WILLMAR, Minn. – Corben Green extended his hitting streak to 20 games and three Stingers had multi-hit efforts Monday night, but Willmar dropped its second straight game to Waterloo, 6-4, at Bill Taunton Stadium.

Austin Barrett (Mercer) hit a two-run homer for Waterloo in the first inning, and the Stingers were forced to play from behind the rest of the night. Willmar scored a run in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Michael Suchy (Florida Gulf Coast) to score Mitch Rowan (San Francisco). Suchy’s team-leading ninth double gave him his 44th RBI of the year, which ranks second in the Northwoods League. Suchy finished the game 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI, while Rowan went 2-for-5 in the game.

The Stingers tied the game briefly in the third inning when the first three hitters reached base. Matt Jackson (Washington) walked, and Forrestt Allday (Central Arkansas) and Rowan each reached on singles. Kenny Roberts (Alabama) entered the game as a pinch runner for Jackson and scored one batter later on a wild pitch to tie the game, 2-2. With the go-ahead run on third base and nobody out, Brock Hudgens (Charlotte) retired the next three hitters to prevent the Stingers from taking the lead.

Hudgens earned the victory with a season-high eight strikeouts in six innings. He allowed only two runs on four hits. George Asmus (Washington) took the loss for the Stingers with four runs allowed on six hits in five innings. Asmus struck out five and walked two. Andre Wheeler (Texas Tech) struck out three in 2.1 innings of relief, and Josh Biggs (Evansville) struck out one in 2/3 inning.

With the game tied, Waterloo responded immediately in the fourth inning with two runs to regain the lead, which they never relinquished. The Bucks added runs in the sixth and the seventh to take a 6-2 advantage into the eighth.

Willmar tried to mount a comeback in the eighth when Hunter Dozier (Stephen F. Austin) led off the inning with a walk and Suchy followed with a single to left. With runners on first and third and nobody out, Green (Louisiana Monroe) singled through the right side to bring home Dozier and extend his hitting streak to 20 games, which is the seventh longest in Northwoods League history.

Following a groundout, Max Kuhn (Kentucky) hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Suchy and make it a 6-4 contest, but the Stingers rally ended one batter later and Willmar was shut out in the ninth to fall to 27-20 overall and 7-5 in the second half to force a four-way tie for first place in the second-half standings with Alexandria, Duluth and Mankato.

Willmar will conclude a three-game homestand Tuesday night with a contest against Alexandria at 7:05 p.m. It’s Super Hero Night presented by The New U Vitality Center.
 
The 2012 season is presented by Charter. For more information on your Willmar Stingers be sure to visit the West Central Tribune at www.wctrib.com.