WILLMAR, MN – It was an eventful day at Bill Taunton Stadium, as fans saw 19 innings of baseball with the Stingers and Minot Hot Tots splitting a doubleheader.
The first game was a thrilling comeback win for the home side, taking down Minot 9-8 in 10 innings.
Willmar got on the board in the third thanks to Andrew Sojka’s (CSUN) league leading 15th home run of the year which also tied the Northwoods League career record for home runs at 30.
Minot responded back right away though with 5 runs to make it 5-1.
The Stingers entered the 8th inning trailing 8-1 and that is when the magic started.
Willmar worked counts deep and pushed across four runs in the 8th and three more in the ninth to send it to a 10th inning.
With a runner starting on second in the extra frame, Hemponix Relief Pitcher of the Game Brett Barfield (Georgia Tech) slammed the door shut, getting a strikeout to end the top half of the inning and keep the game tied.
In the bottom half, the first man to come to the plate, Casey Murray Jr. (Cal Poly), drilled one to the right centerfield gap, bringing home the game-winning run and completing the comeback.
In game two, the script was flipped as Minot dominated from start to finish.
The Hot Tots pushed across at least one run in each frame from the 2nd through the 6th and found themselves with an 8-3 lead.
Then the big blow came in the 8th as the Stingers bullpen struggled with command and the Hot Tots pushed across seven runs.
Minot took game two by a final of 16-3 and leads the series 2-1.
The same two teams will close out the series on Thursday night at Bill Taunton Stadium with first pitch at 6:35 pm.
For more coverage of the Stingers, visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com. The 2024 season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group, empowering investors with powerful financial advice.
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. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team 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.
