Huskies split doubleheader with Rochester

Three Duluth pitchers combined on a four-hitter in the opening game, but the Huskies’ bats were silent in the nightcap as the Rochester Honkers earned a split of the Northwoods League baseball doubleheader on a wet Sunday before just 263 fans at Wade Stadium.
Corey Copping, Jake Popovich and Patrick McGrath divvied up the pitching duties in the first game for the Huskies (2-4), with Popovich getting credit for the 2-1 victory by throwing 11⁄3 innings of relief and McGrath earning the save by recording the final four outs in the seven-inning game.
Duluth scored both of its runs in the third inning. Michael Fries singled in Chase Kiefer and Dominic Brugnoni scored the game-winning run when Nathan Krause was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
Rochester (4-2), co-leader of the North Division and two games ahead of the Huskies, tallied its lone run in the fourth inning.
Pitchers Logan Spitzack and Carl Jameson held the Huskies to five hits in the second game, a 4-1 Rochester victory. Spitzack, a St. Cloud State player, blanked
Duluth for six innings before Jameson allowed the only run in the bottom of the seventh. Fries came home from third base after the center fielder fumbled the ball on Krause’s single.
Alex Winkleman took the loss for Duluth despite keeping the Honkers scoreless for five innings. Blaise Lezynski singled in Alex Schultz and scored on Reid Roper’s double in the sixth, and Rochester tacked on two seventh-inning runs against reliever Jordan Deal.
The Huskies resume their homestand against Green Bay at 6:35 p.m. today.

Box scores

Game 1

Huskies 2, Honkers 1

Rochester    Duluth

    ab    r    h    bi        ab    r    h    bi

Smith cf    3    0    0    0    Greene ss    4    0    1    0
Roper ss    3    0    0    0    Kiefer 3b-cf    4    1    2    0
Lezynski dh    3    1    1    0    Brugnoni cf-rf    4    1    1    0
Evanson 1b    4    0    0    0    Fries lf-rf        3    0    2    1
Sorenson rf    3    0    1    1    Rodriguez dh    0    0    0    0
Roper 3b    1    0    1    0    Ballard 3b    1    0    0    0
Fletcher lf    2    0    0    0     Hellquist lf    1    0    0    0
Hull c    2    0    1    0    Krause c    2    0    0    1
Buenting 2b    0    0    0    0    Caldwell 1b    3    0    0    0
                    Bartlett 2b    3    0    0    0
Totals    21    1    4    1    Totals    25    2    6    2
Rochester    000    100     0-    1
Duluth    002    000     0-    2
2B - Sorenson (2), Kiefer (1), Fries (1). HP - Roper (1), Krause (1). SH - Smith. SB - Fletcher (2). CS- Roper (1), Hull (1). E - Hodges (1), Copping (1). LOB - Rochester 9, Duluth 10.

    IP    H    R    ER    BB    SO   

Rochester

Hodges (L, 0-1)    5.0    5    2    2    4    6
Diers    1.0    1    0    0    0    0

Duluth

Copping    4.1    4    1    1    4    7
Popovich (W, 1-1)    1.1    0    0    0    2    0
McGrath (S, 1)    1.1    0    0    0    2    1
WP - Diers (3). HB - Hodges (1), Copping (1).
T - 2:12.

Game 2

Honkers 4, Huskies 1

Rochester    Duluth

    ab    r    h    bi        ab    r    h    bi

Schultz cf    3    1    1    1    Greene ss    3    0    1    0
Smith lf    4    0    0    0    Kiefer 3b        3    0    1    0
Lezynski dh    3    1    1    1    Brugnoni cf    3    0    0    0
Roper 2b    3    0    1    1    Fries rf        3    1    1    0
Campbell 1b    3    0    0    0    Rodriguez lf    2    0    0    0
Fletcher rf    3    0    1    0    Krause c        3    0    1    0
Brewster 3b    3    0    0    0    Caldwell 1b    3    0    1    0
Roper ss    3    1    0    0    Bartlett 2b    3    0    0    0
Goihl c    3    1    2    0    Hellquist dh    3    0    0    0
Totals    28    4    6    3    Totals    24    1    5    0
Rochester    000    002    2-    4
Duluth    000    000     1-    1
2B - Schultz (3), Roper (1). HP - Rodriguez (2). E - Schultz (1), Greene (2). LOB - Rochester 4, Duluth 4.

    IP    H    R    ER    BB    SO   

Rochester

Spitzack (W, 1-0)    6.0    3    0    0    1    1
Jameson    1.0    2    1    1    0    1

Duluth

Winkleman (L, 0-1)    5.2    3    2    2    1    5
Deal    1.1    3    2    2    0    0
PB - Krause. HB - Jameson (2).
T - 1:35. A - 263.

1/3: Nathan Krause of the Duluth Huskies is hit by a pitch in the third inning of Sunday’s first game against the Rochester Honkers at Wade Stadium. The bases were loaded, so the hit scored Dominic Brugnoni. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)

2/3: Rochester’s Reid Roper touches first base an instant after being tagged out by Huskies’ first baseman Grady Caldwell in the second inning of the first game at Wade Stadium Sunday, June 1, 2014. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)

3/3: Cory Copping of the Duluth Huskies pitches aginast the Rochester Honkers on Sunday, June 1, 2014, in Duluth. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)