
Beetles win 8-5
August 9, 2012 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Alexandria Beetles News Release
Alexandria, MN - The Alexandria Beetles won for the eighth time in nine home games and the 10th time overall in 13 attempts since the All-Star Break pulling within one game of first place in the North Division with an 8-5 victory on Wednesday against the Rochester Honkers.
The Beetles (31-35, 18-13) used four RBIs from Ben Moore, including his 15th home run of the season, to overcome three long balls from the Honkers (26-40, 11-20) to pull back into the thick of the playoff race with four games to play.
Alexandria jumped out early against Honker starter Matt Kent with four singles in the first inning to score two runs. Tanner Vavra, who finished 3-3 to retake the league lead in batting average at .389, singled to right and moved to second on a wild pitch, scoring on an error on a Moore grounder to third. Mike Morman singled on the infield to move Moore to third and John Loeffler followed with a single to left for an RBI and the 2-0 lead.
The Honkers pulled a run back in the second only to watch the Beetles score two more on three more hits. Moore's single with two outs drove in Josh Carpenter and Matt Lowenstein for RBIs 78 and 79.
But Kent settled down and faced only one above the minimum over the next three innings as Rochester rallied to tie and take the lead. Three runs in the fifth on a pair of home runs, the first a solo shot from Justin Parr and the second a two-run homer from Reid Roper, tied the game against reliever Caleb DeLee. Another home run, this from Chad Wallach in the sixth put Rochester ahead for the first time.
Alexandria trailed for all of two outs as a leadoff walk to John Loeffler and hit by pitch by Dallas Hannah set the table for Carpenter, who with two outs, delivered a RBI single to left to knot the game.
In the seventh, the Beetles took the lead for good when Vavra singled to lead off and Moore lined a laser just over the centerfield wall. The home run temporarily tied Moore with Alabama-teammate Kenny Roberts of the Willmar Stingers for the Northwoods League home run lead before Roberts hit a homer of his own in the Stingers' 10-7 loss to Mankato. A two-out single from Josh Guerra plated Morman for Alexandria's final run as reliever Alex Guilford earned his team-leading sixth victory and Anthony Bazzani tied the Northwoods lead with his 15th save striking out a pair in the ninth.
The Beetles and Honkers resume their three-game series on Thursday with a 7:05 CDT first pitch between Ali Simpson for Alexandria and Elliot Engle for Rochester.
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Northwoods League Stories from August 9, 2012
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- Come out for One Last Night of Great Prizes and Family Fun at Kapco Park - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Northwoods League Partners with Evolve Beveragesr for League Wide Sponsorship - Northwoods
- Rox Win Seventh Straight - St. Cloud Rox
- Chadwick's Grand Slam Keeps Chinooks Alive for Extra Inning Rally - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Beetles win 8-5 - Alexandria Beetles
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