Written by Logan Bourandas

Willmar opened up its four-game road-trip on the right foot with a 5-2 win over the Bismarck Larks on Friday night.

The Stingers never trailed in the game and they got started early with a 2-RBI single from Zach Stroh to plate the first runs in the second.

That score would hold until the fourth inning where after a double from Jake Hjelle, he would come around to score via a wild pitch to make it a 3-0 Stingers lead.

Helping the cause early on would be the MinnWest Technology Player of the Game Ray Cebulski who threw five shutout innings while striking out seven batters in his Stinger debut.

Once Cebulski went out of the game, the Hemponix Relief Pitcher of the Game Alex Clemons would keep the lead alive for the Stingers.

Also helping the cause was Kyle Payne who hit his first home run of the season, a two-run blast in the seventh inning to up the Stingers lead to 5-0.

The Larks would tack on two runs late in the game but it wouldn’t be enough as Ben Irsfeld shut things down with a two-inning save to secure the 5-2 win.

Willmar is now back to a winning record in 2023, sitting at 2-1 as the final game of the two-game series with Bismarck is set for Saturday night at 7:05.

For more coverage of the Stingers, visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com. 

The 2023 season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group, empowering investors with powerful financial advice.