The battle for a spot in the playoffs continues to shuffle around each night, as Duluth took down the leading Willmar Stingers, while three teams are tied for a half game out of second place. Green Bay blew out the Kingfish, after jumping out to an impressive 19-5 record, Kenosha has dropped four straight contests.
Madison 6, Wisconsin 0 (Game One, 7 Innings)
The Mallards continue to roll over the Woodchucks, taking game one of their Monday doubleheader and winning their sixth straight game. Outfielders Logan Regnier (Central Michigan) and Scott Tyler (Ball State) were both solid at the plate, contributing two hits each, while Tyler knocked in two RBIs, and Regnier scored three times. Starter Andrew Beckwith (Coastal Carolina) was terrific in the first game, tossing six scoreless innings, giving up five hits and striking out a trio of batters, improving to 1-1 on the season. Chucks right fielder Max Ponzurick (Virginia Tech) went 1-for-3 with a walk, as Wisconsin fell back to 9-17 on the season.
Madison 2, Wisconsin 1 (Game Two, 7 Innings)
Finishing out the doubleheader, Madison received another terrific performance from their starter, sweeping both games from the Chucks. Hever Bueno (Arizona State) collected his second victory, going four innings, allowing a run on three hits, while fanning seven of the sixteen batters he faced. Mallards leadoff man Logan Regnier (Central Michigan) carried over from part one of the series, adding two hits and a walk, setting the table all night a top the lineup. Owen Taylor (Kansas) provided the only form of offense on Monday for the Woodchucks, hitting a solo home run and giving him three on the season.
La Crosse 7, Battle Creek 1
La Crosse rebounded from their loss last night, taking game two of their road series in Battle Creek as they took care of the Bombers. Kevin Flemer (Oregon State) continues to dominate, pitching eight innings, giving up just two hits and struck out four as he has now held teams scoreless over his first 14 innings of work with the Loggers. Moving into a game above .500, La Crosse was led by right fielder Alex Merritt (North Florida) who went 3-for-5 with an RBI. Bombers outfielder Ryan Budnick (Santa Clara) went 1-for-2 with an RBI double, supplying the only form of offense on the night as the Bombers sit in 7th place in the South at 12-15.
Lakeshore 16, Wisconsin Rapids 4
The Chinooks offense had a 20 hit outburst, as they blew out the Rafters at home, remaining a half game out of second place in the South. Lakeshore’s offense was carried by a pair of outfielders, as leadoff man Jake Romano (Miami Ohio) and Lucas Raley (Lake Erie) combined for seven RBIs, each hitting a pair of home runs on the night. Starter Gavin Downs (Purdue) cruised to his third victory of the year, going six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, while striking out a pair of Rafters. Michael McCann (Seattle) led the Wisconsin Rapids offense with a two-run single, as they have now lost three straight, moving into sixth place.
Waterloo 7, Kalamazoo 2
Waterloo coasted to the series sweep of the Growlers, carried by a balanced attack from both sides, advancing to a half game out of a playoff spot in the division. Tyler Day was absolutely stellar off the mound, throwing six shutout innings, giving up just one hit, and struck out four, moving to 2-0 on the season. Bucks 1st baseman Adam McGinnis (Western Illinois) recorded his second home run of the season, finishing with two RBIs on the night, giving him 12 on the year. Growlers left fielder Nick Yarnall (Pittsburgh) smashed his third bomb in 2015, as Kalamazoo continues to spiral downwards in the first half, owning a 7-21 record.
Duluth 10, Willmar 1
Making a big statement in the series finale, the Huskies routed the Stingers, snapping their win streak, and moving into a half game out from first place. Duluth’s catcher Holden Cammack (Oral Roberts) supplied a terrific night in his Huskie debut, going 1-for-2 with three RBIs and a run scored. A platoon of pitchers shutdown the fearsome Stinger lineup, as reliever Ryan Agnitsch (SIU-Edwardsville) earned his third victory, throwing a clean 1 2/3 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two. Willmar’s designated hitter Kyle Gilbert (Florida Gulf Coast) provided the only run of the game with a solo home run, giving him three on the year.
St. Cloud 4, Eau Claire 1
The Rox grinded out a road series split in Eau Claire, taking game two and remaining just a game away from the top spot in the North. Starter Sheldon Miks (St. Cloud State) was great for his hometown team, going six strong, allowing just one run on five hits, striking out three, giving him a win in back-to-back starts. Rox 1st baseman Connor Crane (Middle Tennessee State) finished 2-for-5 at the plate, hitting his second homer of the season and picking up a pair of RBIs. Express right fielder Tyler Adkison (San Diego State) provided the only positive performance on offense, going 2-for-3, and recording his team-high 12th RBI.
Alexandria 4, Thunder Bay 3
A two-run 8th inning resulted in the Blue Anchors taking four straight games from the Border Cats, led by Jake Merrigan’s (North Carolina) two-RBI double. Merrigan finished 2-for-4, and the game-winning RBIs, as the junior has been tremendous for Alexandria with a dazzling .347 batting average. Reliever Graylon Brown (Angelo State) closed the door in the 9th, completing the comeback, picking up his first save of the season. Thunder Bay’s 3rd baseman Carter McEachern experienced a nice night at the plate going 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs as the Border Cats have fallen apart in the latter of the first half, with a 11-15 mark and 7th place in the North standings.
Rochester 4, Mankato 1
Rochester added their name to the fight for a playoff spot in the North, taking care of the MoonDogs and splitting the series. Starter Jordan Goss (Tulane) carried the team to victory, hurling six innings, surrendering four hits and a run, while striking out four batters, supplying him with his first win of the season. Honkers’ left fielder Matt Fielder (Minnesota) recorded a pair of hits and RBIs on the night, as he was instrumental in the leadoff role tonight. Mankato’s right fielder Mikel Mucha (Wichita State) went 1-for-4 with an RBI double, as the MoonDogs have dropped back to 1 ½ games out of second place in the division.
Green Bay 8, Kenosha 1
The Bullfrogs unleashed their ace Garrett Harrison (St. Cloud State) on the Kingfish and prevailed as they swept the South leaders from Kenosha. Harrison was terrific again, pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings, surrendering three hits and a pair of batters, as he picked up his second straight victory off the mound, narrowing his ERA to a spectacular 1.33 for the first half. Bullfrogs’ designated hitter Ryan Donovan (Hofstra) added to his short three-game hit streak with his fifth home run, and added to his RBI total, giving him a league-leading 26 on the year. Kingfish 3rd baseman Hunter Alexander (St. Johns River State) went 1-for-3 with an RBI, as Kenosha has now lost four straight games, but still lead the South by two games.
Tuesday’s Schedule
Waterloo @ Eau Claire 6:35 PM
Duluth @ St. Cloud 7:05 PM
Alexandria @ Willmar 7:05 PM
Lakeshore @ Green Bay 7:05 PM
Wisconsin @ Battle Creek 7:05 PM
Wisconsin Rapids @ Madison 7:05 PM
La Crosse @ Kenosha 7:05 PM
Thunder Bay @ Mankato 7:05 PM
Kalamazoo @ Rochester 7:05 PM