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Despite scoring 6 runs in the top of the first, the Huskies were unable to jump over .500 for the first time this season, falling in a brutal 8-6 defeat at Thunder Bay.
The Duluth offense exploded to begin the game, with all nine batters getting opportunities in the first inning. Calyn Halvorson, Michael Hallquist, and Carson Applegate provided RBI doubles in the opening frame. Struggles with timely hits disappeared for the moment. The Huskies looked well on their way to the second victory of the series in Thunder Bay.
However, almost nothing went their way from that point on. The Border Cats quickly cut into the deficit, getting three runs back in the third inning off Huskies starter Devin Dodson. Thunder Bay strung together four consecutive singles, finding holes in the Duluth defense with ease. It could have been worse in the inning, but Dodson was able to get Tyler Griggs to ground into a double play, ending the inning with two runners on.
The Huskies advantage unfortunately did not last. Dodson allowed the first two hitters to reach base in the inning, but then responded by getting two outs. For a moment, it looked as if he would escape trouble.
Thunder Bay had other ideas. The Border Cats had five men reach base consecutively after that second out was recorded, bringing in five runs. They did so with only one extra-base hit, as they moved baserunners around the bases methodically.
On the offensive side, the Huskies failed to score after the first inning. They mustered only six hits in the final eight innings, continuing their late-inning struggles on the road.
Duluth(4-5) will look to salvage a split at Thunder Bay tomorrow evening, before returning home to face the La Crosse Loggers on Saturday.
