DULUTH, Minn. – It just wasn’t the Thunder Bay Border Cats night.
The host Duluth Huskies, who had lost the first three games of their home-and-home series with the Border Cats, erupted for nine runs in the fifth inning on Friday night and went on to defeat their opponent 16-1.
The Huskies inched closer to clinching the second-half title in the Northwoods League’s Great Plains East Division, maintaining a 2.5-game lead over the Eau Claire Express, with six days to go in regular-season play.
Leadoff hitter Rowan Kelly doubled and drove in three runs and Etha Surowiec, George McIntyre and Reagan Reeder had a pair of RBIs apiece to lead Duluth’s 20-hit attack.
Catcher Ayden Hadley drove in Thunder Bay’s lone run, homering in the eighth inning, his second long ball of the season.
Starter Nick Terhaar had another spectacular performance, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks over six innings. He struck out seven.
Reliever Luck Holcomb closed things out, giving up one run on one hit in three innings of work out of the bullpen.
Braden Gluth got the start for Thunder Bay and lasted just three innings, allowing four runs on six hits. His replacement, Grant Faris, got lit up, getting just four outs while giving up eight runs on five hits and three walks.
Duluth (19-10), who snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday, travels to Eau Claire to take on the second-place Express (17-13). The Cats (13-15) head south to Waterloo, Iowa to take on the Bucks (15-15). Thunder Bay returns home Monday to take on the La Crosse Loggers (13-17).
