The Duluth Huskies snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Wisconsin Woodchucks 4-2 in a Northwoods League baseball game Tuesday night at Wade Stadium.
After losing three straight road games, the Huskies played with a chip on their shoulder and won the first game of a six-game home stand, their longest of the season.
Joey Bonadonna led the Huskies' aggressive play and made his case for a spot on Northwoods League All-Star roster. He finished with two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases, giving him 19 for the season to break the Huskies' record of 18 by Bryce Nimmo.
"He's got a lot of tools," said Woodchucks second baseman Steve Gerstenberger, a junior from Michigan State who plays against Bonadonna in the Big Ten conference. "He runs fast, hits the ball well and gets good jumps. I play against him in the Big Ten and he's always a threat; he's always playing aggressive."
Bondonna, who plays at Illinois, sparked the offense knocking in big RBIs in the third and fifth innings and stealing bases at will, one on a pick-off attempt and one on a pitchout.
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"It was a goal of mine to break at least the Huskies record and have a shot at the Northwoods record," said Bonadonna, who'd have to steal 45 bases to get the record. "I'm looking to get out there every day and put pressure on teams. I'm getting on base more, getting opportunities without guys in front of me and selecting the right pitches. I've picked up things along the way and it's really paid off."
Louis St. George was a former baseball coach at Duluth Denfeld and has never seen a baseball player as quick as Bonadonna.
"He's smart, he's always watching that pitcher's foot," said St. George, who is a host parent to Huskies outfielder Chris House. "As soon as he picks it up, he's gone. If you can beat the pitchout, there's not much you can do. If he stays healthy, he should hit 40."
Newcomer Tom Luce earned his first save after a controversial call in the top of the ninth inning. With two men on and two strikes, Vicente Cafaro was warned for leaning into a pitch that had already passed him. The next pitch struck him in the shoulder, but he wasn't awarded first base. After several minutes of arguing Cafaro stepped into the box only to strike out looking at the next pitch.
"He was sticking his elbow over the plate the whole time, and he finally stuck it in and got hit" said Luce. "It was in the strike zone."
