
Eau Claire Mounts 9th Inning Comeback to Defeat Duluth 6-5
June 30, 2019 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Duluth Huskies News Release
Duluth, Minn - The Duluth Huskies and the Eau Claire Express played game two of a two-game weekend set at Carson Park on Sunday evening. The game was originally set for 2:05 pm but would be pushed back to 5:15 pm due to rain delays. The Express took game one of the series on Saturday night by a final score of 15-6, thanks to a ten-run inning that propelled them to the victory. Spencer Koelewyn took the mound for Duluth and faced Nick Alvarado of Eau Claire.
Duluth struck first in the top of the 2nd when Alvarado walked three Huskies to load the bases with no outs for Matt Hogan. Hogan would draw another walk to bring home the leadoff hitter Ramon Enriquez to grab a quick 1-0 lead.
Eau Claire would put their first two hitters on 1st and 2nd in their half of the 2nd inning for David LaManna. Koelewyn made a smart play when he allowed a LaManna pop up bunt to land in front of him and turned a double play, leaving only LaManna on 1st base with two outs. Sam Kohnle would pop out to Nic Kent at Shortstop to keep the Huskies up 1-0.
Nic Kent would lead off the 3rd inning with his second home run of the year that gave Duluth a 2-0 lead. Kent has proved to be Manager Marcus Pointer's most dependable hitter as he stands atop eligible Huskies in batting average at .346.
Brock Burton and Cole Cabrera would hit back to back singles to start the bottom of the 3rd inning for Eau Claire. But Koelewyn would clutch up and record a strikeout, a pop out, and a Spencer Myers lineout to strand all three Express baserunners.
Xavier Bussey and Matt Hogan both found their way into scoring position with two outs for the Huskies' leadoff hitter Wade Meckler. He would hit a single into shallow left field to bring home Bussey and extend Duluth's lead to 3. Matt Hogan, who advanced to 3rd on Meckler's single, crossed home on a passed ball to make it 4-0 Huskies.
Rece Fink would replace Alvarado in his 6th season appearance as the 5th inning began. Alvarado gave up 4 runs on 2 hits, struck out 5 and walked 7. Both teams were able to get just one man on base throughout the next two innings as Spencer Koelewyn continued to pitch well in what was his best start of the season.
Ramon Enriquez would reach base on a two-out single in the 7th inning which extended his hitting streak to 4 games. He has been one of the hotter hitters for Duluth as he has gone 6/16 with 6 RBI's and a home run over those 4 games.
Koelewyn would exit in the bottom of the 7th and left runners on 1st and 2nd for Evan Yedinak with two outs. Yedinak walked the first hitter he faced but would get a flyout to Matt Hogan to keep it 4-0 Huskies as the 8th inning began. Koelewyn gave up no runs on 4 hits and struck out 3 over 6.2 IP.
Duluth got back on the board after Xavier Bussey and Justin Moore hit back to back singles to start the top half of the 8th. Matt Hogan would take advantage of a runner in scoring position with an RBI double to the warning track that brought home Bussey and advanced Moore to 3rd. Hogan had a nice evening as he went 1-2 with 2 RBI's and drew a couple of walks. Alex Rao would take over the pitching duties for Duluth in the bottom of the 8th, replacing Yedinak.
Eau Claire emulated Duluth with back to back singles of their own to start the bottom of the 8th. Xavier Bussey made a great diving catch to draw one out, and Rao would strike out Brandon Dieter and Troy Beilsmith to send the game to the final frame.
Mason Bryant would be the 4th pitcher of the contest for Duluth as he would try to retain the 5-0 lead and give the Huskies a win. After issuing two walks to start the inning, Nick Lopez doubled off the wall in right field to score 2 runs, and another run would be scored off the bat of Matt Bottcher to make it 5-3. Tim Holdgrafer would then come in to try and shut down the Express. But Phillip Sikes would bring home Lopez on a groundout to make it a one-run game. After two more walks and a single, Troy Beilsmith doubled down the left field line to walk it off 6-5.
The Huskies return to Wade Stadium tomorrow night and start a seven-game homestand lasting through the 7th of July. First pitch is set for 6:35 pm with live game coverage on 92.1 The Fan and twinportssportshub.com beginning at 6:25 pm. All Duluth Huskies and Northwoods League games are live streamed online at portal.stretchlive.com/nwl to watch.
Northwoods League Stories from June 30, 2019
- Rivets Extend Win Streak to Five Games - Rockford Rivets
- MoonDogs Complete Sweep of Rox with Strong Bats Sunday - Mankato MoonDogs
- Bucks Fall 8-1 to Border Cats - Waterloo Bucks
- Chinooks Win Fourth Straight - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Dock Spiders Swept by Rapids - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Stingers Win Finale against Loggers - Willmar Stingers
- Eau Claire Mounts 9th Inning Comeback to Defeat Duluth 6-5 - Duluth Huskies
- Rox Rally Late against Mankato, Fall in Series Finale - St. Cloud Rox
- Rafters Complete Sweep of Dock Spiders at Home - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Pit Spitters Walk off Winners for Ninth Straight Victory - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Bombers Return to Winning Ways in Rockford - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Madison Bats Explode in Win over Green Bay - Green Bay Rockers
- Woodchucks Rally Comes up Short against Chinooks - Wausau Woodchucks
- Mallards Crowned Champions of First Half - Madison Mallards
- Rafters Open Homestand with Series Finale against Dock Spiders - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Dock Spiders Drop Doubleheader - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Loggers Start Hot, Hold on to 8-6 Win vs. Willmar - La Crosse Loggers
- Booyah to Auction Salute to Service Jerseys - Green Bay Rockers
- Stellar Pitching Shines in Chinooks' Win - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Bombers Drop Two Close Ones in Doubleheader - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Rafters Dominate, Take Doubleheader against Fond Du Lac - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Woodchucks Bats Go Silent against Chinooks - Wausau Woodchucks
- Booyah Losing Streak Extends to Four Games - Green Bay Rockers
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