Huskies open up the season with a win
Duluth, Minn — It was opening night in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada for the Duluth Huskies when they renewed the border battle with the Border Cats Tuesday night.
Duluth trailed Thunder Bay seven to three heading to the ninth inning. The Huskies trailed seven to one at one point in the contest. This was in large part due to a Border Cat six-run fifth inning. Then, the Huskies came out in full force.
It was rally time after the first out. After Noah Marcelo reached on a walk and Lance Ford hit an opposite-field double, Carter Putz drove them both in with a two-run single to get Duluth within two.
Two batters later, after a Ramon Enriquez single, Preston Hartsell laced a ball down the right field line for an RBI double to bring the Huskies within one. The next batter, Matt Hogan, tied the game at seven apiece with a sacrifice fly to left. But the Huskies weren’t done. After the sacrifice fly, Danny Zimmerman smoked a fastball into left-center field for the game-winning RBI double, scoring Preston Hartsell from second base.
The Huskies finished with five runs and five hits in the ninth inning to not only erase a four-run deficit but also take the lead.
Logan VanWey shut down Thunder Bay in the ninth inning after a scoreless eighth for his first win of the season. In two innings, the second year Husky allowed two hits, no runs, and struck out four Border Cats (three in the ninth inning). It was also a big night for Preston Hartsell. Hartsell was two-for-four with two runs scored, three runs batted in, and a booming home run to right center field. That home run, which traveled beyond the bullpen in right center, made it seven to three Border Cats at the time.
The Huskies take on the Border Cats once again Wednesday night in the opening series finale and game two of a five-game road trip. First pitch is at 7:05 eastern/6:05 central on 92.1 the Fan and online at twinportsportshub.com.
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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 22 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 200 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.