WILLMAR, Minn. — It didn't take the Stingers much time to bounce back from a loss to St. Cloud in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday. 

Willmar scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning in the night cap with the Rox, and Jayce Vancena (Michigan) put together a quality start to help the Stingers split the twin bill with St. Cloud with a 6-3 win at Bill Taunton Stadium. 

After the Stingers (14-16) fell 5-2 in the afternoon affair, they responded with some immediate run support for Vancena, who had a scoreless top of the first. Willmar had the first four reach in the first inning to score the three runs. Quincy McAfee singled, Danny Pardo got hit by a pitch, and Greg Lambert reached on an error to bring McAfee home for the 1-0 lead. 

In his first game as a Stinger, Danny Mayer (Pacific) singled through the right side a batter later to make it 2-0. Travis Wacker had an RBI single of his own later in the inning. 

The Stingers added a run in the second inning thanks to two Rox errors, and that run proved enough to be the winning tally. 

Making his second start of the year, Vancena ran with the early run support and went 6 2/3 innings of five-hit ball. Vancena struck out four and allowed just three runs, keeping a potent Rox offense at bay. 

St. Cloud cut the Willmar lead to 4-3 with a run in the fifth inning, but the Stingers had a big response in the bottom of the fifth inning with a run of their own. Willmar then added another insurance run with an RBI single from Quincy McAfee in the eighth. 

Max Green pitched the final 2 1/3 innings and picked up his first save of the summer, allowing just two hits while striking out four. 

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Jayce Vancena. 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 Stingers now head on the road for six straight games, starting with a four-game series in Thunder Bay on Thursday. 

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.