La Crosse, Wisc. – The La Crosse Loggers roll to 9-2 win over the Rochester Honkers to close out the regular season.
The final duel of the year saw a pitchers duel to start the game. Tavian Shramek (Madison CC) started the game on the mound, and through the first 3 innings both teams were scoreless. Shramek did the same in the 4th, finishing his outting racking up six strikeouts and not allowing a hit in the process. The Loggers, however, would not let the opposing pitcher do the same, racking up 5 runs in the inning. Eli Small (Kent State) would start the scoring with his 13th homerun of the year, scoring 2. The Lumbermen would proceed to load the bases, and Noah Jones (Georgia SW State) would clear the bases on a double that would put the hosts ahead 5-0.
The next score was in bottom of the 6th, where amongst the frequent substitutions throughout the game, Logan De Groots (Northwestern) would prove to pay off. A 3 run homerun with 2 outs put La Crosse up 8-0. In the seventh inning Rochester would record their first hit, gathering 3 and 2 runs in the process. The final run of the game would come from an Eason Hurd (Madison CC) homerun, putting the score at 9-2 where it would stay the rest of the game.
The 9th inning saw Kelsen Johnson (Georgia SW State) on the mound, where he would finish his impressive game with a scoreless inning. Throughout the game Johnson, who started in right field, moved throughout the diamond, and recorded one inning played at every position, finishing his night on the mound. Amongst other great performers like Eli Small or Logan De Groot with their homeruns, or Schrameck for his great start, Johnson represented his skill and versatility which impressed in tonights game.
The Loggers play tomorrow night at 5:05 for the playoffs! Set to face the Eau Claire Express, the Loggers will be at home in the friendly confines of Copeland Park for game one. AJ Curtis (UW – La Crosse) looks to lead the Loggers to the win as he starts on the mound tomorrow night.