WILLMAR–In front of over eleven hundred fans on Minnesota Twins night, the Stingers dropped to 9-9 on the season with a 12-5 loss Monday night to the first place St. Cloud River Bats at Bill Taunton Stadium. Logan Birr had a tough night on the mound for the Stingers, giving up six earned runs in three and two thirds innings to drop his record to 1-2 on the year. St. Cloud’s offense was clicking all night, as they scored in every inning but the first and third, and all but one River Bat hitter had a base knock in the ballgame.

 

For Willmar, the biggest offensive showing went to first baseman Eduardo Gonzalez.  The Alcorn State sophomore went two for three with two walks and two RBI’s and also scored one of the five Stingers runs.  Second baseman Carlos Leyva added two hits and an RBI and in a hitless outing, Mitch Delfino knocked in a run on a fielder’s choice. In the midst of a frustrating slump at the plate, Stingers centerfielder Isaac Ballou took a step in the right direction on Monday, getting a hit and scoring a run in the seventh.

 

Monday was a special night at Bill Taunton Stadium as fans and players alike were treated to an audience with one of baseball’s all-time finest hitters.  Twins legend Tony Oliva was on hand to sign autographs, take photos, and throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Twins Night, and even addressed the crowd before the start of the game.  An eight-time all-star selection, \”Tony-O\” won an AL batting title in his rookie season in 1964, and was a career .304 hitter.

 

Next up for the Stingers, it’s a day-night doubleheader with the River Bats on Tuesday before hitting the road for a two-game set in Brainerd. First pitches are scheduled for 1:05 pm and 7:05 pm in St. Cloud. The Stingers return home to face the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers on Friday June 25th at 7:05 pm at Bill Taunton Stadium.  You won’t want to miss it either as it’s Willmar Fests Night at the ballpark! For tickets call the Stingers ticket office at 320-222-2010 or check out willmarstingers.com for more information. As always, we remind you to log on to wctrib.com for all your Stingers coverage.  The 2010 season is presented by Charter.