LA CROSSE, WI – The La Crosse Loggers fell to the Duluth Huskies in a hard-fought 11-9 game at Copeland Park, with 1,888 fans in attendance.
Logger starter Nik Copenhaver (Vanderbilt) pitched 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits, and striking out 6.
Duluth starter Devin Dodson (College of St. Scholastica) delivered a strong performance, going 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits, and striking out 6.
The Huskies took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning. Charlie Sutherland (Minnesota) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Tyler Palmer (Nebraska Omaha) scored on an error by Logger catcher Kanon Sundgren (Weatherford).
The Loggers responded in the bottom of the 2nd inning. RJ Hamilton (Vanderbilt) hit a sacrifice fly, and JT Kelenic (GCU) launched a two-run homer, giving the Loggers a 3-2 lead.
Duluth quickly answered in the top of the 3rd, tying the game at 3 when Jake Downing (Cal Poly) scored on a wild pitch.
The pivotal moment came in the top of the 5th inning when the Logger pitching staff struggled with control, walking six batters and allowing three runs to score via walks. Cardell Thibodeaux (Southern) then hit a grand slam, pushing the Huskies’ lead to 10-3.
In the bottom of the 7th inning, Kanon Sundgren (Weatherford) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, narrowing the gap to 10-4.
The Huskies added another run in the top of the 9th inning on a sacrifice fly from Cardell Thibodeaux (Southern), extending their lead to 11-4.
The Loggers mounted a comeback attempt in the bottom of the 9th inning, scoring five runs. Case Sanderson drove in Matt Miura with an RBI single, Ryan Kucherak hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Kanon Sundgren, Cooper Brass hit a two-RBI double, and Matt Miura walked to drive in RJ Hamilton. Despite their efforts, the game concluded with an 11-9 victory for the Huskies.
With this loss, the Loggers’ record falls to 27-22, while the Huskies improve to 25-24. The Loggers will face the Minot Hot Tots at home tomorrow, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.