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Danny Mocny, playing for the Alexandria Beetles in the Northwoods League, went 4 for 5 yesterday, with 4 RBI. His season batting average stands at .411. This was Danny's first game back at bat since being hit by a pitch on the wrist (contusion, no break) on July 17. Here is the story on the game yesterday (from the Alexandria Beetles website):

"July 30, 2004

Beetles Don't Miss a Beat

The Alexandria Beetles were playing great heading into Wednesday's off day, and kept the momentum Thursday as they ran away with a 10-3 win at home against the Waterloo Bucks. Another fine start from Nick Hall and a huge game from Danny Mocny in his return paced the Beetles to the victory.

Coming off the one-hit shutout victory over Mankato Tuesday, the Alexandria Beetles and starting pitcher Nick Hall gave the Beetle faithful thoughts of deja vu. Hall started the game with five no-hit innings. Tony Roth broke up the no-no with one down in the sixth inning when he doubled over the head of Baron Frost in deep left field. Roth went 3-5 with two doulbles in the game. He and Ryan Hastings scored on a John Shelby single before the sixth inning would end. Those were the only two runs Hall (4-1) allowed over seven strong innings. His control did get away from him at times as he walked six Bucks, but overall he was very effective in giving up just three hits and striking out six.

From his first plate appearance leading off the first inning, Beetles' third baseman Danny Mocny sparked the offense. Mocny, who had missed the last 10 games offensively after being hit by a pitch July 17, drew a hard earned walk against Bucks' starter Gib Hobson. Mocny eventually scored because an error in right field on a two-out single by Tim Stewart. Stewart got to thrid base on Marcus Taylor's misplay. Bryan Mitzel promptly drove in Stewart with a single to right-centerfield. The Beetles led 2-0 after an inning of play.

The score remained the same until the fifth inning when Hobson (2-3) struggled to get outs. Stewart walked to start the inning. Then Mitzel singled on a bad-hop bouncer to shortstop John Shelby. If the ball wouldn't have taken a wicked hop on Shelby, he may have been able to turn a doulbe play. But instead the Beetles had runners at the corners with no one out. The hits continued coming from there on. Bobby Barbier lined a single to right field to plate the first run of the inning. Next, Matt Rademacher loaded the bases with a perfectly placed bunt single along the third-base line. Then with one out, a botched safety squeeze attmept turned into a run for the Beetles when Bucks' catcher Philp Britton launched a throw intended for third base into left field to score the run. Drew Hirshon then bounced a single over a drawn in infield for the third run of the inning. Continuing to celebrate his own return to the lineup, Mocny crushed a three-run homerun over the wall in left-centerfield. At the end of five innings, the Beetles were ahead comfortably at 8-0.

Again in the sixth inning, Mocny enjoyed success at the plate. He and Casey Garms each spanked run scoring singles to push the Beetles lead to 10-2. Garms in the game picked up his first two hits as a member of the Beetles.

Britton lead off the ninth inning with a homerun to centerfield off Robert Michalkiewicz to complete the scoring at 10-3. Michalkiewicz pitched the ninth, and Nick Cranmer hurled a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Hall.

To go along with Mocny's four-hit game that included a ninth-inning double, Rademacher had three hits, and Stewart, Mitzel, and Garms each had two. The Beetles collected 16 hits in front of a very nice home crowd of 1,392.

The Duluth Huskies lost Thursday at home 5-4 to the La Crosse Loggers. Duluth's loss coupled with Alexandria's fourth straight win puts the Beetles four games behind the Huskies with 11 to play. St. Cloud lost 6-1 in Madison so Alexandria is now all alone in second place in the North Division with a record of 10-11 (20-33 overall).

Darren Coltrinari (1-4) will start Friday for the Beetles against Matt Lane (3-4) of the Bucks. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 at Knute Nelson Memorial Park in Alexandria."