WILLMAR, Minn. – Garrett Borba (Pacific) broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI triple to right field in the sixth inning of game two of a doubleheader against Mankato to give the Stingers the lead for good en route to splitting the twinbill with the MoonDogs Saturday at Bill Taunton Stadium. The Stingers took the second game by a score of 5-3 after dropping the first contest, 5-4.
Borba finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBIs after adding a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Sean Dwyer (Florida Gulf Coast) led off the seventh with a triple to center field. He scored two batters later on an RBI double by Mitch Delfino (California). Ryan Dettman (Oregon State) and Anthony Bemboom (Creighton) followed with back-to-back singles. Bemboom’s single gave him his eighth RBI of the season. Borba completed the scoring with the sacrifice fly to score Dettman. In total, the Stingers scored three runs on four hits in the seventh to stretch their lead to 5-1.
Delfino had a perfect day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with an RBI double and two runs scored. Dwyer also had a multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 day that included a run and an RBI.
Jack Shannon (San Diego) earned the victory in game two to improve to 2-2 for the year after pitching a scoreless sixth inning in relief of Chris Gonzales (Point Loma). Gonzales went five innings in his first start of the season and only allowed one run and three hits while striking out four.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Willmar jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning after a leadoff double by Mitch Rowan (Willamette), who scored three batters later on an RBI single by Dwyer. However, the MoonDogs responded with four unanswered runs to claim a 4-1 lead after six innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Stingers plated three runs on three hits, including an RBI double by Jason Leblebijian (Bradley) and a two-run single by Eduardo Gonzalez (Alcorn State) to tie the game, 4-4, heading into the eighth. Mankato scored one in the eighth to take a 5-4 lead, which ended up being the final score. Leblebijian was 2-for-3 in the game with two doubles, while Gonzalez had three RBIs for the Stingers.
Willmar has an off day Sunday and will play a road game Monday at St. Cloud at 7:05 p.m. The Stingers return home Tuesday night for “Salute to Agriculture Night” presented by Central Lakes Cooperative. The entire night will be themed around the Ag industry, including a pre-game cow milking contest. All fans will receive free sweet corn compliments of Central Lakes Cooperative.
The 2011 season is presented by Charter.
