BOX SCORE – Huskies 3, Fond du Lac 2

The Duluth Huskies got a strong start and just enough offense to defeat the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, 3-2, Friday night at Herr-Baker Field. 

It was a three-run fourth for the Huskies (9-8, 26-25) that delivered all the offense they needed to take down the Dock Spiders (6-12, 19-32). The win continued the Huskies dance with .500; they now sit a game above. 

Huskies starter Joshua Butler hit a snag in the first inning. Eight Dock Spiders batted in an inning that saw three hits and two walks. The Dock Spiders scored two runs, one on a fielder’s choice and one on a bases loaded walk, but Butler was able to strand the bases full. Most importantly, he escaped the inning under 35 pitches, allowing him to stay in the game. 

That turned out to be a huge deal for the Huskies because Butler settled in after and was dealing for the next five innings. He gave the Huskies a quality start line when it was all said and done – 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K. 

The onus then turned on to the offense to take the lead. Despite being held to just five hits in the game, they did just that in the top of the fourth, scoring three times. The Dock Spiders retired the first two batters, but following that, the Huskies went to work with two outs. Duluth took advantage of an error by following that up with two singles, a walk and then another single. The big one came off the bat of Jayden Duplantier, a two-run single that gave the Huskies the lead. A lead they would not relinquish. 

Following the six solid innings from Butler, Isaac Rohde came in and got the last nine outs for the Huskies. He was nearly untouchable in doing so, allowing just one hit and striking out three. Rohde got credit for a nine-out save in the process. 

Up Next 

The Huskies continue the road trip with another trip to Eau Claire for a one-off with the Express. First pitch for the Sunday matinee is scheduled for 3:05 pm.