LA CROSSE, WI — The La Crosse Loggers secured a decisive 12-6 victory over the Duluth Huskies at Copeland Park in front of 750 fans.
Loggers’ starting pitcher Kassius Thomas (Stanford) delivered a strong performance, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four.
In contrast, Duluth’s starter Anthony Barrera (Georgetown) struggled, lasting just three innings and giving up six earned runs on seven hits, along with three walks.
The Loggers wasted no time taking control of the game. In the bottom of the first inning, Tyler Smith (St. Peter’s) launched a three-run home run, giving the Loggers an early 3-0 lead. Case Sanderson (Nebraska) added to the advantage with a solo home run in the second inning, extending the lead to 4-0.
Duluth managed to get on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning with an RBI single by Cardell Thibodeaux (Southern U).
However, La Crosse responded with a dominant bottom of the third. Elijah Ickes (Hawaii) hit a two-RBI double, and RJ Hamilton (Vanderbilt) followed with an RBI triple, pushing the Loggers’ lead to 7-1.
The Loggers continued their offensive onslaught in the fourth inning, adding three more runs. Ryan Kucherak (Northwestern) drove in one with a single to left, Gable Mitchell (Iowa) contributed an RBI single, and Ickes drove in another run with a sacrifice fly, giving La Crosse a commanding 10-1 lead.
In the fifth inning, Luke Anderson (BYU) added another run for the Loggers with an RBI single, making it 11-1.
The Huskies showed some life in the top of the seventh inning, with Jake Downing (Cal Poly) driving in two runs with a triple down the right field line, narrowing the gap to 11-3.
Duluth continued their push in the eighth inning, scoring three more runs on a Charlie Sutherland (Minnesota) RBI groundout, a Reagan Reeder (Illinois) RBI double, and an Elijah Fairchild (Cal State Northridge) RBI groundout, bringing the score to 11-6.
La Crosse added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Ian Collier (Texas State) hit a solo home run, measured at 419 feet, to extend the lead to 12-6.
With this victory, the La Crosse Loggers take the first game of the three-game series against the Duluth Huskies. The series now shifts to Duluth for Game 2, with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m.