Fifth Straight Game Allowing Home Run Leads to Another Heartbreaking Loss on the Road for Huskies
July 19, 2024 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Duluth Huskies News Release
The Duluth Huskies allowed a home run for a season-high fifth straight game in a, 7-6, loss against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders Thursday night at Herr-Baker Field.
Tonight's homer proved costly for the Huskies (8-8. 25-25) as it turned a deficit into a two-run lead for the Dock Spiders (6-11, 19-31).
The Huskies led this game, 4-2, through five. Duluth scored once each in the first, second, fourth and fifth. They allowed two in the bottom of the first.
However, Duluth will rue all the opportunities presented to them to put up crooked numbers in this game that passed them by. They drew 14 walks in the game. Yet, they often left runs out there in innings and couldn't get the requisite big hits to score multiple times. For the whole game, they mustered only four.
This formula led them to victory a couple nights ago in La Crosse, but that would not be the case tonight. This time, they didn't play the requisite defense and didn't get the requisite pitching to win that way. Despite allowing only four hits of their own and striking out a season-high 15 batters, Duluth committed five errors and walked 11 batters of their own to give the struggling Dock Spiders some hope.
The inning after Huskies' starter Tyler Gray (5.0 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 4 BB, 7 K) departed, Fond du Lac capitalized on this in a four-run bottom of the sixth inning. Off of reliever Matthew Foley, they loaded the bases on a walk, catcher's interference and a double. They scored a run off of a wild pitch. Then, Connor Cooney blasted a three-run home run over the wall in right to give Fond du Lac the lead, 6-4.
After a couple more batters reached, the Huskies were forced to use Caden Kratz to just keep the game close. Kratz was able to do just that, holding the Dock Spiders there.
It allowed the Huskies to tie the game in the eighth. Two walks and a single loaded the bases in top of the eighth, then a productive out and infield single drove in the tying runs. However, it would all be in vain.
In the ninth, Sam Kratz walked Travis Strickler. Over the course of the next two batters, three wild pitches allowed him to score the game-winning run. It gave the Huskies their second walk-off loss in three days.
Up Next
The Huskies take on the Dock Spiders yet again Friday night. First pitch from Herr-Baker Field is scheduled for 6:35 pm.
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