THUNDER BAY – The Duluth Huskies brought the power to Port Arthur Stadium.
Ethan Cole homered in the top of the fifth inning, off reliever Shane Kearbey and Charlie Sutherland launched a bomb over the 385 sign in centre-field against Dylan Mulcahy, leading the Huskies to a 9-4 win in the night-cap of their twi-night doubleheader against the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
The win came just hours after the Huskies were blasted 14-1 in the opener, and snapped Thunder Bay’s five-game win streak – all on home turf.
“I had a little help from the wind,” said Sutherland, the home run his first of the 2024 season.
“I just saw a pitch that I liked, tried to stay back on it and put it to the opposite field, which is where I am when I’m best. When I’m trying to pull the ball, some bad things usually happen. I just stayed on one well and the wind took it.”
The win came as a relief to the Huskies, who will host the Border Cats on Friday and Saturday night before returning to Thunder Bay for games on Sunday and Monday.
Now 6-4, Sutherland said they didn’t want to risk falling any further behind the Border Cats (8-2), who opened the season with eight wins in their first nine games before dropping their second of 2024 on Thursday night.
“We’re looking to keep that score as even or in our favour as possible,” said Sutherland, noting the Cats and Huskies will tangle 10 more times this season.
As great as it turned out for Duluth, things weren’t looking good for the Huskies in the opening inning of the game, shortened to seven innings with the two teams playing back-to-back matches on the same day.
After Thunder Bay starter Julian Parson got out of a minor jam in the first, the Border Cats jumped all over Duluth southpaw Jackson Smith in their first at bat.
Lucas Terilli singled and went to second on an error that allowed Ty Brooks to reach.
After Zane Skansi struck out, Cole Ketzner, the hero of Game 1, singled to right to score Terilli. Brooks scampered down the line on a wild pitch and Greg LaChance added an RBI single to left that scored Ketzner, the Cats taking an early 3-0 lead.
It didn’t survive the second.
Parson, who struggled with his control, was tagged for four runs in the inning, the big blow a Sutherland triple to deep centre, foreshadowing his even bigger hit to come.
The blast scored Brady Sullivan and Cardel Dick, and turned a 3-2 Border Cats lead into a 4-3 Huskies advantage.
The Cats evened the score in the third. LaChance walked, stole second and third, and scored on a Trey Fikes sacrifice fly to right.
Thunder Bay had a chance to get out of the fifth only giving up one run, but with two outs, two on and Mulcahy on the mound, Brooks chose to go to first instead of taking the force out at second, extending the inning.
Dick then lined a single over Brooks’ glove, giving the Huskies a 6-4 lead.
Mulcahy got hit hard again the sixth.
Sutherland’s smash was followed by back-to-back doubles by Cole and M.J. Sweeney, who was hitting .419 coming into the contest.
Joshua Butler, who pitched the final four innings for Duluth, faced just 13 batters, retiring 11 on his own and one more on a double play, to earn the save.
Parson left after recording just five outs, giving up four runs on three hits and three walks. Only one of the four runs allowed by Smith was earned.
