, and college teammate Zach Ratcliff (Ohio State) added two-RBIs. Closer Paul Schuster (SIUE) struck out two in a perfect 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Wisconsin 9, Thunder Bay 4

Three multi-run innings were enough for Wisconsin as they used a four-run seventh to pull away late and down Thunder Bay, 9-4. The Woodchucks picked up their second win in a row behind three-RBI days from Jake Scudder (Iowa Western) and Zach Arnold (Kentucky). The duo combined for three doubles, one a bases-clearing double from Scudder. Wisconsin starter Connor McFadden (Southern Illinois) gave up three earned runs over five innings of work to pick up the win. Robb Paller (Columbia) hit a solo home run for the Border Cats in the loss.

Lakeshore 3, Battle Creek 2 (10 innings)

Jake Noll (FGCU), a pinch runner, scored the game-winning run on a walkoff wild pitch in the bottom of the tenth inning to give Lakeshore their league-leading seventh win in a row, a 3-2 victory over Battle Creek. The Chinooks dropped the first game of the second half but haven't lost since then as they came back after the Bombers tied it in the seventh. Battle Creek's Sebastian Diaz (Miami) drove in two runs and stole three bases, but he was equaled by Lakeshore's Brant Valach (Eastern Illinois), who also had two RBIs. It came down to the tenth, where Noll moved to second on a wild pitch, third on a stolen base and came home on another wild pitch from Bomber right-hander Kyle Slack (Toledo) to pick up the walkoff.

Rochester 8, Duluth 5

A six-run third carried the Honkers to an 8-5 victory over Duluth, picking up a series split and snapping a four-game skid. Reid Roper (Illinois) hit a grand slam for his only hit of the day to support a strong start from Will Bamesberger (Creighton). Bamesberger gave up three runs over six innings while striking out two to pick up the win. The Huskies offense was led by Nolan Johnson (Mankato St), who drove in two runs. Honkers reliever and first basemen Jeff Campbell threw 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for his third save. 

St. Cloud 4, Mankato 2

The Rox took two of three with the MoonDogs as they downed Mankato, 4-2, behind a stellar pitching performance from Nick McCarty (Notre Dame). McCarty picked up his third win on the season with a seven inning start as he struck out six and gave up just one earned run on three hits. Teammate Bradley Strong (Western Carolina) added a two-run home run in the fifth to put St. Cloud up for good as they picked up their second win in a row.

Willmar 15, Waterloo 4

Four three-run innings and 22 hits is generally enough to win a baseball game as Willmar routed Waterloo, 15-4, the Stingers third win in a row. Willmar slugged three home runs, one apiece from Hutton Moyer (Pepperdine) and Jack Ross (Pepperdine). Moyer and Ross, college teammate, combined to drive in eight runs on five hits. Teammate Casey Hughston (Alabama) added five hits and four runs as the Stingers pulled just one game out of first place Eau Claire. Willmar scored six runs over the first two innings and didn't look back, giving starter Kurt Yinger (Portland) plenty of run support in his second win of the season. Yinger struck out seven and gave up four runs- just one earned- over seven innings of work.

Madison 8, Wisconsin Rapids 4

Madison easily put away Wisconsin Rapids, 8-4, behind 14 hits and a solid pitching performance from starter Christian Taugner (Brown). Taugner struck out eight and gave up just one run on four hits over five innings to pick up the win. The Mallards scored two in the second and three in the fourth and were carried by a three-RBI day from right fielder Connor Marabell (Jacksonville). It was the second of a six-game stretch between these teams- three games in Wisconsin Rapids, three in Madison. The Rafters took the first game and they're even heading into game three.

Kalamazoo 8, Green Bay 6

The Growlers snapped a two-game losing streak with an 8-6 victory over Green Bay, earning a split in the series. Just the second win in the second half of the season for Kalamazoo, the Growlers shelled Bullfrogs starter Mike Ellenbest (Saginaw Valley St) for six runs in the first two innings and fought off a late rally. Green Bay scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Kalamazoo had enough insurance. Jesse Puscheck (Cansius) drove in two-runs on a three-hit night while Shane Bryant (Purdue) struck out four over five innings of one-run ball in relief for the win. 

Thursday's Schedule:

Kalamazoo at Waterloo (6:35)
La Crosse at Lakeshore (6:35)
Alexandria at Rochester (7:05)
Duluth at Mankato (7:05)
Battle Creek at Green Bay (7:05)
Eau Claire at Thunder Bay (7:05)
Kenosha at Wisconsin (7:05)
Madison at Wisconsin Rapids (7:05)
St. Cloud at Willmar (7:05)