The Northwoods League featured lots of good baseball on Thursday night with several close finishes. Of the full slate of nine games, just one was a blowout, which was Wisconsin Rapids' win over Kalamazoo. In one of the most thrilling games of the night, Lakeshore finished with a walk-off victory in the bottom of the 11th inning to beat Rockford.
Duluth 4, Rochester 3
The Duluth Huskies scored three runs in the top of the ninth to defeat the Rochester Honkers 4-3 on Thursday night on the road. Rochester opened up the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. After Duluth scored its first run of the game in the third, the Honkers responded with another in the fourth to make it a 3-1 game after four innings. Carter Hanford (Jeff Co) singled home a run in the ninth for Duluth, and scored a batter later when Matt Brown (Jeff Co) launched a two-run home run to give the Huskies the one-run lead. Payton Robinson (Southeastern Louisiana) threw three perfect innings with four strikeouts to earn the win for Duluth.
Eau Claire 6, Green Bay 2
The Eau Claire Express offense came alive late in the game, as they defeated the Green Bay Bullfrogs 6-2 at home. The Bullfrogs scored two in the top of the third, and Eau Claire added one in the bottom of the inning. The Express remained down 2-1 until the seventh when Daulton Varsho (UW-Milwaukee) hit his league-leading sixth home run on a two-run shot to give Eau Claire the lead. The Express added three insurance runs in the eighth, highlighted by a two-run single hit by Cody Bohanek (UIC).
Lakeshore 4, Rockford 3
The Lakeshore Chinooks won in a walk-off in the bottom of the 11th inning against the Rockford Rivets on Thursday night at home. The Chinooks used just two pitchers in the game, and they both threw well. Marshall Kasowski (Houston) started the game and threw six innings and allowed three runs on three hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. Chris Choles (North Dakota State) came on in relief and did not allow a hit over five innings with two walks and four strikeouts, as he picked up his first win of the season and lowered his earned run average to 1.28 in six appearances.
Wisconsin 11, Kenosha 8
The Wisconsin Woodchucks held a comfortable lead throughout the game and were able to hold on, as the Kenosha Kinfish rallied in the ninth inning. Wisconsin held a 6-0 lead after four innings and led 11-4 after the seventh. The Kingfish scored four in the top of the ninth, which was not enough as the Woodchucks improved to 8-7 on the season. Ruben Cardenas (Cal State Fullerton) reached base in all five plate appearances for Wisconsin, as he hit 4-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and two RBI with a home run. Mac Caples (Virginia Tech) and Austin Blakeley (Texas A&M Corpus Christi) each homered for the Woodchucks.
Wisconsin Rapids 10, Kalamazoo 0
The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters had a solid balance of hitting and pitching in a 10-0 win over the Kalamazoo Growlers. Eight batters recorded hits, and nine players scored runs for Wisconsin Rapids. The Rafters received a phenomenal pitching performance from Chris Cooper (Texas A&M Corpus Christi), who was named the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night. Cooper threw seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Eric Ligda (Millersville) came on in relief and threw two perfect innings struck out the side in both innings he pitched.
Madison 5, Battle Creek 4
The Madison Mallards had a lead, lost it and regained it back again in a 5-4 win over the Battle Creek Bombers at home on Thursday night. Madison scored first to take a 2-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth. Cody Sporrer (UC-Riverside) led off the fifth with a home run for Battle Creek, and the Bombers scored three more runs in the inning to take a 4-2 advantage. The Mallards responded in the bottom of the inning with a three-run home run hit by Nico Hoerner (Stanford), who finished 3-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI.
La Crosse 4, Waterloo 1
After 5 1/2 scoreless innings, the La Crosse Loggers were able to score enough runs to get by the Waterloo Bucks. The Loggers scored a run in the bottom of the sixth and added three more an inning later to take a 4-0 lead. The Bucks got on the board in the eighth with a run but went down in order in the ninth in the loss. Loggers' Mark Nowaczewski (Nevada) threw six shutout innings and allowed four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts, as he picked up the win to improve to 2-0 on the year. La Crosse third baseman Cullen Large (William Mary) hit 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
Thunder Bay 11, Willmar 7
The Thunder Bay Border Cats were able to outscore the Willmar Stingers in an offensive battle on Thursday night. Thunder Bay recorded its first victory of the season and finished with 14 hits on the night. The Border Cats held a 6-0 lead in the third inning and never trailed in the game. Thunder Bay's designated hitter Robert Boselli (Mercer County CC) hit 4-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and three RBI. Greg Lambert (Southern Illinois) homered for the Stingers, who dropped to 6-10 on the 2016 season.
St. Cloud 3, Mankato 2
The St. Cloud Rox defeated the Mankato MoonDogs 3-2 on Thursday at home to improve to 10-6, while the MoonDogs fell to 10-6 as well. St. Cloud took an early 1-0 lead in the second inning and lost the advantage with a two-run fourth for Mankato. The Rox added a single run in the fifth and sixth to take the lead for good. St. Cloud left fielder Ricky Ramirez (McNeese State) recorded four more hits on the night to improve his batting average to .403 on the year. Mankato's left fielder Jake Shepski (Notre Dame) boosted his average to .475 with his ninth multi-hit game of the season.
Friday's Schedule
Rockford @ Lakeshore (6:35 PM)
Waterloo @ La Crosse (7:05 PM)
Battle Creek @ Madison (7:05 PM)
Kenosha @ Wisconsin (7:05 PM)
Duluth @ Rochester (7:05 PM)
Thunder Bay @ Willmar (7:05 PM)
Kalamazoo @ Wisconsin Rapids (7:05 PM)
Green Bay @ Eau Claire (7:05 PM)
St. Cloud @ Mankato (7:05 PM)
