Duluth Huskies Lose Game 2 of Waterloo Series, 6-2, Despite Danny Hesse's Great Start

Sports stats



Northwoods Duluth Huskies

Duluth Huskies Lose Game 2 of Waterloo Series, 6-2, Despite Danny Hesse's Great Start

May 28, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Duluth Huskies News Release


WATERLOO, Iowa - The Duluth Huskies dropped game two of their season-opening series against the Waterloo Bucks, 6-2, on Tuesday night after the bats went cold in the later innings.

For the second straight night, the Huskies began the game strong with a first inning run. On a rainy evening at Riverfront Stadium, Jackson Rains aptly got the scoring started with a two out, line drive single to right field. Kade Thompson, who was on base following a double down the left field line, came in to score for another early 1-0 lead.

The Bucks answered sooner this time around as Louisville commit Jimmy Nugent, coming off a four hit performance on Opening Day, drove a double off the right field wall to plate Marcus Heusohn.

After the first inning hiccup, however, Duluth starter Danny Hesse was terrific in his Huskies debut. The right handed freshman from Mesa Community College promptly struck out the side in his second inning of work, setting the stage for another successful offensive inning.

Rains and Thompson were at the heart of the scoring once more for Duluth in the top half of the third. With runners on second and third and one away, Rains got the job done again, flicking a sacrifice fly into right field to bring home Thompson. Through the first two games of the season, Thompson's cleats have been the only ones to touch home plate, scoring all four runs of the Huskies season thus far.

For the next three home innings, Hesse continued his brilliance. Only two Waterloo hitters reached base between Nugent's first inning double and the sixth inning, striking out six and walking none in that stretch.

It was Duluth's inability to tack on runs against Waterloo's bullpen, though, that would haunt them Tuesday night. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth, Bucks first baseman Kinnick Pusteoska laid out and snared an Anthony Zarzana line drive that would have plated two Huskies if it found the outfield green. That's when momentum flipped.

After walking the first two hitters of the bottom of the sixth, Hesse would be chased from the game following a Pusteoska RBI bloop double that tied the game at two runs apiece. The first pitch Max Nelson threw in relief was then drilled to the left-center gap by Sam Finn, and before you knew it, the Bucks led 4-2.

After another empty inning for Duluth in the top half, the Bucks gave themselves some extra insurance in the seventh. Attempting to turn an inning-ending double play, the Huskies threw the ball away, resulting in two runs coming across and a 6-2 deficit. The error was one of three the Huskies committed in the loss.

Waterloo lefty Brody Leyboldt took the mound in the eighth, and sealed the Huskies' fate in the ninth by inducing a game-ending double play off the bat of Elijah Fairchild. The Huskies bested the Bucks in the hit department Tuesday night, but were outscored 6-2 where it counts for the second loss of the year.

On Deck

The loss moves Duluth to 0-2 on the early season, but the chance of a series split still remains if they can take the next two in Iowa. Game 3 will begin at 6:35 PM Wednesday night from Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo.



Northwoods League Stories from May 28, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central