With two games into the season, only four teams remain unbeaten. In the North Division the Duluth Huskies and Willmar Stingers both won. Meanwhile in the south, the Kalamazoo Growlers won an early afternoon affair with Rockford and the defending champion Wisconsin Rapids Rafters won in walk-off fashion.
Rockford 4, Kalamazoo 13
The Kalamazoo Growlers used a seven run fourth and a five run eighth to defeat the Rockford Rivets to improve to 2-0 dropping the Rivets to 0-2. In the only afternoon game of the day, The Growlers built an 8-0 lead after five innings. The Rivets were able to respond for three in the sixth and one in the top of the eighth, but Kalamazoo then went off for five in the eighth. Growlers' starting pitcher Connor Manus pitched 5.2 allowing three earned on three hits, striking out seven while holding onto a ton of run support to pick up the win.
Green Bay 3, Wisconsin 5
The Wisconsin Woodchucks picked up their first win of the season by defeating the Green Bay Bullfrogs fuled by three home runs from the heart of their lineup. Andrew Kendrick (Youngstown State) got things going for the Chucks in the first with an RBI double. The Frogs answered right back in the second by taking the lead from a two run home run by Kyle Benyo (Youngstown State). The Woodchucks re took the lead in the third from back-to-back solo shots from Stevie Mangrum (Virginia Tech) and Kendrick. Both teams scored in the sixth, but Ivan Nunez (Hillsborough CC) hit a solo shot to make it a two run game. Orsen Josephona (Hillsborough CC) came in for the Chucks in the ninth, put a runner on, but struckout the next three for the save.
St. Cloud 8, Waterloo 2
The St. Cloud Rox got things going early in the first and exploded for a five run fourth to give them enough off a lead to defeat the Waterloo Bucks 8-2. The Rox brought two runs across in the first from a fielder's choice and an error. The Bucks answered in the second with a run from a wild pitch. The Rox's fourth inning was fueld by an error that ended up in three runs while Matthew Warkentin (Xavier) knocked in his second run of the game. The Rox then got a run in the eighth, the Bucks responded in the ninth from a Colin Kreiter (Kirkwood CC) home run, but St. Cloud held on for the win.
Fond du Lac 5, Madison 3
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders' bullpen outlasted the Madison Mallards as they came through for a three-run seventh to win 5-3. The Mallards got on the board first with a run in the third. The Dock Spiders tied the game in the sixth when Collin Braithewaite drove in a run from an RBI single. The Dock Spiders took the lead from a bases loaded walk and a two RBI single in the seventh from Andrew Bullock (Illinois State). Fond du Lac added an insurance run in the ninth and Adam Eck (Edgewood) came on to pick up the save.
Duluth 7, La Crosse 4
The Duluth Huskies took the lead in the third after scoring five runs in the third and once in the eighth to defeat the La Crosse Loggers 7-4. With the Loggers up 2-1 in the third, the Huskies retook the lead and broke the game open. Duluth scored their runs from mistakes by the Loggers' pitching staff. Brett Milazzo (Minnesota Duluth) scored on wild pitch, while another run came across from a bases loaded walk, another from a balk and then a two-run single. The Loggers scored twice in the fourth from two fielder's choice, but the Huskies answered with a run in the eighth. Kevin Folman (North Dakota State) then came onto to put the game away for the Huskies by picking up the save.
Thunder Bay 1, Willmar 4
The Willmar Stingers used the first three innings to establish a four run lead over the Thunder Bay Border cats to go onto win 4-1. The Stingers scored single runs in the first and second and picked up two in the third from an RBI triple by Marcus McCorkle (Georgia Gwinnett) as he came around to score on an RBI ground out. The Border Cats got a run back from a Jared McCunn (SIU-Edwardsville) home run, but the Stingers' starter Corey Binger (Nebraska-Omaha) threw two more scoreless innings and the bullpen threw three shutout innings.
Eau Claire 8, Bismarck 3
The Eau Claire Express went down 3-0 early to the Bismarck Larks, but they scored six in the middle innings to give them their first win of the season with an 8-3 victory. The Larks left off from where they were last night by scoring once in each of the first three innings. The Express answered for two in the fourth and then opened up a four-run fifth from an error, wild pitch and a single by Brian Grove (Iowa Western) and a double from Tanner Umentum(MATC). Eau Claire added on two more insurance runs in the seventh and eighth while the pitching staff threw six consecutive scorelss innings to end the game.
Lakeshore 3, Battle Creek 5
The Battle Creek Bombers picked up its first win of the season with a 5-3 victory over the Lakeshore Chinooks. After giving up three early runs, the Bombers offense helped starting pitcher Andrew Click (Davenport) settle in as they would go onto to score the next five runs of the game. Click pitched five innings allowing three runs on three hits as he picked up the win. Nick Walker (Austin Peay) went 1-2 and drove in three for the Bombers while Sam Lund (Madison College) led the Chinooks by going 2-5 with two singles.
Kenosha 2, Wisconsin Rapids 4
The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters needed extra innings to remain undefeated on the young season as they defeated the Kenosha Kingfish 4-2. Rapids struck first from an RBI single by Mitchell Mallek (St. Cloud State). Kenosha tied the game in the fourth and took the lead in the eighth when Mike Madej (Purdue) hit a solo shot. Nick Owens (St. Johns River State) tied the game again for the Rafters with a two out RBI single to force extras. Mallek delivered again in the tenth when he hit a walk-off two-run home run to give Rapids the win.
Rochester 3, Mankato 15
The Mankato MoonDogs used a nine run fifth inning to surge over the Rochester Honkers for a 15-3 victory. The MoonDogs scored twice in the bottom of the first from an RBI triple by Nick Vaage (Memphis). The Honkers then tied the game in the third from Jordan Hart (Minnesota State Mankato) who hit a double and an RBI single from Weston Hatten (Nevada). After one run in each the third and fourth, Mankato finally opened up the scoring in the fifth when Honker reliever Drew Slade (Ripon) walked eight batters. The MoonDogs would go onto to score twice more in the seventh and eighth while the Honkers put up one in the ninth, but the lead was too large.
Schedule for June 1:
Wisconsin @ Rockford (6:35)
Wisconsin Rapids @ Fond du Lac (6:35 PM)
Lakeshore @ Madison (6:35 PM)
Duluth @ Waterloo (6:35 PM)
Green Bay @ Kenosha (6:35 PM)
Kalamazo @ Battle Creek (7:05)
Mankato @ La Crosse (7:05 PM)
Thunder Bay @ Bismarck (7:05 PM)
Eau Claire @ Willmar (7:05 PM)
St. Cloud @ Rochester (7:05 PM)
