Madison, WI – The South Division scored runs in the second through seventh innings in the early game of the Northwoods League Big League Dreams Showcase Monday afternoon to propel the team to a 9-4 win over the North Division. In the nightcap, the South Division nearly overcame an early 7-1 deficit but fell by a score of 7-6.
Madison Mallards infielder John LaPrise, who was originally scheduled to play in the nightcap, tied things at four in the bottom of the fourth in the first game of the day by singling home Edgar Figeuroa (Wisconsin).
It was all South Division after that, as they tacked on another in the fourth and scored four more over the next three innings. Bryce Bellin (Green Bay) pitched the fourth and received the win for the South while Nick Bates (Willmar) was tagged with the loss.
Nick Torres (Green Bay) paced the South Division in game No. 1 by going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI. Third baseman Tyler Moore (Battle Creek) also had a big night at the plate by recording three of the South Divisions 14 hits on the night. Austin Diemer (Wisconsin) was the lone South Division hitter with multiple RBIs and finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
The South Division pitchers held the North to just eight hits and didnt allow a run after a three-run fourth. Kyle Hann (Thunder Bay) was the only North Division player in the lineup with multiple hits and finished 2-for-5 and singled in Phillip Lyons (Thunder Bay) in the third.
The North Division came out roaring again in the second game but this time it would be too much for the South Division to overcome. They scored a pair of unearned runs off of Taylore Cherry (Madison) in the second and added three more in the next inning thanks to an Adam Martin (St. Cloud) bomb to left. They tacked on two more in the fourth to race out to a 7-1 lead.
But the South clawed their way back into it and pulled within one in the eighth inning by scoring a run in the fifth and sixth, two in the seventh and another in the eighth. Michael Katz (La Crosse) highlighted the comeback attempt with a solo home run deep to left field.
Adam Dian (Waterloo), who sports a 0.40 ERA so far this season, came on in the ninth and needed only seven pitches to come away with the save.
JD Moore (Waterloo) came away with the win in the nightcap while Cherry suffered the loss.
The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate League in North America. The 2013 season marks the 20th season of Northwoods League baseball. 106 former players have gone on to play Major League baseball. Notable alumni of the league include Curtis Granderson (Yankees), Chris Sale (White Sox), Max Scherzer (Tigers), Josh Willingham (Twins) and Jordan Zimmermann (Nationals).
