Duluth opens up 4-game series with win over Waterloo
Duluth had to work out some of the cobwebs on Thursday night at Wade Stadium, having not played since Sunday due to the All Star break. That gap in time between games marks the largest for the team since the season began back on May 29.
Fortunately, the Huskies (37-18, 13-6) were able to gain momentum off the huge crowd of over 3,600 people on their way to a 7-3 victory over the Waterloo Bucks (14-41, 4-16).
The night was highlighted by a Husky legend that was in attendance. Joey Bonadonna returned to celebrate his bobble-head night, having played with the Huskies from 2005-2008.
With Bonadonna looking on, Hayden Shenefield (Cal State Northridge) began his eighth start of the season on the mound.
The Duluth right-hander put zeros on the board in the first three frames before Waterloo opened up the scoring in the fourth inning. The runs came across after a balk, followed by an RBI single by Ethan Ibarra (St. Cloud State) to make it 2-0.
The Huskies responded in a big way, scoring four runs off of Bucks reliever Jakob Kirman (Clarke University). The scoring began on an RBI double by Tony Monroy (Georgetown College). Seconds later, Michael McCann (Texas) tied the game on an RBI single.
Duluth took the lead for the first time of the ballgame on an RBI single by General McArthur (Missouri Baptist). The frame was capped off by an RBI sacrifice fly by Augie Isaacson (Friends University) to make it 4-2 after four complete innings.
The game stayed at 4-2 until Waterloo made it a one-run game in the seventh on an RBI single by Angelo Altavilla (Nebraska).
Following the RBI, Shenefield’s day was done on the mound, as he tossed six-and-two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on nine hits while striking out seven and issuing zero walks. The right-hander’s effort earned him his fourth win of the season, extending his perfect record on the mound to 4-0.
Following his departure, Callan Johnson (Lubbock Christian) took over in the seventh, and worked his way out of a jam, stranding to Waterloo runners on base.
In the eighth inning, the Huskies took a commanding lead, bringing across three runs to put the game out of reach. It started with an RBI single by Sean Watkins (Cal State Los Angeles) to make it 5-3.
Later in the inning, Bucks reliever Danny Kapala (Minnesota) was trying to intentionally walk McCann but threw a wild pitch instead, which brought across two more runs thanks to error on the play as well.
In the ninth, Jason Braziel (Friends University) took over on the mound and shut down Waterloo, helping Duluth to a 7-3 victory over Waterloo in the first of a four game set between the clubs.
The win helps Duluth stay atop the North Division in the overall standings at 37-18 and keeps them in the hunt for the second half title, staying within a game of Willmar and La Crosse.
The Huskies return to action tomorrow for game two against Waterloo with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Wade Stadium. As always, you can listen to live coverage of the contest on 92.1 The Fan in and around Duluth or listen online through the Duluth Huskies website.
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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