Bats bounce Lunkers thanks to strong start

July 23, 2011 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
St. Cloud River Bats News Release


(St. Cloud, MN) A five run first inning propelled the River Bats to a victory over the Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers Friday night. The Bats took advantage of seven Lunkers errors en route to a 7-4 win. A large crowd packed Joe Faber Field to witness the Bats improve to 8-7 in the second half..

Bryan Peters drove in a run, crossed the plate, and tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Peters continues to impress on the mound with his 1.15 ERA.

In the first inning, the Bats stormed the Lunkers. Derek Campbell reached base on a fielder's choice. Carlos Lopez followed with a walk.

Campbell came home on a Bryan Haar single. Lopez scored on a Peters one bagger. An error on the play allowed Haar to score.

A Keegan Dale base knock forced more Lunkers defensive miscue. Michael Williams and Peters touched home after the mistakes. The Bats led 5-0 after the first.

Runs continued to pour in for the Bats in the second inning . For the second consecutive inning a fielder's choice resulted in Campbell on base. Lopez slugged a base hit.

Mistakes continued to plague the Lunkers as a botched throw on a Haar bunt single permitted Campbell to add another Bats run. Lopez scored for the second time in the game on a Williams RBI groundout. The Bats held a commanding seven run lead.

The Lunkers retaliated in the fourth inning. Steven Brault doubled to lead off the frame. Wade Wass chased home the Lunkers All-Star with a two bagger of his own.

Two more runs came around for the Lunkers in the inning However, they did not get a single base runner after the fourth. The Bats bullpen sat down all twelve of the hitters it faced.

Matt Iannazzo remained unbeaten. The lefty earned his third win on the summer thanks to five strong innings of work. He struck out five Lunkers and allowed three earned runs. Travis Unthank tallied his seventh save of the season thanks to a 1-2-3 ninth frame.

The Bats and Lunkers square off Saturday night to conclude this two game series in St. Cloud. This contest marks Get a Deck, Win a Deck night at Joe Faber Field.

A deck of Bats playing cards awaits the first 500 fans through the gates at the ballpark. One lucky fan will also win a free wood deck courtesy of Rhino Deck.

Get your tickets now at www.riverbats.com or by calling 320-240-9798. Tickets can also be purchased at the River Bats ticket office, located in the MAC Complex neighboring Joe Faber Field.



Northwoods League Stories from July 23, 2011


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