Stingers Storm Through Thunder Bay, Sweep Double Header THUNDER BAY, ON, CA. – Trailing 2-0 with the bases loaded and nobody out, Manager Matt Hollod turned to Cody Hughes to stem the tide and keep the Stingers within striking distance against Thunder Bay. Hughes responded by forcing a pop out and a pair of strikeouts, stranding a trio of Border Cats in the process. The Willmar offense responded in the top of the 6th inning with a pair of infield singles and small-ball tactics to take a lead. The Stingers never looked back, winning that seven-inning game 6-2 and assailing Thunder Bay in the second game, 11-2. Colin Poche (Arkansas) maintained the Willmar advantage with a pair of dominating innings to close out the first victory. The young left-hander struck out three and did not allow a batter to reach base, earning his first save of the season. Despite being unable to record any extra-base hits on the game, the Stingers offense produced in unison, scoring four runs in the 6th inning and two runs in the 7th inning. Kyle Perry (Monmouth) and Tyler Leffler (Bradley) began the 6th with a pair of infield singles. Then, after Danny Brennan (St. Louis) advanced his teammates into scoring position, Marc Flores redirected the first pitch he saw through the hole on the right side. Michael Suchy (Florida Gulf Coast) then narrowly missed a home run on a ball just foul down the left field line, but came back to hit an adequate sacrifice fly on the very next pitch. Max Kuhn then put Willmar ahead for good on a single to left field that scored Flores (Hawaii) from second. Kuhn (Kentucky) finished the first game with a pair of RBI in the 7th that padded the Willmar lead further, finishing 2-of-4. But it was Cody Hughes’ performance that changed the tone of the game, earning him honors as the CDI player of the game. Hughes (Montevallo) earned his first win of the season and has now put together four consecutive outings without allowing a run. In the second game, Andrew Woeck (NC State) was locked into a pitchers duel through the first half of the game. It wasn’t until the top of the 4th that Suchy recorded the game’s first hit on a broken-bat single just past the pitcher’s mound. The next hit for the Stingers, however, was resounding. A home run off the bat of Flores put Willmar up 3-0 and was the first baseman’s seventh on the year. Flores finished the day with five total RBI, raising his team high to 35. The Stingers persisted in the 4th, scoring a total of seven runs, chasing starting pitch Clint Knoblauch in the process. Woeck continued his exceptional performance until the end of the sixth inning. The right-hander struck out six batters and notched his second win in just his second start of the season. Woeck allowed just two hits and earns CDI player of the game honors for his effort in Willmar’s 11-2 victory. Next up for Willmar is a home game against the Duluth Huskies. Michael Murray will be pitching on “Baseball Bat Giveaway Night” presented by Perkins Lumber. NOTES: The Stingers now boast a 7-3 mark in double headers with eight of the games coming on the road. The two hits permitted by the pitching staff in game two is the lowest total on the season. Flores leads the league in the runs created category with 33.08. The 2013 season is presented by Charter. For more on your Willmar Stingers please visit the West Central Tribune at wctrib
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 19:56:49 +0000
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