LA CROSSE, WI – In a game that saw a little bit of everything, the La Crosse Loggers bettered the Duluth Huskies by a final score of 10-9 in front of 2,193 fans at Copeland Park on Saturday night.
This Northwoods League contest saw seven lead changes that started with scoring early and often at The Lumberyard. Two pitches into the game Duluth took their first lead when leadoff man Michael Brooks sent one into the Coverra Insurance Log Cabin in right centerfield to put Duluth up 1-0 off of Loggers starter Tony Roca (North Florida).
The Loggers would answer with one of their own in the bottom half when Michael Dixon (San Diego) would triple off of the centerfield wall to plate TJ Manteufel (Bradley) who had reached via an infield single to start the inning.
Duluth would score another run again in their half of the second to take a 2-1 lead but La Crosse would fire right back with two runs in the bottom of the third thanks to RBI singles from Josh Hahn (UCLA) and Julian Brock (Louisiana-Lafayette).
The two clubs would trade blows again the fourth when Duluth plated two runs in the top half only to be answered with two from the Lumbermen in the bottom portion of the frame on an RBI safety from Hahn and a sacrifice fly from Dixon to put the score at 5-4 Loggers heading to the fifth.
After a scoreless fifth, Duluth would bust out in the sixth thanks to a pair of walks, two bunt singles and eventually put up a five-spot to jump out to a 9-5 lead. But La Crosse would respond once again aided by a pair of walks and hit batters, the Loggers would score three times to make it a one run game at 9-8.
After a scoreless seventh and top of the eighth, La Crosse would get two runners on with two outs. After a double-steal to put runners on second and third, Ronnie Sweeny (Minnesota) would lift a ball towards the right centerfield gap that found the green grass and both runners came into score to put the Loggers up 10-9.
The Loggers then turned to their all-time saves leader in Jared Frielich (Penn State), who surrendered a one-out double and issued a two-out walk before getting Kimo Fukofuka to hit a ground ball into the hole between shortstop and third base that Loggers shortstop Cade Clemons (Wichita State) fielded but had no throw to first so he ran to third base to catch Duluth runner Mike Boeve who had rounded third too far and caught him in a rundown to record the third and final out to secure the Loggers 10-9 victory.
Eli Campbell (Bradley) picked up the win in relief while Frielich recorded his first save of the summer. Manteufel led the Loggers with a three-hit night and also scored three times while Hahn recorded two hits and two RBI’s. Dixon and Sweeny each drove in three runs.
The Loggers and Huskies will go at it again on Sunday in the series finale with a 5:05 pm first pitch slated. Cam Robinson (Louisville) will take the ball for the Loggers on Father’s Day, presented by Fleet Farm.
