GAME NOTES – GAMES 55-56 VS MINNESOTA

The Duluth Huskies kick off the post all-star game slate with a six-game homestand at Wade Stadium. First up on the docket is the traveling Minnesota Mud Puppies, visiting the Wade for the first and only time this season. Read on for the first five things to know and game notes packet (linked above) as the home stretch begins:

1. LAST TIME OUT: Before the All-Star Break, the Huskies swept a home-and-home series with the Eau Claire Express. They took game one on the road, 13-6, in a game in which they owned the middle innings. The Huskies plated ten runs in the middle three frames to turn what was a scoreless tie into a, 10-4, lead. The offense was sparked by Reagan Reeder, who had five RBIs in the contest including a three-run home run. In game two, the Huskies needed a big comeback, falling behind, 6-0, after the first two innings. However, the recipe for such a comeback was executed perfectly by Duluth. First, they didn’t allow a single run after that, thanks to Isaac Rohde. He entered the game in relief in the second inning and didn’t relinquish the ball after that. His final line: 7.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K. As for the offense, they kept chipping away over time. They scored three in the fourth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh to tie the game up. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, a leadoff triple from Charlie Sutherland and a single from Joe Vos won it for the Huskies.
2. RUN, HUSKIES, RUN: In the second half, the Huskies have been a weapon on the basepaths. At the beginning of the second half, Duluth had swiped 61 bases, a mark that was good for 14th in the Northwoods League. Twenty games into the second half, the Huskies have stolen a whopping 67 bases with still 16 games to play. That’s an average of 3.35 per game. The increased success rate in those stolen bases is also an encouraging sight. The Huskies were just 73% in their stolen base attempts in the first half. That success rate is up to 93% in the second half. Jayden Duplantier (26/28 SB) has been the catalyst in the improved running game. His 26 stolen bases is 8th in the Northwoods League.
3. DIVISION RACE IS ANYTHING BUT PLAIN: The race for the Great Plains East second half crown is really heating up. Entering the final two weeks of the season, Thunder Bay, Duluth, Rochester, Waterloo and Eau Claire are all within three games of the top of the division. With the first half title going to La Crosse, all five of those teams would need to win the division title in order to clinch the playoffs. The Huskies will see all four other teams down the home stretch of the season at least twice, and Waterloo and Rochester four times. For the Huskies, a win in the second half would mark their return to the playoffs after missing them last year.
4. MEET THE MUD PUPPIES: The Mud Puppies are a unique team in the Northwoods League. Based out of the MASH Baseball Complex in Savage, Minn. they are a team playing a schedule of just 36 games, all of which are on the road. They came about in the 2020 COVID-era season as a replacement for Thunder Bay, and have been off-and-on participants in the league ever since. This season, however, is one to forget. The on-field product for the Mud Puppies has been a mess this season, as they own just two wins in 22 games total on the season. They rank dead last in just about every meaningful statistic on both the pitching and hitting sides, even when you average their marks out for a full slate’s worth of games. That being said, the team does have a couple of dangerous pieces. All-Star C Brock Larsen has belted three home runs on the season and has an OPS of 1.025, leading Mud Puppies qualified hitters. Their other All-Star was P Liam Martin. He’s pitched 30 innings on the summer and owns a 3.30 ERA and an oBA of .237, the best mark amongst Minnesota pitchers with double-digits innings pitched.
5. LIFE IS BETTER AT THE WADE: It’s a Thursday-Friday home set at the Wade, so you know what that means:  Discounted drinks on both game days! The Huskies need your support as the home stretch begins, and we hope to see you at the ballpark this week. You can buy tickets for these and/or all future home games here!