Willmar, Minn. — After a slow start to the homestand, the Stingers finished their second longest home stretch of the season with a powerful kick. 

In the first three games of the homestand Willmar had managed just six runs total, but the offense has come on strong lately. That continued Sunday evening at Bill Taunton Stadium, as the Stingers (31-16, 8-5 second half) pounded out 14 hits to sweep Thunder Bay with a 7-2 win. 

After a combined 16 runs for Willmar in Saturday's doubleheader, the offense kept at it and struck in the early going to put the Border Cats away in the first half of the game. Willmar scored seven times in the first four innings, as Reagan Fowler led the charge for the offense. Fowler had two run scoring hits in the first two innings of the game, and the Stingers followed his lead to score four times in the first two innings off of Thunder Bay starter Yuji Suzuki. Fowler had an RBI double in the first inning to drive in the first run of the game, and he scored the second run of the frame on a fielder's choice. 

Fowler paced the Stingers offense in the second frame with an RBI single to make it a three-run advantage, and Ky Parrott followed with an RBI single of his own to extend the lead to four. 

Thunder Bay got two runs back in the top of the third, but the Stingers offense came back for more in the bottom of the fourth to ensure the win. Fowler had another RBI double in the inning to bring the Willmar lead to five runs. 

That was enough for starter Zach Strecker who scattered eight hits in his six innings of work and picked up his third win of the year. 

Willmar has its first scheduled off-day of the season Monday before heading on the road for four straight games starting Tuesday. 

The 2015 season is presented by Marcus Construction. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com. 

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Reagan Fowler. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.