La Crosse, Waterloo and Wisconsin Rapids all picked up convincing wins on Wednesday night. The Loggers routed Alexandria, 9-1, behind a NWL Pitcher of the Night performance from Blake Stevens, while the Bucks used 16 hits to hand St. Cloud a second consecutive loss. The Rafters also downed Lakeshore 9-2 while most of the other games were decided by late comebacks. Hutton Moyer added three home runs for Willmar, including a walkoff in the bottom of the ninth. 

Wisconsin 6, Kalamazoo 4

A two-run eighth turned a deficit into a win as the Woodchucks pulled away down the stretch in a come-from-behind win over Kalamazoo. NWL Player of the Night Paul DeJong (Illinois St) hit his Northwoods League leading 14th home run on a night of threes- three hits, three runs and three RBIs. DeJong, a participant in this years home run derby, carried the Wisconsin offense and scored the game-tying run. Max Ising (Creighton) picked up a save for the third time in the last four days and second in as many nights as he brought his season total to ten.

La Crosse 9, Alexandria 1

A pair of three run innings was more then enough as La Crosse poured it on in a 9-1 rout of Alexandria. Five different Loggers recorded RBIs while all but one member of the La Crosse lineup recorded a hit. NWL Pitcher of the Night Blake Stevens (Birmingham-Southern) struck out seven over seven shutout innings in his second longest start of the year and first win in three tries. He gave up a season low four hits and didn't allow a walk, facing just four batters over the minimum. Ryan Kirby (San Diego) drove in two runs to lead the Loggers.

Battle Creek 5, Kenosha 2

A two-run first put Battle Creek ahead for good as the Bombers downed Kenosha, 5-2. Battle Creek finished with a pair of two-run innings and were led by Colby Bortles, who drove in a pair of runs- his second multi-RBI performance in as many games. He backed starter Joe Mockbee (Michigan St), who worked around six walks and gave up just one earned run over five innings. 

Thunder Bay 4, Eau Claire 3

Despite falling to Thunder Bay, Eau Claire kept a slim half game lead in the Northern Division thanks to another loss by St. Cloud, their second in a row. The Border Cats used six different pitchers to hold the Express at bay and a two-run sixth put them away. Robb Palller (Columbia) had a RBI double and it was enough as Eau Claire stranded 11 runners on the basepaths. Devin McLemore (Winston Salem St) appeared in the fifth and threw an inning a third of shutout ball for the win, while Zach Morganstern (Augustana) picked up his first save of the season.

Wisconsin Rapids 8, Lakeshore 2

Wisconsin Rapids broke open a one-run game with a seven run fifth and easily downed the Southern Division leaders, 8-2. Just the Chinooks third loss in the second half of the season as they were held to six hits and made three errors. Starter Garrett Brummett (Wichita St) was hammered for ten hits in just four and a third innings to take the loss. All but two members of the Rapids lineup recorded hits wih Kirby McGuire (New Mexico) driving in three runs out of the No. 9 spot for the Rafters. Clark Egan (Arkansas) added a pair of doubles for Wisconsin Rapids.

Madison 6, Green Bay 3

Despite leaving nine men on base, Madison picked up a 6-3 win over Green Bay behind 13 hits and stellar pitching out of the bullpen. Pete Alonso (Florida) drove in three runs for the second time in as many days, and Matt Thaiss (Virginia) scored two runs on a two hit day. Nathan Hoffman (Madison Col) picked up the win while Ben Neumann (Northern Illinois) picked up a hold. Closer Tim Black (Central Michigan) picked up his 15th save of the season, a mark that leads the league by three.

Rochester 6, Mankato 3

A five-run fifth carried the Honkers to their second straight win as they picked up 13 hits and downed Mankato, 6-3. The MoonDogs second straight loss came at the hands of a three-RBI day from Connor Schaefbauer (Minneosta). Jack Goihl (Augustana) added a solo home run for Rochester while Michael Freeman (Oklahoma St) struck out six over 5 1/3 innings and gave up just two runs. Ryne Roper (Illinois) drove in two as well.

Waterloo 11, St. Cloud 4

Waterloo downed St. Cloud convincingly, 11-4, behind 16 hits. Both teams stranded ten runners on base but the Bucks came out on top by seven runs. Waterloo had just one extra base hit but David Kerian (Illinois) drove in three on three hits. Kevin Kaczmarski (Evansville) added a two-run triple and five other Bucks rove in a run. Adam Bray (South Dakota St) gave up just two hits over six shutout innings with three strikeouts to lower his season ERA to 1.17 ERA with his fourth win. 

Willmar 9, Duluth 8

Hutton Moyer (Pepperdine) hit a walkoff home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth and the Stingers overcame the Huskies tying it in the top of the ninth to pull within a half game of first place Eau Claire. Domnic Brugnoni (Florida Southern) tied it with a RBI double in the top of the ninth but Moyer and the Stingers picked up the walkoff victory. Moyer finished with an incredible three home runs- a solo shot in the first, and another solo home run to leadoff the fifth. 

Friday's Schedule (all games at 7:05 unless otherwise noted)

Madison at Willmar (4:05)
Alexandria at Waterloo (6:35)
Green Bay at Lakeshore (6:35)
Mankato at Thunder Bay
Duluth at St, Cloud
Willmar at Madison
Wisconsin Rapids at Kenosha
La Crosse at Kalamazoo
Eau Claire at Rochester
Battle Creek at Wisconsin