Eight-Run Sixth Propels Huskies to Comeback Win Over La Crosse
Northwoods Duluth Huskies

Eight-Run Sixth Propels Huskies to Comeback Win Over La Crosse

July 18, 2025 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Duluth Huskies News Release


LA CROSSE, WI - The Huskies managed a nailbiting comeback win, 10-9, against the La Crosse Loggers in the first game the two clubs have played across the Mississippi.

The Huskies got back on the road after the All-Star break, with the club's three representatives all having done the Twin Ports proud; Ethan Surowiec hit a homer to get the Great Plains' first run across, Parker Thomas earned the win for the Plains, and Michael Smith earned the All-Star Game MVP award for his go-ahead solo home run in the top of the ninth, lifting the Plains All-Stars to a 3-2 win.

Duluth entered Copeland Park atop both the overall and second half division standings, with 33-17 and 11-4 records, respectively. The Loggers, winners of the first half title, trailed them by one game in the overall standings but two in the second half tally.

Huskies manager Marcus Pointer gave the nod to Sean Waits, whose six scoreless innings of work against the Badlands Big Sticks dazzled fans at the Wade. With Ethan Surowiec absent from the lineup, Pointer reshuffled the lineup as well.

Duluth cracked the scorebook open first, with Noah Furcht breaking out of recent struggles right out of the All-Star break. The number two hitter for the dogs lifted a deep fly ball towards left field, sneaking it over the high wall down the line for his fourth home run of the season. In an instant, it was 1-0 Huskies.

However, Waits ran into trouble in the first. The Loggers' leadoff batter, RJ Hamilton, worked a walk to begin the game before stealing second immediately. He was sent to third on an infield single by Eddie Peters and driven in by a Carson Ohland sacrifice fly, knotting the game up at a run apiece.

The Huskies made it seem like deja vu in the second inning, when catcher Nate Vargas shot a fly ball to left-center, passing over the wall next to the scoreboard for a second Huskies homer in as many innings. That made the score 2-1, Duluth.

Once again, the Loggers responded in the third. Brayden Jefferis doubled to lead off the inning, and was driven home by a Carson Ohland single, tying the game at two runs apiece.

From there, things seemed to be all Loggers. In the fourth, they managed four straight hits off of Waits to drive in three runs, taking a 5-2 lead. They expanded on it in the fifth, pushing across two more runs on the ledger of Nick Terhaar, who came on to relieve Waits. By the top of the sixth, they held a commanding 7-2 lead.

Something about playing behind always seems to get the Twin Ports pups going, however, and tonight was no different. In the top of the sixth, Nate Vargas singled and then advanced to second on an error, putting a Husky in scoring position to begin the frame. Jake Downing wasted no time, doubling him in for the third Duluth run of the evening. Tyler Palmer singled to set up Nate Novitske with two on and no one out. The Huskies' third baseman shot a ball right down the line and over the first base bag, which rolled all the way into the corner for a two-RBI triple. That made it a one-run game, at a 7-5 score.

But the dogs still weren't done, as Rowan Kelly's RBI groundout made it a one-run game. Noah Furcht kept things rolling with two outs, getting his second extra-base hit of the game with a double. Right after him, Contreras walked, giving Trey Craig a golden opportunity with two down. He didn't miss his pitch to hit, sending a screaming shot the other way and into the right-center gap, allowing both Furcht and Contreras to score. Craig's huge hit tipped the scales towards Duluth, by a 8-7 score. Nate Vargas, who had led off the inning with a base hit, now pulverized a ball to left for his second home run of the night, making it a 10-7 Duluth lead and capping off an incredible eight-run inning.

The Loggers were down, but not out, so Marcus Pointer went to his most trusted arm and All-Star game-winner, Parker Thomas. Thomas struggled initially but put together three innings of necessary triage for the Huskies, striking out six while allowing a pair of runs. Jack Ghufran of the Loggers, for his part, retired nine straight Huskies in three perfect innings of work. That pushed the game into the bottom of the ninth inning, with Duluth leading by just a 10-9 score.

Danny Hesse entered the ballgame, hoping to secure his second save of the season. Eli Small singled to left field, but Hesse fought back with a pair of strikeouts against Ethan Edinger and Justin Roulston. Catcher Kanon Sundgren grounded a ball towards third, which Novitske perfectly shot across the diamond to Trey Craig, sealing the Huskies' 34th win of the 2025 season and their 12th of the second half. Terhaar was credited with the win, while Hesse earned the save.

On Deck:

The Huskies will round out the two-game set with a rematch tomorrow at 6:35 p.m. Central Time at Copeland Park, before heading back home to the Wade for a pair of games against the Waterloo Bucks.



Northwoods League Stories from July 18, 2025


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