Huskies win second consecutive game while matching 2017 win total
Michael McCann was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning Saturday night, giving the Duluth Huskies an 8-7 walkoff victory over Bismarck.
Tony Monroy put Duluth ahead with a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning. The Larks tied the game with a pair of runs in the third, courtesy of an RBI single and a passed ball. McCann singled with one out in the fourth and was driven in by Monroy to put the Huskies back on top.
Bismarck took their only lead with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. A hit batsman followed by a pair of RBI doubles forced Duluth to go to the bullpen. A sacrifice flyout later in the inning gave the Larks a 5-3 advantage.
The Huskies scored four runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth and wouldn’t trail the rest of the way. Nick Sogard led off the inning with a double and advanced to third base when Chris Gilbody singled before Trevin Esquerra drew a walk to load the bases. Sogard and Gilbody both scored on wild pitches to tie the game before General McArthur put Duluth ahead with a two-run single.
Bismarck wouldn’t go away quietly, however, tying the game with a two-run single in the seventh.
Julian Escobedo doubled with one out in the bottom of the ninth, prompting the Larks to intentionally walk Gilbody. John Lagattuta singled to load the bases before Bismarck recorded a strikeout. McCann fell behind in the count before being plunked by an 0-2 fastball to win the game.
Sogard was 3-5 at the plate to lead the Huskies offensively. McCann, McArthur and Monroy each finished with two hits and combined to drive in six runs. Tim Holdgrafer tossed two scoreless innings of relief and collected his fourth win of the season.
Duluth improves to 31-16 and have matched last season’s win total. The Huskies now own the best overall record in the Northwoods while Bismarck drops to 28-19 overall. The Huskies and Lark finish their two-game series Sunday afternoon at 3:05 pm.
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The Duluth Huskies are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.duluthhuskies.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Huskies as your favorite team.
