A bases loaded walk from Zach Statzer gives Duluth 15th loss on the season
Matthew Hargrove, matthewhargrove0834@gmail.com
Rochester, Minnesota – The Rochester Honkers stunned the Huskies in the bottom of the tenth with a walk off walk, winning by a final score of 6-5. Zach Statzer allowed shortstop Jackson Forbes to reach first base to seal the deal for the Honkers. Starting pitcher Tyler Meyer was sensational for Duluth, giving up one run and punching out eight batters over five innings of work.
Both offenses were neutralized by the impressive starting pitching until the top of the fifth inning. The Huskies began the inning with four straight hits, which was followed by two walks, a hit batter, and an error by catcher Carson Stevens. The four run inning gave Duluth a 5-1 lead halfway through the ballgame.
Slow and steadily though, the Honkers inched their way closer to the Duluth deficit. Rochester posted three runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two RBI single from first baseman Jason Swan, and a RBI walk to designated hitter Seth Betts. The tying run came in the bottom of the eighth when shortstop Brett Paulson dropped a shallow fly ball in right center field.
Unable to score in the top half, the Honkers only needed one run to walk it off in the tenth. Rochester was able to load the bases with back to back walks to Swan and Stevens, which brought up Forbes with a chance to be the hero. A 3-2 fastball by Statzer missed outside, giving the Honkers the one run victory and two game sweep over the Huskies.
Duluth now looks to tomorrow, when they finish their eight game road trip with a doubleheader against the Eau Claire Express. The Express are tied for third in the Great Plains East division at 7-15, with both clubs sitting eight games back of the first place Waterloo Bucks.
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The Duluth Huskies are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th 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, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.