WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. — With six players representing Brainerd on the North team, the Lunkers quickly made their presence known and played a key role in the Marshfield Clinic Northwoods League All-Star Game Monday at Witter Field.

The North defeated the South 6-3 with three Lunker batters scoring four of the six runs and accounting for four of the North’s 11 hits. Brainerd  right-handed pitcher Jason Forjet was credited with the win after only throwing seven pitches in the fourth inning.

Leading hitter of the game was Brainerd third baseman Dan Olinger who played the  whole game and finished 3-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.  He  entered the contest with 32 RBIs, second in the League behind Mankato’ Shaun Cooper (39).

Lunker catcher Wade Wass didn’t start, but went 1-2 with a run scored and centerfielder Steven Brault scored a run, but went hitless in four at bats.

Brainerd was also represented by right-handed pitcher Kye Winter along with lefty Joe Willman.

Brault drew a lead-off walk in the top of the first and scored the first run on a double by Mankato’s Nick Judkins. Three batters later, Olinger hit into a ground out that scored Judkins.  

Willman (4-0, 1.27) came in to pitch the second inning and retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a home run to Madison’s Nate Theunissen that pulled the South to within 2-1.

Olinger hit a single to load the bases with one out in the third. He advanced to third on a run-scoring fielder’s choice and crossed the plate on a single by Alexandria’s Mike LeViseur to make it 4-1.

Forjet (2-0, 1.50) took the mound for the fourth inning and quickly dispatched three straight batters on seven pitches.

Olinger ripped a one-out single in the fifth and two walks later was stranded on third with the bases loaded.

After the South picked up another run in the bottom of the sixth, Winter (3-2, 2.20) came on in relief with a man on first and two out.  After walking the first batter he faced, he got Theunissen to hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice putout to end the inning.

Olinger hit his third single of the night to lead off the seventh bringing up Wass who singled and reached second on an unsuccessful play on Olinger at third. Olinger scored on Eduardo Gonzalez’s single and three pitches later designated hitter Sean Dwyer drove in Wass to give the North a 6-2 lead.

The South kept it interesting in the eighth when Cameron Perkins smacked a leadoff double and later scored on a single by Theunissen to pull within 6-3.

Both teams went three and out in the ninth.

Following the All-Star break, the Lunkers will resume play Wednesday when they host the Alexandria Beetles in a 7:05 p.m. contest at Stewart C MIlls Field.

North Division 202 000 200 — 6 11 0

South Division 010 001 010 — 3 7 0

North Division: Blake Schwartz, Joe Willman (2), Joey Novak (3), Jason Forjet (4), Matt Mazzoni (5), Ricky Knapp (5), Anthony Bazzani (6), Kye Winter (6), Casey Shiver (7), Nick Dolsky (8), Brad Delatte (8), Tanner Banks (9), John Straka (9) and Chris Manship, Wade Wass (6)

South Division: Ben Ballantine, Skyler Debelzen (2), Rusty Shellhorn (3), Ryan Iverson (4), Tim Giel (5), Brando Tessar (6), Chase Stevens (7), Ben Kincaid (8), Matt Milroy (8), John Colella (9) and Carlos Escobar Jr. , Zac Fisher (6)

W: Jason Forjet. L: Ben Ballantine. Sv: .

2B: ND-Nick Judkins, Chris Manship, Jeremy Boyd. SD-Cameron Perkins

HR: SD-Nate Theunissen

SB: ND-Jason Leblebijian, Cullen Mahoney. SD-Ryan Shober

SF: ND-Dan Olinger. SD-Daniel Rocket

RBIs: ND-Shaun Cooper, Olinger, Mike LeViseur, Eduardo Gonzalez, Sean Dwyer. SD-Perkins, Theunissen 2.

DP: SD 1

LOB: ND 11, SD 7

Time: 3:02

Attendance: 2,408