Sunday's games featured several close ballgames with five games decided by two runs or fewer, including a pair of extra-inning contests. Duluth won an extra-inning game for the second consecutive day with a 4-3 victory over St. Cloud in 11 innings, and Willmar outlasted Mankato 5-3 in 13 innings.
Duluth 4, St. Cloud 3
For the second straight game, the Duluth Huskies needed extra innings to decide the outcome of their game, and once again they were on the winning end. It took 11 innings for Duluth to take down the St. Cloud Rox 4-3. St. Cloud scored first with three runs in the bottom of the bottom of the second on an error from the leftfielder that cleared the bases with two outs. The game remained 3-0 until Duluth knotted the game up at 3 in the top of the sixth. With two outs and Logan Browning (Florida Southern) at third base in the top of the 11th inning, Dillon Paulson (Southern California) singled to plate the game-winning run.
Kalamazoo 11, Green Bay 5
The Kalamazoo Growlers rallied for four runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh to defeat the Green Bay Bullfrogs 11-5 on Sunday. Kalamazoo recorded 12 hits in the game. Growlers' Dan Robinson (Central Michigan) and Connor Olson (Concordia St. Paul) both reached base in all five plate appearances with three hits and two walks. Robinson scored two runs and knocked in a run, while Olson scored two runs as well with three RBI. Green Bay's Colston Onstott (Dodge City Community College) and Chad Mabini (Western Carolina University) each homered in the loss.
Madison 5, Wisconsin 4
The Madison Mallards had a 5-0 lead and was abe to hold on to defeat the Wisconsin Woodchucks 5-4. Madison scored three in the top of the first inning to open up the scoring and scored a run in the sixth with another in the seventh to open up the five-run deficit. Wisconsin rallied for four in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to one. Chad Fleischman (Lamar University) doubled home a run in the inning, Jonathan Foster (Auburn University) singled, and an error scored a pair of runs, and the final run came on a groundout from Austin Blakeley (Texas A&M Corpus-Christi). The Woodchucks went down in order in the final two innings, as the Mallards pulled out the victory.
Kenosha 11, Waterloo 3
The Kenosha Kingfish pounded out 18 hits, as they defeated the first-place Waterloo Bucks 11-3. All 10 players who had an at-bat recorded a hit for Kenosha, including Matt Hearn (Misson College), who had four hits and scored two runs and knocked in a run as well. Kingfish starter Brendon Allen (Eastern Illinois) threw seven innings and allowed one run on four hits and a walk with five strikeouts on the day for his first win in three starts in 2016. The defending-champion Kingfish improved to 5-8, while Waterloo dropped to 10-3 on the year.
Rockford 3, Wisconsin Rapids 1
The Rockford Rivets outlasted the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 3-1 on Sunday in a pitcher's duel. The winner in the starting pitching matchup was Drake Robison (Iowa), as he threw 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball on six hits and four walks with five strikeouts. He improved to 1-1 on the season in three starts for Rockford. Rivets' Alex Maloney (Ball State) singled home a run in the top of the first to put his team on the board first. Second baseman David Cronin (UIC) added two more in the third with a two-run homer to extend the lead to 3-0. The Rafters left 11 runners on base and recorded their lone run on a RBI-double from Ben Fisher (Eastern Kentucky), who recorded three hits on the day.
Eau Claire 11, Thunder Bay 6
The Eau Claire Express used a big hit from Sam Hurt (Kent State) to take down the Thunder Bay Border Cats 11-6. With the bases loaded and two out in the top of the sixth and a 4-4 tie, Ben Mezzenga (Minnesota) singled to score a run, and Hurt busted the game open with a bases-clearing double to give the Express a four-run advantage. Eight batters recorded hits for the Express, and Cal Klipstein-Smith (Panola) finished with a game-high three hits for Eau Claire. He scored a run and knocked in another. The Express moved to 7-6, while Thunder Bay remained winless at 0-13.
Battle Creek 2, Lakeshore 0
The Battle Creek Bombers scored two runs in the top of the first, and that was all they needed to defeat the Lakeshore Chinooks 2-0. Battle Creek received run-scoring doubles from Daniel Jipping (Central Michigan) and Christian Helsel (Penn State). The Bombers also saw phenomenal outings from three pitchers to allow just three hits and shut out the Chinooks. Bombers' starter Jordan Horak (Portland) tossed six scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and three walks with five strikeouts to improve to 2-1 on the season. Krystien Johnson-Battilana (Davenport) came in to throw two scoreless innings, and Brandon Guske (Freed-Hardeman) closed out the game for his third save of the year.
La Crosse 10, Rochester 5
The La Crosse Loggers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the bottom of the first, and they defeated the Rochester Honkers 10-5 on Sunday. Cullen Large (William Mary) and Luke Farley (Iowa) singled to score a run in the first. Griffin Conine (Duke) launched a two-run home run in the inning as well to give the Loggers a 4-0 advantage. La Crosse extended its lead to 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth when Farley smashed a three-run home run for his third homer of the season. Eight batters recorded hits for the Loggers, and six had multiple hits in the victory.
Willmar 5, Mankato 3
The Willmar Stingers took down the Mankato MoonDogs 5-3 in a 13-inning game on Saturday night. The Stingers scored a pair of runs in the top of the 13th when Quincy McAfee (Pepperdine) sacrificed, and an error scored two, which ended up being the game-winning runs. Willmar starter Brad Schaenzer (Kentucky) picked up a no decision but earned the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night with his performance. He struck out 10 batters in five innings and allowed one run on two hits and two walks. For Mankato, Luis Villegas hit 4-for-5 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored.
Sunday's Schedule
Madison @ Wisconsin (6:35 PM)
St. Cloud @ Duluth (6:35 PM)
Battle Creek @ Lakeshore (6:35 PM)
Mankato @ Willmar (7:05 PM)
Rockford @ Wisconsin Rapids (7:05 PM)
Kenosha @ Waterloo (7:05 PM)
La Crosse @ Rochester (7:05 PM)
Green Bay @ Kalamazoo (7:05 PM)
Eau Claire @ Thunder Bay (7:05 PM)
