In a night that featured quite a bit of offense on Monday throughout the Northwoods League, the performance from Green Bay Bullfrog batters was extraordinary. In a blowout victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers, the Bullfrogs totaled 21 hits, including eight home runs on the night. Five Green Bay hitters recorded home runs, and two smashed multiple long balls.
Green Bay 18, Kalamazoo 1
The Green Bay Bullfrogs crushed a whopping eight home runs in an 18-1 victory over the Kalamazoo Growlers. Green Bay had multiple home runs from Brian Lees (Southeast Missouri State), who had three, and Chad Mabini (Western Carolina University) belted two home runs. Laren Eustace (Indiana University), Matthew Hoeg (Iowa Western Community College) and Colton Onstott (Dodge City Community College) all homered as well for the Bullfrogs. Green Bay recorded 21 hits in the game, and five batters recorded at least three hits for the Bullfrogs. Kalamazoo got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first inning, but the Green Bay scored 18 unanswered runs after the early deficit.
Eau Claire 6, Thunder Bay 2
The Eau Claire Express trailed 2-1 after the seventh, but a five-run top of the eighth led to a 6-2 victory over the Thunder Bay Border Cats. In the eighth, the Express had RBI from Ripken Reyes (California), Sam Hurt (Kent State) and Rudy Rott (Ohio University). Eau Claire finished with nine hits, including three from leftfielder Daulton Varsho (UW-Milwaukee), who finished 3-for-4 with a walk and a run batted in. For Thunder Bay, Gunnar Kay (Jefferson College) threw 6 1/3 innings and allowed a run scored on seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts for the no decision. Eau Claire starter Jake Sommers (UW-Milwaukee) also finished with a no decision after allowing just one run on four hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
St. Cloud 12, Duluth 3
Th St. Cloud Rox had a big night at the plate on Monday as they scored 12 runs on 17 hits to defeat the Duluth Huskies 12-3. St. Cloud first baseman Brendon Illies (University of North Carolina) hit 3-for-3 with three RBI, and Trevor Putzig (Tennessee Tech) finished 3-for-5 with three runs batted in and a run scored. Aaron Rozek (Minnesota State-Mankato) earned the victory for the Rox, as he went 5 1/3 innings and allowed eight hits, two walks and three runs (one earned) with three strikeouts for his first win of the year. St. Cloud improved to 8-6, while Duluth dropped to 7-7 on the season.
Wisconsin 8, Madison 3
The Wisconsin Woodchucks used a six-run third inning to defeat the Madison Mallards 8-3 on Monday night. Connor Heady (University of Kentucky) hit a solo home run in the inning, and later with the bases loaded, Cade Harris (University of Oklahoma) crushed a ball over the fence for the grand slam and his first home run of the season. Steve Passatempo (UMass Lowell) also had a solo shot in the fourth for Wisconsin. Woodchucks' starter Devin Skapura (Texas A&M Corpus-Christi) earned the win as he allowed just two runs over six innings of work. Wisconsin's record now sits at 7-6, while Madison is still tied for first place in the South Division with a 9-5 record.
Lakeshore 2, Battle Creek 1
The Lakeshore Chinooks had a phenomenal night from their pitchers, as they held the Battle Creek Bombers to just two hits in the game in a 2-1 win. The Chinooks won the game in the bottom of the ninth in walk-off fashion. With two outs and runners at first and second, Tim Dalporto (Kent State) singled to score Kevin Riley (Chaffey CC) from second base for the win. Lakeshore starter Cole Gnetz (Miami-Ohio) picked up a no decision but also earned the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night award for his performance. He threw seven scoreless innings and gave up just one hit and two walks with nine strikeouts.
Mankato 2, Willmar 1
The Mankato MoonDogs received a solid game from two pitchers on Monday night in a 2-1 win over the Willmar Stingers. Starter Robby Evans (Wichita St.) earned the victory in six innings of work in which he allowed a run on seven hits and a walk with a strikeout. Reece Eddins (Nebraska) came on in relief and threw three scoreless innings. He allowed just one hit and struck out a batter for the save. Mankato second baseman Eric Peterson (Minnesota State Mankato) led the game off with a home run, and the MoonDogs spread out their offensive production with seven players recording a hit. Mankato moved to 9-5, and Willmar is now 6-8 this season.
Rockford 6, Wisconsin Rapids 1
The Rockford Rivets extended their winning streak to six games with a 6-1 victory over the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters with a balanced mix of hitting and pitching. The Rivets scored three runs in the first and two more in the second to open up a 5-0 lead early. David Cronin (UIC) recorded three hits for Rockford with a run batted in and a run scored, and his college teammate Ricardo Ramirez (UIC) knocked in a pair of runs. Zach Aring (St. Josephs College) started for the Rivets and allowed just one run on four hits and zero walks with five strikeouts in six innings to earn the win for Rockford. Anthony Dahl (Arkansas) threw three scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts for the save.
La Crosse 8, Rochester 2
The La Crosse Loggers jumped out to a 6-1 advantage after three innings and were able to defeat the Rochester Honkers 8-2 on Monday night. Loggers' shortstop Mason McCoy (Iowa) led off the game with a solo home run to put La Crosse on top in the top of the first inning. McCoy reached base five times with a pair of hits and three walks. He also scored three runs in the game. Despite allowing seven walks and five hits, Alex Shake (Lewis University) still managed to come away with the victory for the Loggers, as he allowed just on earned run in the game over five innings of work.
Waterloo 9, Kenosha 1
The first-place Waterloo Bucks took down the defending champion Kenosha Kingfish 9-1 on Monday. Nine batters recorded hits for the Bucks, who finished with 13 hits total on the night. Bucks' starter Jordan Accetta (Wofford) threw five scoreless innings and surrendered four hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Tyler Curtis (Lynn University) and Adam McGinnis (Western Illinois) each recorded three runs batted in for Waterloo, who improved to 11-3 on the season, which is good for first place in the North Division. The Kingfish are now 5-9 on the season.
Tuesday's Schedule
Kalamazoo @ Wisconsin (6:35 PM)
Battle Creek @ Rockford (6:35 PM)
Eau Claire @ Duluth (6:35 PM)
Mankato @ Willmar (7:05 PM)
Madison @ Wisconsin Rapids (7:05 PM)
Rochester @ Waterloo (7:05 PM)
Lakeshore @ La Crosse (7:05 PM)
Green Bay @ Kenosha (7:05 PM)
St. Cloud @ Thunder Bay (7:05 PM)