Honkers Run Out of Pitchers in 13-8 Loss to Duluth

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- The Honkers had a new starter on the mound in Max Gamboa but after six innings they gone through four pitchers and their fifth Keaton Weisz, a position player, was one position players to be on the mound in the Honkers 13-8 loss to the Duluth Huskies (18-16).

With the loss, the Honkers dropped to 7-26 on the season and passed the 2013 squad that had a 10-25 second half for one of the worst halves in Honkers history.

The Honkers jumped out to a two-run lead after two when Kyle Kasser scored on a Casey Worden RBI single and the second run came when Jacob Thomas scored when Turner Buis walked with the bases loaded.

However in the third, after Max Gamboa was removed after 49 pitches, the Honkers gave up five runs on five hits to get themselves into a 5-2 hole.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Honkers retook the lead, keyed by Jackson Thoreson's lead-off solo home run to make the score 6-5.

However the Huskies regained the lead in the top of the fourth to make the score 7-6 after David Kyriacou scored on a Liam Sabine sac fly and then Daniel Amaral, who went 5-5 with a walk, scored on a Dillon Paulson sac fly.

In the fifth the Huskies added one more when Reid Long hit one of his two home runs to make the score 8-6.

In the seventh Keaton Weisz came to the mound to pitch throwing a surprising high mid 80's on his fastball. However, he couldn't locate it and over the inning, including facing three in the eighth, Weisz gave up five runs three hits, included Long's second home run, while walking four.

The Honkers added two in the eighth thanks to two errors by the Huskies middle infield, to make the score 10-8 but were unable to add any more.

Drew Ellis came in to relieve Weisz with the two on in the eighth and allowed them to score to make the game 13-8.

Ellis pitched a scoreless ninth to maintain the 13-8 deficit, but the Honkers were shut down in the ninth to drop their 26th game of the year.

The win was given to David Kroger (W, 1-0) and Robert Paccione who relieved Bjornjeld in the fourth was given his first loss of the season (L, 0-1)

The Honkers will be playing the Bucks in Waterloo tomorrow at 6:05 at Riverfront Stadium. The two teams will finish the suspended game from earlier this season, and then will play a full nine inning game.