ROCHESTER, Minn. — The Stingers put up a season-high 11 runs and got a quality start from Tyler Hanson to sweep the Rochester Honkers with a 11-3 victory at Mayo Field on Sunday afternoon.

For the second straight game Willmar (9-10) put up runs in the first inning and never looked back the rest of the way.

The turning point in the game arguably came in the bottom of the fifth inning with the Stingers leading 4-2. After Hanson (Minnesota) recorded the first two outs of the inning, the Honkers’ Kyle Kasser reached base on an error to continue the inning. Mark Contreras doubled down the left-line after that, giving Rochester (5-13) a chance to tie the game. But Hanson buckled down and struck out Alex Fitchett to end the threat.

The Stingers came right back with some more run support for their starter, sending 11 men to the plate in a season-high seven-run inning in the top of the sixth.

Willmar took advantage of walks in the sixth inning, as four different players drew a walk in the frame. All four eventually came around to score. Justin Toerner (Cal State Northridge) drove in the first two runs of the sixth with a two-run double, and Luke Becker (Kentucky), Travis Wacker (Oklahoma State) and Eddie Estrada (Minnesota) also drove in runs in the inning.  

That was plenty of offense for Hanson to work with in his first win of the year. The right-hander scattered seven hits and allowed just two runs while striking out six in his six innings. Hanson finished the day without walking a single batter.

Making his second start of the year, Hanson had plenty of run support by the time he took the mound in the bottom of the first. The Stingers scored four times in the top of the first frame with eight men coming to the plate to start the afternoon. Danny Pardo (Montevallo) led the game off with a single, and after Greg Lambert (Southern Illinois) was retired for the first out, the next three batters all reached for Willmar. Devin Foyle (Kansas) and Becker drove in the first two runs, and Estrada added an RBI single later in the inning.

Willmar was led at the plate by the 3-for-5 performance of Brandon Perez, who also drove in a run. Perez now has three consecutive multi-hit games.

The Stingers head home for a doubleheader against Mankato on Monday night, a doubleheader that will begin at 6:05 p.m. Monday night is Salsa Fest with the first 250 fans receiving a chip clip courtesy of Hansen advertising.

Today's Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Tyler Hanson. 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.

The 2016 Stingers season is presented by Marcus Construction. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.