One big inning for the Rochester Honkers did the Madison Mallards in Monday night at the Duck Pond. The Honkers knocked off the Mallards in game one of the Northwoods League?s South Division Playoffs at the Duck Pond, 7-1.
Rochester, which won a NWL record 50 regular season games in 2006, scored five times in the fifth inning against Mallards starter Tom Stilson. With one out, shortstop Dan Lyons singled. The next Rochester batter, Jeff Engel, flew out to right field. NWL All-Star Chris Jones singled to put runners at first and second. Stilson then walked NWL Most Valuable Player Efren Navarro, Jr. to load the bases. Adam Cross? single scored Lyons. Eric Hoffman?s single scored Jones and Navarro. Cross scored on a wild pitch before Hoffman scored on a double by Shea Harris. The Honkers led 6-0 after the fifth.
Rochester?s Lyons hit a one-out home run in the first to give his team an early 1-0 lead. The Honkers added another in the sixth against Mallards pitcher Chris Spangler to grab a 7-0 lead.
Madison?s lone run came in the bottom of the sixth against Rochester?s starter, Matthew Reynolds. Randy Molina hit a one-out single then moved to third on a double down the right field line by Tommy Lentz. Ryan Bond?s (pictured below) single scored Molina to put the Ducks on the board, but it was all the team would get.
Reynolds, making his fourth appearance against Madison this summer, improved his record against the Ducks this season to 3-0.
Molina had three of the Mallards seven hits. Lentz had two.
Stilson (top left) worked five innings allowing six runs on nine hits. He struck out four and walked five.
The series now shifts to Mayo Field in Rochester for games two and three (if necessary). Adam Mills will start for Madison against the Honkers Ryan Bird.
There will be a fan bus heading to Mayo Field in Rochester, Minn., for game two of the series. The bus will leave from the parking lot of Warner Park at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 15. The cost is 30 dollars and includes a ticket to the game. For tickets, call 608.246.4277 or stop by the ticket office at the Duck Pond. The bus will return to Warner Park after the game.
For fans not going to the game, it can be heard at 6:50 p.m. on Madison?s Fox Sports Radio 100.5 FM. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
