LA CROSSE, WI – Shane Bryant (Purdue) only lasted three innings as the Kalamazoo Growlers dropped a 11-6 decision to the La Crosse Loggers on Wednesday night at Copeland Park.
Following Jack Ralston’s (UCLA) lead from last night, Brandon Lawson (South Florida, 2-1) tied the Growlers in knots for 6.1 innings. He allowed one run on two hits, walked one, and struck out 11 to earn the victory. Bryant (2-2), who faced the Loggers back in Kalamazoo on June 20, was chased after the third, allowing four runs on six hits.
The Growlers (3-7, 11-32) jumped on the scoreboard early as Jordan Stading (Houston) launched a solo home run to right field in the first inning. From there, the Loggers (4-4, 23-19) took complete control, starting with Ryan Kirby’s (San Diego) two-run homer off Bryant in the second. La Crosse plated two more in the third when Keith Skinner (North Florida) drove in Jordan Zimmerman (Mesa CC/Michigan State) and Brock Lundquist (Long Beach State) on a single.
The Loggers continued to pad their lead in the fourth and fifth against Growler relievers Aaron Tadian (Kent State) and TJ Cerven (KVCC/GVSU). The big fireworks came in the fifth when current Northwoods League batting leader Mason McCoy (Illinois Central College/Iowa) socked a two-run shot to center, his fifth of the season.
Kalamazoo got the bats going in the seventh and the ninth. Bryce Adams (Delgado College/LSU) sliced a pinch-hit double and later scored on Max Schuman’s (Utah) single. Four Growlers runs came across in the ninth, plated by a Corey Dempster (USC) single, wild pitch, Angelo Armenta (USC) sac fly, and Johnny Ruiz (Miami) double.
Schuman and Dempster each went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Stading scored two runs, as did Adams, who pushed his hitting streak to three games.
McCoy upped his league-leading average to .372 by going 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and RBIs. Chris Baker (Washington) also went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run, and two RBIs.
The Growlers now take their second trip of the season to Green Bay to take on the Bullfrogs for the third and fourth times in six games. First pitch from Joannes Stadium is set for Thursday at 8:05 p.m. EDT.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 22-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit http://www.northwoodsleague.com.