The Northwoods League completed seven games on Wednesday night instead of the standard nine, as Mankato and Willmar had the day off, and the weather played a part in a pair of games. The Green Bay and Battle Creek matchup was called final in the sixth, and the Kenosha and Rockford game was postponed in the first inning, which will be finished to nine innings on July 2 at 4:05 p.m. in Kenosha, followed by a seven-inning second game.
Eau Claire 10, Rochester 4
The Eau Claire Express used a six-run top of the fourth inning to pull away and defeat the Rochester Honkers 10-4 on the road Wednesday afternoon. The big inning gave Eau Claire a 7-0 advantage, and the Express extended their lead to 10-0 in the ninth before Rochester scored four in the bottom half of the ninth inning. Eau Claire starter Aaron Shortridge (California) had a big game, as he went seven shutout innings and allowed four hits and two walks with eight strikeouts to improve to 4-0 in four starts. The Express improved to 14-8 on the season, while Rochester fell to 5-16 for its sixth consecutive loss.
La Crosse 3, Thunder Bay 2
The La Crosse Loggers held on to beat the Thunder Bay Border Cats 3-2 on Wednesday night after a late threat from the Border Cats. Heading into the ninth, La Crosse led 2-1 and scored in the top of the inning to extend the deficit to two on a run-scoring double from Griffin Conine (Duke). Following consecutive walks to begin the bottom of the ninth for the Border Cats, the runners advanced to second and third with one out. Rob Andreoli (LIU Post) scored on a groundout to second base, which cut the lead to 3-2, but Loggers' reliever Andrew Perez (South Florida) got the final out to pick up the save and give La Crosse the victory.
Duluth 9, Wisconsin 1
The Wisconsin Woodchucks scored the first run of the game, but the Duluth Huskies came back with nine unanswered runs to win 9-1 at home. Both teams scored a run in the first, and the game remained tied at 1 with until the Huskies scored two runs in the sixth, four in the seventh and two more in the ninth to extend the lead to 9-1. Duluth pitcher Dan Loats (NIACC) finished with a no decision and allowed just one unearned run on four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in five innings of work. Seven batters recorded a hit for the Huskies, and five recorded multiple hits in the victory.
Madison 4, Kalamazoo 2
The Madison Mallards took the lead in the first inning and led the entire game to defeat the Kalamazoo Growlers by a score of 4-2 on Wednesday. Madison received a huge performance from its starter Mitchell Kilkenny (Texas A&M) in his season debut. The righty from Houston, Texas did not allow a run and allowed six hits and struck out four batters in five innings of work as he picked up the win. The Growlers actually outhit Madison 9-6 but recorded two errors, while the Mallards had none. Madison moved to 14-8 to remain in first place in the South Division, while Kalamazoo fell to 13-11 on the season.
Wisconsin Rapids 9, Lakeshore 7
The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters came back from a five-run deficit to defeat the Lakeshore Chinooks 9-7 at home. Lakeshore had a 7-2 advantage in the fourth inning before Wisconsin Rapids made its comeback. The Rafters scored one in the bottom of the fourth, two in the fifth and another in the sixth to make it a 7-6 game. In the eighth inning, Dustin Woodcock (SIU-Edwardsville) hit a solo home run to tie it at 7,and Wisconsin Rapids rallied for two more runs with two outs to take the 9-7 advantage. Garrett Schilling (Xavier) came on in the ninth and tossed a scoreless inning to pick up his sixth save of the season.
St. Cloud 16, Waterloo 7
In a game that combined for 33 hits, the St. Cloud Rox outslugged the Waterloo Bucks by a score of 16-7 on Wednesday night. The Rox extended their winning streak to eight games and moved into sole possession of first place in the North Division. St. Cloud finished with 20 hits in the game, and nine batters finished with at least one hit. TJ Friedl (Nevada-Reno) hit 4-for-6 on the night with two runs batted in and a run scored, while Mason Mamarella (Kent State University) finished 4-for-5 with a RBI and three runs scored. Waterloo had a big day offensively too with 13 hits but stranded 12 runners on base in the loss.
Green Bay 10, Battle Creek 7
In a game that was called final after six innings of play, the Green Bay Bullfrogs pulled out the 10-7 victory over the Battle Creek Bombers. Green Bay led 9-0, and the Bombers got back into the game before the game was called in the middle of the seventh due to rain. The Bullfrogs improved to 8-14 on the season, while the Bombers dropped their overall record to 12-12 with the loss.
Thursday's Schedule
Kenosha @ Lakeshore (6:35 PM)
Wisconsin Rapids @ Rockford (6:35 PM)
Mankato @ Duluth (6:35 PM)
St. Cloud @ La Crosse (7:05 PM)
Waterloo @ Willmar (7:05 PM)
Wisconsin @ Madison (7:05 PM)
Green Bay @ Kalamazoo (7:05 PM)
Eau Claire @ Thunder Bay (7:05 PM)
Rochester @ Battle Creek (7:05 PM)
