BOX SCORE – Bucks 1, Huskies 3 

Magic Number: 3

Fantastic pitching and a two-run eighth inning powered the Duluth Huskies to a win, 3-1, over the Waterloo Bucks Wednesday night at a rainy Wade Stadium. 

The Huskies (19-13, 36-30) plated what ended up being the winning run on a hit batter with the bases loaded to notch another close win over the Bucks (15-18, 34-32). 

Steady rain plagued the game. From the first pitch to the final out, the rain never stopped. However, despite the less than ideal conditions, the pitchers ruled the game early. Both Duluth’s Payton Jeffries and Waterloo’s Kyle Beaty were phenomenal in their starts. A combined one run scored through the game’s first seven innings. 

Fortunately for the Huskies, that run was theirs. In the bottom of the fourth, it was a wild pitch with the bases loaded that scored the lone run of the first seven innings. Jeffries and Beaty both turned the game over to their respective bullpens after the fifth inning where the offenses continued to struggle. 

It wasn’t for lack of effort though. Both teams populated the bases, especially the Huskies. In the sixth, the Huskies loaded the bases with nobody out on three straight walks. However, Bucks reliever Zach Evenson worked his way out of the jam by striking out Reagan Reeder and inducing an inning-ending double play from Cal Elvis. The score remained, 1-0. 

The Bucks finally broke through and tied the game in the top of the eighth. Huskies reliever Zach Kuseske yielded two baserunners with one out in the frame on an error and a single. A double steal and a productive groundout later, and Waterloo tied the score. Kuseske was able to work out of the inning with no further damage. 

In the bottom half of the eighth, the Huskies responded with a pair. Singles from Joe Vos and Tyler Palmer put pressure on the Bucks. Reliever Luke Riggs then walked Reeder and then nailed Elvis, batting in the exact same situation as before, on the head to score the go-ahead run, giving Elvis the last laugh. Elijah Fairchild added the insurance run on a sacrifice fly.

In the ninth, Kuseske worked a 1-2-3 inning to preserve the win for the Huskies. The win is the Huskies sixth straight against the Bucks, a series they lead, 6-1, overall on the summer.  

With the win, combined with a, 8-6, loss by the Eau Claire Express, the Huskies moved into a tie atop the Great Plains East division. Due to the head-to-head record against the Express, the Huskies are in playoff position with just three games to play. 

Up Next 

The Huskies and the Bucks will battle once again Wednesday night at Wade Stadium for the final time this season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm. The game will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ (subscription required).