DULUTH, Minn. – After a lackluster defeat in the first contest of a double-header, the Duluth Huskies (10-14) put together a spectacular sixth inning in the nightcap to earn an 8-5 comeback victory and split with the Minnesota Mud Puppies (3-4)
Game One – Minnesota 3, Duluth 1 (7 inn.)
The Huskies drew first blood on a George McIntyre home run to right-center, but Owen Weadge found his groove and delivered blanks in the second and third. On the other side, Luke Harrington walked five and conceded a hit through three, but was able to keep Minnesota off the board. The Mud Puppies finally got one in the fourth thanks to a Max Pederson hit, two walks, and a wild pitch from Abe Ahlberg.
The road warriors took the lead in the fifth inning when Owen Bond blasted a triple to right-center and scored on an RBI groundout from Ryan Cahoon. Weadge concluded his outing in the fifth, burning through the Huskie order while allowing just three hits, one run, and fanned a team-best 11 batters.
Jun Moeller doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Beau Thoma in the sixth, extending the Mud Puppy lead. Carson Schroeder and Patrick Binnebose both threw scoreless relief innings, and Minnesota briefly moved to .500 on the year.
Bjorn Lind went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk in the opener. Weadge got the win, his first of the year. Easton Miller took the loss after allowing the runs in fifth and sixth. Devin Costa threw 1.2 scoreless innings for Duluth before Binnebose got the save.
Game Two – Duluth 8, Minnesota 5 (7 inn.)
Cameron Johnson issued a pair of two-out walks in the top of the second, and Brayden Kohls made them hurt by lacing a single to left. The issue worsened when the Huskie outfield couldn’t knock the ball down, allowing Kohls to hustle out a Little League home run that plated three. The Mud Puppies scored another on a ringing RBI double from Landon Jasper in the third, and Duluth looked destined for an ugly sweep, especially with Eli Larson throwing excellently on the mound for Minnesota.
However, the ‘Skies began to chip away when Waylon Walsh walloped a solo home run in the bottom of the third for Duluth’s first run in nine innings. Johnson settled things down on the mound, and Dax Hardcastle pounded a solo shot of his own to deep left to make it a 4-2 game. Jasper yanked another round-tripper inside the left field foul pole in the sixth, however, and the power surge appeared to be too little and too late.
Larson was removed after 5 innings of four-hit, two-run ball, and the Huskies jumped right on his reliever, Alex Call. George McIntyre and Bjorn Lind started the bottom of the sixth with sharp singles, and Hardcastle reached on an error by the Minnesota shortstop, with McIntyre coming around to score. Jalen Smith guided a single to right to plate Lind, and Reagan Reeder tied the game with a sacrifice fly to right. Walsh stepped to the plate again soon after and slugged a double to left-center that scored the go-ahead run and one more. Pinch-hitter Blake Eckerle provided insurance with an RBI double.
Gabe Jones was given the keys for the seventh, but the righty walked a pair and was pulled for Jude Sundquist. Sundquist stranded both of the walks and earned the save and the split for the Huskies.
Cameron Johnson ground out 6.0 innings, allowing five hits and five runs, but only three were earned. Johnson walked three and struck out six. He was given a hard-earned win. Call took the loss.
Lind went 2-for-3 and scored. Hardcastle hit his first collegiate home run and scored twice. Walsh was the Huskie hero, going 2-for-2 with a homer, walk, three RBI, and two runs.
On Deck
Duluth plays a home-and-home series with Eau Claire over the next two days before heading north of the border for two games with Thunder Bay.