The Huskies defeated the St. Cloud Rox, 10-6, Friday night at Joe Faber Field behind a balanced offensive attack that saw every Husky who started the game reach base safely.
It was a hit parade for Duluth in their fifth straight road game, and they once again did their damage in the earlier stages of the game. The Huskies tagged the Rox for four runs in the second inning, three in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth to jump out to a 10-2 lead that they would hold on to in the later innings.
The offensive highlight of the game came back in the fourth inning with the result still in doubt. With the bases loaded and two outs with the Huskies leading 4-1, Jose Vargas III came up big for the Huskies and delivered a bases-clearing double to break it open for Duluth.
On the other side of the ball, they did enough to maintain the cushion. It got dicey – the Rox got a four-run seventh to cut it to 10-6 and put runners on the corners with nobody out in the eighth – but Huskies pitcher Matthew Foley slammed the door shut, striking out the side thereafter.
Pitcher Jakob Schulz, the Vanderbilt product, made his summer debut on the mound, getting the start for the Huskies and working four innings, allowing just two runs and striking out four.
The Huskies, winners of three straight after their 0-2 start, face one more battle with the Rox, Saturday at 6:35 pm CST, before finally making their Wade Stadium debut on Sunday.
