Nine run third inning increases St. Clouds undefeated record over Duluth
Matthew Hargrove, matthewhargrove0834@gmail.com
Duluth, Minnesota – The St. Cloud Rox were once again too much for the Huskies to handle, as St. Cloud scored nine runs in the third inning to cap off a 12-2 victory. Saturday afternoon’s win for the Rox grants them the first half of the Great Plains West Division, and an automatic playoff spot. The Huskies now move to 0-6 against the Rox this season, and 1-11 against Great Plains West Division teams. St. Cloud Rox starting pitcher Hunter Dollander was phenomenal, allowing one run and collecting three strikeouts over six innings of work. The outing lowered the big righty’s ERA on the season to 0.95. Third baseman Jordan Barth led the way offensively for St. Cloud, going three for four with two doubles, two RBI’s, and two walks.
Trailing 2-0 heading into the top of the third, head coach Marcus Pointer decided to replace starting pitcher Ben Pederson immediately for Ray Watt. Watt struggled finding the “K” zone, walking the first three batters he faced. An error by shortstop Michael Brooks right after, meant the end of the day for Watt and the beginning for Michael Altman. Altman couldn’t get out of the Watt jam though, as a walk and five hits later saw Duluth down 11-0 not even halfway through the ballgame. Altman over his next five innings would only allow one run, but there was too much work for a Husky comeback. The lone two runs for the Huskies came off a Mike Boeve RBI double, and Cason Tollett RBI single.
The Huskies now begin their last series of the first half, as the Rochester Honkers come into town for the final two games of the half. Despite being 2-0 against the Huskies, Rochester sits at the bottom of the Great Plains West Division with a 13-16 record.
###
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.
