{"id":4853,"date":"2018-07-22T06:55:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-22T06:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/willmar-stingers\/?p=4853"},"modified":"2018-07-22T06:55:12","modified_gmt":"2018-07-22T06:55:12","slug":"at-the-stroke-of-midnight-the-stingers-walk-it-off-in-extra-inning-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/willmar-stingers\/2018\/07\/22\/at-the-stroke-of-midnight-the-stingers-walk-it-off-in-extra-inning-thriller\/","title":{"rendered":"At the stroke of midnight the Stingers walk it off in extra inning thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Willmar, Minn.- In an absolute classic of a game that went 14 innings and spanned over two calendar days, the Willmar Stingers walked it off against the St. Cloud Rox 6-5.<\/p>\n

In the second inning, the Stingers got off to a good start taking a 1-0 lead.\u00a0Sebastian Samuels\u00a0<\/strong>(Montevallo) singled up the middle driving in\u00a0John Trousdale\u00a0<\/strong>(Alabama).<\/p>\n

In the fifth the Stingers added to their lead.\u00a0Nic Hernandez\u00a0<\/strong>(Cal Poly Pomona) drove in\u00a0Jaxon Hallmark\u00a0<\/strong>(Nebraska) with a sacrifice fly to center and made the score 2-0.<\/p>\n

Willmar doubled their lead in the sixth inning with a\u00a0Matt Rudick\u00a0<\/strong>(San Diego St) single that plated two more runs for the Stingers and made it 4-0.<\/p>\n

The Stingers got a great performance from\u00a0Sam Gardner\u00a0<\/strong>(Alabama) who started the game for Willmar. Gardner went 5.2 innings, struck out six Rox, allowed just three hits and did not allow a single St. Cloud player to cross the plate.<\/p>\n

St. Cloud, after Gardner’s departure, managed to get back into the ball game and only trail by one in the ninth inning. In the ninth the Rox tied the game up with a 6-4-3 double play ground out off the bat of\u00a0Ryland Kerr\u00a0<\/strong>(Eastern Kentucky). The Stingers did not score in the ninth and the game headed to extra innings.<\/p>\n

Both teams were scoreless until the 12th when the Rox took a 5-4 lead. In the bottom half of the inning the Stingers responded. Willmar strung together a number of base hits and tied it up on a sacrifice fly from\u00a0Shea Kramer\u00a0<\/strong>(Utah).<\/p>\n

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Before the @johntrous11<\/a> game winning hit the Stingers found themselves trailng in the 12th. @SimplySk_5<\/a> decided that the game would continue. #StingEm<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9qdVdVElSn<\/a><\/p>\n

— Willmar Stingers (@WillmarStingers) July 22, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n