Duluth Huskies rally past Thunder Bay for series sweep
Duluth turned another early hole into a 9-6 win over Thunder Bay, finishing the sweep with two Hardcastle homers and Pierce Anderson’s fifth save.
Duluth kept turning holes into wins at Wade Stadium, erasing a four-run deficit Thursday night and beating the Thunder Bay Border Cats 9-6 to finish a series sweep. The Huskies fell behind 6-2 after Thunder Bay strung together five unanswered runs, but they answered again with a late surge.
Dax Hardcastle drove that rally from the start and the middle of the game. The Mississippi State third baseman opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning, then later hit another two-run shot to pull Duluth back within range after Thunder Bay had stretched the lead to four. Jalen Smith, a first baseman from Barry University, added a solo home run in the sixth, and the Huskies kept the inning moving with a sacrifice fly and a two-RBI single to take the lead for good. Duluth added another run in the seventh to give the bullpen some cushion.
Pierce Anderson finished the job and earned his fifth save of the season, a total that tied him for second in the Northwoods League. The right-hander from Grand View University preserved the sweep as Duluth improved to 15-16.
Duluth rallied from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Border Cats 7-5 two nights earlier, and on June 21 Smith hit two home runs in a rain-shortened 11-6 win over Thunder Bay. Hardcastle finished Thursday 3-for-3 with two homers, four RBI and four runs scored, while Smith went 3-for-4 with a homer and three runs scored. The team entered the night with three earned runs allowed and a 1.93 ERA.
The sweep sent Duluth into its next set against the Waterloo Bucks at Wade Stadium, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. Friday. The ballpark in West Duluth, built in 1941 and renovated in 2015, has been home to the Huskies since 2013.
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