(Rochester, Minn.) – The Rochester Honkers fell to the Duluth Huskies 5-2 in Duluth on Tuesday night in Duluth despite a strong start from Isaac Friesen (Hawaii).
Friesen gave the Honkers their third strong start in a row; he went six innings, allowed two runs, one of them earned, on five hits, walked two and struck out three.
The Honkers took an early lead in the fourth when Ryan Fitzpatrick (Saddle Back) hit a solo home run to give the Honkers a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, the Honkers made the score 2-0 when Kyle Kasser hit a single to score Josh Hauser (UT-Martin).
The Huskies got one run back in the fifth to make the score 2-1, and then tied the game at 2 when Brendan McClary (Columbia Basin) hit a RBI double in the sixth.
In the eighth, Austin Bernard (Pepperdine) launched a three-run home run to give Duluth a 5-2 lead and win.
Bayley Chesterton (0-2) (Riverside CC) took the loss in relief for the Honkers; he pitched two innings, allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out one.
Riley Gates (BYU) got the start for the Huskies; he went five innings, allowed two runs on three hits, walked three and struck out six. Wade Regas (2-1) (Texas Wesleyan) got the win in relief for the Huskies when he pitched a perfect inning. Quentin Longrie (5) (Southern California) pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out one to get his fifth save of the season.
Kasser went 1-for-3 with a RBI while Ryan Fitzpatrick went 1-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored to lead the Honkers. Bernard went 1-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored and Tyler Duex (St. Scholastica) went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Huskies.
The Honkers fall to 11-15 in the second half and 18-43 overall while the Huskies move to 7-18 in the second half and 25-36 overall.
The Honkers will take on the Duluth Huskies in Duluth again tomorrow night, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. The Honkers will be back at home on Thursday to take on the Battle Creek Bombers for Team Trading Card Set Night presented by Pepsi and 106.9 KROC, where the first 1,000 fans will get a set of team trading cards. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and gates open at 6. The Honkers will take on the Bombers again for Fireworks Extravaganza presented by Wells Fargo and ABC 6 News. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and gates open at 6:00!
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The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Honkers as your favorite team!
