WAUSAU, Wisc. – The Duluth Huskies (20-30) lost to the Wausau Woodchucks (33-15) for the third straight time, falling 13-3 on the road. The Woodchucks clinched the four game season series with the win. The series finale is tomorrow between the Great Plains East and Great Lakes West foes.
Both offenses started quietly. Duluth’s Nick Terhaar and Wausau’s Huxley Holcombe posted dueling zeroes for two innings. Wausau got the scoring started in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs thanks to Terhaar wildness, issuing three walks. Gatlin Pitts had an RBI single and Lane Walton had a two-run double to push the runs across.
Duluth countered in the top of the fifth with three runs of their own, all unearned against Holcombe’s line. Wausau made two errors in the frame, allowing the Huskies to tie the game despite their only hit in the inning being a Kayden Campbell infield single with the bases empty and two outs. Maddox Monsour had an RBI sacrifice fly and some nifty base running from Jalen Smith got him intentionally hung up between first and second with two outs, allowing Campbell to score before being tagged out to end the frame.
Wausau responded with a run in the bottom half to break the tie and take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. A walk, two wild pitches, and a groundout made the score 4-3 after five innings.
Things unraveled for Duluth in the seventh. Jayden Andrade made his second appearance of the season and was much less sharp than a week ago. Andrade allowed three hits and a walk, and Wausau scored three more to expand its lead to 7-3. A double steal got the first run across, and back-to-back two out hits from Walton and Bradon Durfee emphasized the lead. The Woodchucks added six more in the bottom of the eighth, drawing two walks from Harrison Burdge before Brayden Smith came in from right field to be a true position player pitching, and got tagged for four additional runs.
Holcombe earned the win for five innings with no earned runs, allowing two hits while striking out five and walking four. Kai Valleroy took the loss for allowing the lone run in the fifth, despite being one of the more effective Duluth pitchers on the night. Valleroy worked two innings, allowing the run but no hits, walking three and striking out just as many.
Walton was the offensive star for the Woodchucks. The second baseman doubled twice in four at bats, driving in four runs and scoring two of his own. Pitts reached base four times in five plate appearances and scored all four times, outscoring the entire Duluth lineup on his own. Campbell had two hits in the loss, with Brayden Smith and Monsour racking up the other two hits for the Huskies.
On Deck
Duluth wraps up the series with Wausau on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. CT, following by a doubleheader scheduled for 1:05 and 6:35 p.m. CT at Wisconsin Rapids. The Huskies will return home on Friday to play seven games in six days, including a doubleheader on Sunday. Tickets for Duluth home games can be found online on the team website, and all Huskies action can be streamed on FloSports.