The Willmar Stingers took game one of the double header 11-7 thanks to five multi-hit games from Willmar hitters. Mikey Reynolds (St. Mary’s) was 3-for-4 while Anthony Bemboom (Creighton), Carlos Leyva (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Eduardo Gonzalez (Alcorn State) and Joe Sever (Pepperdine) all had two hits in the win. Alexandria hit the ball well in the loss with five players also have multi-hit games. All-Star Marcus Semien (California Berkeley) was 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI in the loss.

The South Division leading Eau Claire Express beat the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 11-2 in front of 2,316 fans. Eau Claire scored in all but two innings and had four batters with RBI’s on the night. Drew Heithoff (Augustana) was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two RBI and a base on balls while Nathan Orf (Illinois Chicago) drove in four runs. The Fadness’ brothers, Will (South Mountain CC) and Nolan (Wisconsin OshKosh), combined to score five runs and drive in two RBI. Matthew McDaniel (San Diego State) earned his 7th win of the season after throwing a three hitter thru 6.0 innings.

The NWL 2010 season is winding down and the playoff scenarios are abundant. There are eight teams within the North and South Division that have an opportunity to make the playoffs. The North Division has four teams atop the standings and are only separated by 2.0 games. The South Division also has four teams who are trailing the 1st Half Champion Eau Claire Express. The Express are one of the South Division playoff representatives while the other four teams are separated by 1.5 games.

Thunder Bay took game one of the double header 10-5 as they had 15 hits while only allowing five Huskies hits. The Border Cats combined to throw a five hitter while using three pitchers. Will Krasne (Rollings-FL) earned the win after throwing 2.1 innings in relief while only allowing two hits. Ken Battiston (Eastern Michigan) knocked in three runs in his three-hit performance while Ryan Court (Illinois State) also had three RBI. JoJo Sharrar (Utah) had two hits and two RBI in the loss for the Huskies.

The NWL regular season plays ends on August 16th, but there are many meaningful games in the next week. Both the North and South Divisions of the NWL are tight, as eight teams have opportunities to make the 2010 playoffs. The winner or the North and South 2nd Half will join the Rochester Honkers and Eau Claire Express as they won the 1st Half race.