Battle Creek, MI – The La Crosse Loggers fell to the Battle Creek Bombers 5-4 in front of 1,521 fans at C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Mich. on Sunday evening.
One night after blasting two home runs and driving in seven, Loggers second baseman Jordan Zimmerman (Michigan State) got the Loggers on the board right away in the top of the first when he crushed another home run over the centerfield wall to give the Lumbermen an early 1-0 lead.
But the host Bombers jumped on Loggers starter Zach Lewis (Wichita State) early, plating two runs in the first and another in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Battle Creek would add another in the fifth to grow their lead to 4-1 ending Lewis' day.
La Crosse would trim that lead to one when Zander Clarke (UCLA) would lace a two-out double to score Mason McCoy (Iowa) and Zimmerman. But Battle Creek would get one back in the seventh off of reliever Jack Ralston (UCLA) to push their lead to 5-3.
After a scoreless eighth, the Loggers went to work in the ninth much in the same way they did the night before. Brock Lundquist (Long Beach State) opened with a single. Two batters later Will Savage (Columbia) ripped a pinch-hit single before Ronnie Gideon (Texas A & M) singled to right to drive in Lundquist and trim the lead to just one. But Battle Creek closer Mason Marshall would strike out Riley Adams (San Diego) and get Alex Merritt (North Florida) to ground out to end the threat and the game.
Lewis took the loss for the Loggers after surrending four runs (two earned) on ten hits over five innings of work. Ralston did throw three solid innings of relief, surrenering just one run on two hits while striking out three.
Zimmerman and Clarke led the Loggers nine-hit attack with two hits apiece, while Clarke also drove in a pair.
The Loggers fell to 13-13 with the loss and the same two teams will play again on Monday night in the series finale at C.O. Brown Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (Central). John Pappadopolous has the call on the Loggers Radio Network at 5:30 p.m.
