WILLMAR, MN.- The Willmar Stingers continued their success against the Minot Hot Tots this season with a 14-3 victory on Monday.

Early signs appeared that things would trend the opposite way as the Hot Tots struck for three runs with Peyton Becker driving in the first two to get it all started.

That first inning would be all for Stingers starter Chris Rofe but before a pitching change was made, Willmar got to work on the offensive side.

After a trio of walks, MinnWest Technology Campus Player of the Game Drey Dirksen cleared the bases with a single to tie the game back up at three.

That set the table for Hemponix Relief Pitcher of the Game Aiden Hansen who got the work of a starter and made it count.

Hansen pitched five scoreless innings while picking up eight strikeouts in the process.

The Stingers made sure Hansen was in line for the win in the fourth with a pair of RBI singles from Stone Miyao and Dirksen.

Willmar would add even more in the following inning with doubles from Kevin Fitzer and Dirksen helping the Stingers rally for five runs to make it a 10-3 lead.

The Stingers added three to that total in the sixth with a Jack Spanier RBI single combined with a sac fly and a Hot Tots fielding error.

Another sac fly in the eighth proved to be the nail in the coffin as Andrew Baumgart and J.D. Hennen combined for three shutout innings to close a dominant win.

With the strong offensive display, the Stingers are now just three runs away from tying the Northwoods League runs scored record.

That was a record the Stingers set at 525 runs in 2022.

The Stingers will look to create that history against the Hot Tots as the two sides meet for the final time this season.

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.

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The Willmar Stingers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires, and front office staff, over 325 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Stingers as your favorite team.