WILLMAR, MN – Another day and another doubleheader at Bill Taunton Stadium, this time the Stingers taking the sweep over the visiting St. Cloud Rox.
In game one the offense came alive in the first and backed up a fantastic outing from Will Whelan (Minnesota) to give the Stingers a 4-2 win.
Jessada Brown (UCSB) got the offense started with a 2-run home run in the 1st inning, his fourth of the season, to make it 2-0.
Whelan then gave the Stingers a great start, going five innings with nine strikeouts and only allowing two runs.
With Willmar up 3-2 in the 5th, Andrew Sojka (CSUN) delivered the big blow with his 18th home run of the season to extend the lead to 4-2.
Hemponix Relief Pitcher of the Game Brett Barfield (Georgia Tech) closed things down with a 2 inning save, recording four strikeouts.
In game two, again the offense got the Stingers on the board, and the two teams traded punches throughout.
Jessada Brown threw the first haymaker of the ballgame, launching his second home run of the night in the 1st inning as Willmar went up 3-0.
After the Rox battled back to score five unanswered, the Stingers had an answer.
In the fourth inning and the score at 5-4 Rox, Andrew Sojka came up in the clutch with a 2-out, 2 RBI double to take the lead 6-5.
Liam Bishey (Western Illinois) then followed him up with his 2nd RBI of the night, knocking Sojka in on a single.
Hemponix Relief Pitcher of the Game Ian Segna (Concordia-St. Paul) came in in the 5th inning and got out of a jam with two runners on. He then one-upped himself in the 6th, wiggling out of a bases loaded situation to keep the lead.
The knockout punch was then delivered in the bottom of the 6th from Casey Murray Jr. (Cal Poly), driving in two runs on a two-out double of his own making it 9-5.
St. Cloud got one back in the 7th, but the Stingers hung on for the 9-6 win.
St. Cloud and Willmar will matchup for the third and final game of the series on Saturday night with first pitch at 7:05 pm and fireworks to follow.
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.
