GREEN BAY, WI – The La Crosse Loggers came out on top of another one-run ballgame on Saturday afternoon when they topped the host Green Bay Rockers by a final of 3-2 in front of 1,701 onlookers at Capital Credit Union Park.
La Crosse struck early in this one when Zach Wadas (TCU) laced a one-out double to plate Matt Miura (Hawaii) who singled one batter earlier to give the Loggers a 1-0 lead. One batter later Luke Davis (Long Beach City College) singled to score Wadas and the Lumbermen were up 2-0 just four batters in to the game. Green Bay starter Lleyton Grubich would work his way out of a bases loaded jam in the first to keep it at 2-0 and start a theme for the next few innings.
Green Bay answered right back in the bottom of the first with one run without hitting the ball out of the infield off of Loggers starter Micah Worley (Stony Brook) to make it 2-1 after one full frame.
La Crosse would continue to push the tempo, loading the bases in the second and third innings with just one out but Grubich was able to work out of those jams as well.
The Lumbermen would ring the bell again in the fourth inning when Wadas worked a one-out walk, stole second and then came around to score on a Derek Mitchell (LSU) RBI single to put them up 3-1.
The Rockers were able to get an unearned run back in the bottom of the fourth via a RBI sacrifice fly to score their lead-off hitter who had reached on an error, making it 3-2.
Reece Beuter (Iowa) relieved Worley and worked three scoreless innings to earn the win. He gave way to Tate Hess (Louisiana-Lafayette) who tossed a scoreless seventh and eighth innings before Casey Kowalzyck (Iowa Western) came on to slam the door in the ninth to earn his second save.
La Crosse hammered out eight hits on the afternoon led by Miura and Mitchell who each recorded two safeties.
With the win the Loggers improved to 8-4 while the Rockers fell to 2-9. La Crosse will now travel to Wisconsin Rapids for a 1:05 pm tilt with the Rafters before returning home to the friendly confines of Copeland Park on Monday night to host those same Rafters.
