Lakeshore continues to roll and Kenosha continues to surprise during Sunday's action in the Northwoods League. The Chinooks head into the All-Star break with a five game winning streak and the Kingfish pull into contention for a playoff spot in the South.
Eau Claire 8, Willmar 7 (Game One, 7 innings)
Willmar struck first with two runs in the 2nd inning and had the lead going into the top of the 7th before Eau Claire added five runs in the 7th and hung on for a 8-7 win. Eau Claire was led by Daniel Salters (Dallas Baptist) who went 1 for 4 but the one hit was a three run home run in the 3rd inning. Willmar got home runs from Sean Beesley (Illinois State) and Max Dutto (Cal) but it wasn't enough as the Express won game one.
Lakeshore 5, La Crosse 1
The Chinooks continued their roll towards the post season with a 5-1 win over the Loggers. Jake Noll (FGCU) was the leader for the Chinooks as he went 2 for 5 with a home run and two RBI. Will Headean (Illinois State) got the win for the Chinooks going six innings allowing one run on six hits while striking out five.
Mankato 13, Waterloo 8
Mankato blew open a 2-2 game in the fourth inning by scoring five runs. The MoonDogs added five more in the top of the 8th inning to finally pull away for good. Levi Scott (UT Arlington) was the hero of the night for the MoonDogs as he went 2 for 5 with 5 RBI and a home run. Kevin Kaczmarski (Evansville) also homered for the Bucks but Tyler Mark (Cal State Dominguez) of the MoonDogs shut down the Bucks over the last 2.1 innings.
Kalamazoo 13, Battle Creek 3
John Brodner (Wright State) hit a grand slam and Karl Sorensen (St. Cloud State) hit a three run home run to power the Growlers past the the Bombers. The Growlers bullpen was also stellar in relief of starting pitcher Shane Bryant (Purdue) as they only allowed one run over the last three innings of the game.
Rochester 4, Thunder Bay 1
Honkers All-Star pitcher Matt Kent (Texas A & M) was on again today as he went 6.0 innings and allowed only 1 unearned run. Gunnar Kay (Dallas Baptist) was also equally as good allowing no runs in 5.2 innings pitched. But his bullpen would let him down as the Honkers would score three runs in the top of the ninth for the win.
Wisconsin Rapids 10, Wisconsin 3
The Rafters broke open a tie game in the 7th inning with three runs and then added five more in the top of the ninth to beat the Woodchucks.Wisconsin Rapids catcher Michael Jurgella (St. Cloud State) was the star for the Rafters as he went 2 for 4 with four RBI including a home run. Woodchucks starter Alex Phillips (Arkansas) was good for four innings but again a bullpen was to blame as they allowed nine runs the rest of the way.
Kenosha 9, Madison 5
The Kingfish beat the Mallards again tonight and moved into contention in the South Division. Kenosha starting pitcher Callahan Brown (Connecticut) the NWL pitcher of the night was suberb through five innings allowing zero runs and striking out three. Kenosha was led by Pat Porter (Ohio State) as he tacked on three more RBI on the year aided by a fourth inning home run.
Green Bay 13, St. Cloud 3
Ryan Howell (Chabot College) hit his 8th home run of the year and added two more hits and a total of four RBI on the night to pace the Bullfrogs to a resounding win over the Rox. Dean Long (Emporia State) also added his third home run of the year for the Bullfrogs as they slowed down St. Cloud's run up the ladder in the North Division.
Alexandria 14, Duluth 5
Alexandria coasted after putting up eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning tonight to down the Huskies in Alexandria. The Blue Anchors filled up the box score as they put up 14 runs on 17 hits. They also drew 11 walks. Alexandria starting pitcher Zach Muckenhirn (North Dakota) was the winning pitcher for the Anchors as he went 5.0 innings and allowed one run while striking out five.
Willmar 7, Eau Claire 3 (Game 2, 7 innings)
Willmar scored 5 runs in the bottom of the third inning to roll to a 7-3 win over Eau Claire in the second game of a double-header. In a shortened seven inning game, the Stingers got home runs from Nick Rivera (FGCU) and Casey Hughston (Alabama) to split the double header with the Express.
The Northwoods League is now off for the next three days for the All-Star Break.
The Northwoods League All-Star Game presented by Fiduciary Management, Inc. will take place on Tuesday, July 22 at 6:45 p.m. in Mequon, WI.