Rochester, Minn. – The La Crosse Loggers edged the host Rochester Honkers 6-5 in front of 900 fans at historic Mayo Field on Tuesday to usher in the start of the 2025 Northwoods League season.<\/p>\n
The back-and-forth affair started right in the first inning when the Lumbermen loaded the bases with no outs off of Rochester starter Ian Regal but were only able to push across one run when Eli Small (Kentucky), who singled to start the season, came home following a bases loaded walk issued to Mateo Gray (Central Florida).<\/p>\n
The hosts answered right back in their bottom of the first when Loggers starter Luke Elward (Golden West CC) issued his own bases loaded free pass that tied the game at one after the first full inning.<\/p>\n
Rochester would keep things rolling in the second inning when they would plate two more runs off of Elward, collecting two hits and two more walks in the frame to take a 3-1 lead.<\/p>\n
La Crosse would answer back though with single runs in both the third and fourth innings via the long ball.\u00a0 Savion Flowers (Kansas) would go deep for the Loggers first round tripper of 2025 in the third and an inning later Cole Belfanti (Golden West CC) would send one over the fence to knot the game at three.<\/p>\n
Cade Richardson (Weatherford CC) would come on in relief of Elward and, after tossing a shutout inning in the third, would surrender a lone run in the fourth on two hits that propelled the Honkers back on top 4-3 through four innings of play.<\/p>\n
The score would remain that way until the seventh as Richardson would keep the Honkers bats at bay for the next two innings before the Loggers would plate two in the seventh thanks to safeties from Small and Gray once again to jump on top 5-4.\u00a0 La Crosse would add another in the eighth thanks to hits from Aaron Mingo (Long Beach CC) and Ethan Edinger (Louisville) before Gavin Taylor (UNLV) would lift a sacrifice fly to score Mingo putting the Loggers up 6-4.<\/p>\n
Jack Otis (Central Michigan) would come in to pitch the final three frames to earn the save for La Crosse, limiting Rochester to just one run in the ninth before securing the 6-5 victory.<\/p>\n
The Loggers recorded eight hits on the night from seven different players, led by Small who went 2-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.\u00a0 The trio of Elward, Richardson and Otis combined to strike out 11 Rochester hitters.<\/p>\n
The same two teams will do battle again on Tuesday night, but the two-game series shifts to the friendly confines of Copeland Park for the Loggers 2025 home opener.\u00a0 Gates open at 5:30 pm with the first pitch slated for 6:35 pm.<\/p>\n