WATERLOO, Iowa – The Duluth Huskies (11-17, 27-36) lost an entertaining 6-4 game to the Waterloo Bucks (12-16, 26-36) to open their series in Iowa.
The Bucks were handed a run in the first inning after a one-out error came around to score thanks to a run-scoring groundout by Jake Slade. The Huskies stranded five runners between the second and third innings before breaking through in the fourth. Duluth briefly tied the game in that inning when brand-new Dog Owen Maslowski led off the inning with a hit, advanced to second on a walk, and scored when Brayden Smith snuck an RBI single into left.
Anthony Massa untied the game nearly instantly by ambushing a hanging breaking ball and leaving the yard to left to lead off the bottom of the fourth. John Wubben touched home later in the inning after a balk to make it 3-1. Andrew Ermis sizzled a double into the left-field corner to plate Duluth’s second run in the fifth. The Bucks picked up another tally when Tayvon Homolar lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, giving Waterloo a 4-2 lead.
Ermis larruped another double to the pull side in the seventh to halve the deficit to a single run. However, the Bucks responded again in the bottom of the eighth, with Caleb Parker lashing a single into center to push two runs across. Those insurance runs proved important, because Duluth loaded the bases on a single and two walks, and Ermis made the score 6-4 with a single into center. Waterloo closer Cade Nolan rallied and struck out the next two batters to earn the save, leaving the go-ahead run at first.
Jayden Andrade received the start and was workmanlike, tossing 5.0 two-hit innings. The righty walked four and struck out five, with three runs scoring on his watch as he took the loss. Jackson Smith gave up a run in 0.2 innings. Pierce Anderson got out of a jam and then threw a scoreless inning to follow, finishing with 1.1 two-strikeout stanzas. Brent Godina gave up a pair in his inning of work.
Kayden Campbell finished 2-for-5 with a run. Ermis had one of his best games of the season, smacking three hits in five tries with three of Duluth’s four RBI.
On Deck
Duluth concludes its season series with Waterloo tomorrow with a 3:35 p.m. game before coming back north to meet the division-leading Eau Claire Express for the first of four. The game sites are: Eau Claire, Duluth, Eau Claire, Eau Claire in that order.