LA CROSSE, Wis – The Loggers split the series with the Willmar Stingers with a 9-6 loss last night. The loss moves La Crosse to an even 1-1, good enough to be tied for first in the Great Plains East.
The score reflects a much closer game than it truly was. The Loggers struck first in the bottom of the 2nd scoring one run. They held that lead until the 4th where the Stingers put their first run on the board, tying the game. The 5th is where the separation was created as Willmar scored 7 taking an 8-1 lead. They then tacked on 1 more in the 6th, where they sat for the remainder of the game. There was a glimmer of hope in the 9th when the Loggers put up 4, but it ultimately was not enough to overcome the 8 run Stinger lead.
The Loggers were only able to put together 4 hits, 2 of which came from Michael Dixon II (San Diego). Dixon went 2-5 with a double and 2 RBIs moving his batting average to .274 on the year (5th best on the team). The other 2 hits came from newcomer Bill Ralston (Metropolitan State), and iron-man TJ Manteufel. Ralston had a double, an RBI, a couple walks, and a run scored; while Manteufel had a walk and a run scored.
All was not bad last night though as relief pitcher Connor Markl (Grand Canyon) made his first start as a Logger and dealt. He threw 4.0 innings striking out 8 and only allowing a single run. He didn’t get a decision on the night but had an impressive start worth noting. Erik Demchuk (Antelope Valley) was given the loss for his efforts, and on the other side, Dennis Boatman earned the win for the Stingers.
The Loggers look to get back in the groove tonight against the St. Cloud Rox at Copeland Park. ROLL LOGS!