Duluth, Minn. — In the final game of a nine-game road trip, Willmar couldn’t come back from an early deficit in a 10-1 loss to Duluth Monday night at Wade Stadium.

The Stingers (16-10) had a chance to take the lead in the first inning against the Huskies, but after they came up empty, the Huskies scored five times in the bottom of the first frame to take the lead for good.

But after the Huskies jumped out to the early lead on Willmar starter Jonny Ortiz, Ortiz came back and silenced Duluth’s bats in his final four innings of work. Ortiz retired the side in order in the second inning and allowed just one more base hit the rest of the way, which didn’t come until the fifth inning.

While Ortiz did his best to keep the Stingers in the game, the offense continued to get runners on base, trying to chip away at the lead. Kyle Gilbert got the Stingers on the board in the fourth inning with his third home run of the year in just his 12th game of the season. His three homers are tied for the team lead.

Willmar had multiple scoring opportunities throughout the game, including eight total hits and seven bases on balls, but the Huskies and starter Eric Morell managed to keep the Stingers offense at bay. The Stingers came into the game having recorded 11 or more hits in six of the first eight games of the road trip, but Morell and the Huskies bullpen limited the Stingers offense, which left a season-high 14 runners on base.

The Stingers now return home Tuesday to take on Alexandria for their first home game since last Saturday. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.

The 2015 Stingers season is presented by Marcus Construction. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com. 

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Billy Quirke. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.

The Willmar Stingers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, 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 120 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 (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.  For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com.