DULUTH, MN – The Duluth Huskies secured win number thirty on the season, the first team in the Northwoods League to do so, with a 9-3 victory over the Badlands Big Sticks.

The Huskies sent Evan Rolison to the mound after a fantastic first outing of the season. In his Huskies debut, Rolison struck out six and allowed just a single earned run across six innings of work against the La Crosse Loggers.

Against the Big Sticks he started very strong, with two strikeouts against Ryker Schow and Rene Galvan, and got some help with a Noah Furcht leaping grab in left field. His first inning was a scoreless 1-2-3.

The Huskies did what they do best, getting on the board first with an RBI single off the bat of Noah Furcht. His hit scored Rowan Kelly, who led off the game for the Huskies with a walk.

In the second inning, however, the Huskies really kicked it into high-gear. Paul Contreras worked a tough at-bat to reach base with a walk, and was followed by Jake Downing’s single to left. Duluth catcher Kingsley Guthrie, who had delivered in a similar moment the evening prior, laced an RBI single to score Paul Contreras.

Shortstop Tyler Palmer kept things moving with a sacrifice fly, while Rowan Kelly earned another RBI with a second straight sac fly lifted to the outfield. By the end of the second, it was 4-0 Duluth.

The Badlands Big Sticks got on the board in the third, thanks to the first baseman Connor Sackett’s sacrifice fly to score shortstop Connor Meidroth. However, it was all they could muster.

Paul Contreras drove in a run in the third while Ethan Surowiec drove in a sixth run for the Huskies in the fourth. It was in the fifth, however, that the Twin Ports pups strung together more big moments.

Trey Craig led off with a ringing single over the infield and into center. He was followed by another Jake Downing hit, this time a double to drive him home. Guthrie walked, and Tyler Palmer singled to drive in Downing. Rowan Kelly grounded softly to short, allowing Kingsley Guthrie to score and give the Huskies an 8-1 lead.

In the top of the sixth, the Big Sticks again tried to respond. With the bases loaded, Duluth’s James Rheaume delivered a wild pitch to score Gavyn Schlotterback and make it 8-2. However, Rheaume recovered and continued to pitch through the ballgame, notching scoreless seventh and eighth innings in relief of another outstanding Rolison start.

Rheaume was given the ninth inning, when traffic again flared up against him. Connor Meidroth doubled, and was driven home by Connor Sackett. On the very next batter, however, Rheaume ended the game with a swinging strikeout, sealing a series sweep and the 30thwin of Duluth’s season.

Rolison earned his second win in as many starts for Duluth, striking out four in five innings of one-run pitching. Rheaume’s length from the pen earned him the save.

On Deck:

The Huskies will play a double header against the Thunder Bay Border Cats, beginning at 12:05 p.m. Central Time tomorrow, with game two slated to begin at 6:35. After that, the Bismarck Larks visit Duluth for the first time in the 2025 campaign.

Box Score