Honkers Fall to Huskies Despite Third Strong Start in a Row

(Rochester, Minn.) – The Rochester Honkers fell to the Duluth Huskies 5-2 in Duluth on Tuesday night in Duluth despite a strong start from Isaac Friesen (Hawaii).

Friesen gave the Honkers their third strong start in a row; he went six innings, allowed two runs, one of them earned, on five hits, walked two and struck out three.

The Honkers took an early lead in the fourth when Ryan Fitzpatrick (Saddle Back) hit a solo home run to give the Honkers a 1-0 lead. In the fifth, the Honkers made the score 2-0 when Kyle Kasser hit a single to score Josh Hauser (UT-Martin).

The Huskies got one run back in the fifth to make the score 2-1, and then tied the game at 2 when Brendan McClary (Columbia Basin) hit a RBI double in the sixth.

In the eighth, Austin Bernard (Pepperdine) launched a three-run home run to give Duluth a 5-2 lead and win.

Bayley Chesterton (0-2) (Riverside CC) took the loss in relief for the Honkers; he pitched two innings, allowed three runs on four hits, walked three and struck out one.

Riley Gates (BYU) got the start for the Huskies; he went five innings, allowed two runs on three hits, walked three and struck out six. Wade Regas (2-1) (Texas Wesleyan) got the win in relief for the Huskies when he pitched a perfect inning. Quentin Longrie (5) (Southern California) pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out one to get his fifth save of the season.

Kasser went 1-for-3 with a RBI while Ryan Fitzpatrick went 1-for-4 with a RBI and a run scored to lead the Honkers. Bernard went 1-for-5 with four RBI and a run scored and Tyler Duex (St. Scholastica) went 2-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Huskies.

The Honkers fall to 11-15 in the second half and 18-43 overall while the Huskies move to 7-18 in the second half and 25-36 overall.

The Honkers will take on the Duluth Huskies in Duluth again tonight, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. The Honkers will be back at home on Thursday to take on the Battle Creek Bombers for Team Trading Card Set Night presented by Pepsi and 106.9 KROC, where the first 1,000 fans will get a set of team trading cards. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. and gates open at 6.