Dickinson, ND – For the third consecutive season, and eighth time overall, there will be post-season baseball at Copeland Park this summer.\u00a0 The La Crosse Loggers clinched the Great Plains East First-Half Division Title on Sunday evening with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Badlands Big Sticks.<\/p>\n
The Lumbermen jumped out early in this one when Savion Flowers (Kansas) drew a one-out walk and later came around to score on a miscue by the Badlands third baseman to put the Loggers up 1-0.<\/p>\n
La Crosse grew their lead to 2-0 in the top of the third after a Flowers double, a Carson Ohland (Grand Canyon) single and then an RBI groundout off the bat of Kedren Kinzie (Hawaii).<\/p>\n
The lead was short lived though as Badlands finally broke through against Loggers starter Cade Richardson (Weatherford CC) in their half of the third when they scored two runs on a pair of hits to tie the game at two apiece.<\/p>\n
The two teams would trade blows in the fifth.\u00a0 The Loggers scored twice with two outs thanks to doubles from Eli Small (Florida Atlantic) and Xander Mclaurin (Cal-Poly) and nestled in between the doubles was a single by Ethan Edinger (UTRGV).\u00a0 That 4-2 lead was also short-lived though as the Big Sticks also plated two, highlighted by a home run form Chayton Fischer, to tie the score up at 4-4 through five complete.<\/p>\n
The score would remain tied until the ninth as both teams employed relievers in the sixth through eighth innings that kept both offenses at bay.\u00a0 Kassius Thomas (Stanford) threw a pair of scoreless innings for the Loggers, striking out two, before turning it over to Jack Mount in the eighth.<\/p>\n
Badlands would load the bases in the eighth against Mount with just one out but he struck out one before getting the final batter of the inning to pop out to Kinzie at first base.<\/p>\n
In the ninth, Edinger would work a one-out walk before moving up to second base on a ground out to bring up catcher Max Kalk (Ball State).\u00a0 Kalk laced a 2-1 pitch up the middle to score Edinger from second and give the Lumbermen a 5-4 lead.<\/p>\n
Mount came back out in the bottom of the ninth and, after retiring the first two batters, it appeared the Loggers were on the cusp of securing the victory.\u00a0 But Badlands hitters draw a walk, produced a seeing-eye single and garnered a second walk to load the bases with two outs before Mount struck out the final batter to secure the win and the first-half crown.<\/p>\n
The Loggers pounded out 10 hits on the night, led by two-hit performances from Small, Mclaurin and Kalk.\u00a0 Mount picked up the win in relief, his first of the summer.<\/p>\n
With the win the Loggers improved to 22-10 overall and the Big Sticks fell to 19-13.\u00a0 The same two teams will meet again tomorrow night in Dickinson for the series finale with first pitch set for 6:35 pm (MT).<\/p>\n