WILLMAR, Minn.—The Stingers offense has been warming up lately, scoring five or more runs in three of four matchups before Sunday's game against Thunder Bay. But in the win against the Border Cats at Bill Taunton Stadium, the offense went wild with several new bats in the lineup in the 11-0 triumph.
Like in Saturday's eight-run outburst, Willmar went into the bottom of the second inning with the score tied at zero. But once again the Stingers struck for two runs in their half of the second inning, which was all starter Matt Snyder — pitching in his first game of the season — and the rest of the pitching staff would need.
But for good measure the Stingers offense kept their foot on the pedal and continued to increase their lead with runs in each of the next four innings to open the floodgates. Each rally started from different parts of the lineup as each of the nine batters for the Stingers recorded at least one hit in the game. In the second inning, Casey Hughston, recently arrived from Alabama, led the inning off with a hit-by-pitch. He moved to third base on the first hit of catcher David Parrett's season, who was also starting in his first game of the season. After Parrett's double down the left field line, Hughston scored on an infield single by Max Dutto. Parrett and Dutto moved to third and second, respectively, with Brian Pruett at the plate with Parrett eventually scoring on a fly ball to right field off the bat of Pruett.
The Stingers scored two more runs in both the third and fourth innings to increase their lead to six, but the nail in the coffin was the four-run fifth inning that put the Stingers up 10. Doubles to the either alley in the outfield keyed the mini outburst in the inning, which started off with a double by Parrett to left-center field. After Dutto walked, the two moved up to second and third during Brian Pruett's at-bat on a passed ball. Pruett then hit the second double of the inning to drive in Parrett from third base and move Dutto to third, who then came in on a groundout by Alex Borglin. One more double in the innning, this time from another newcomer Hunter Webb, brought Pruett into score, and Webb finished off the scoring after he came in on Sean Beesley's single up the middle.
Those ten runs all came off Thunder Bay's starter Tyler Lequire, who worked 5-1/3 innings in his second loss of the season. Lequire stayed into the sixth inning, but left with one out, after which the Border Cats gave up the sixth double of the night, this time to Hughstonn who eventually came around to score the final run of the game.
With a lead from the early going, Snyder became the third pitcher in five days to have a scoreless outing. Tyler Hanson and Garrett Anderson came on in relief to secure the shutout for the Stingers after Snyder went six innings and gave up only two hits while striking out eight batters. Snyder earned the win in his first time on the mound this season.
Nick Rivera also hit his first home run of the season in the win for the Stingers, a two-run blast in the third inning. Parrett led all batters with his 3×5 performance that included two doubles.
Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was David Parrett. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.
