Huskies baseball: Katzenmeyer shuts door on Lakers

When Kyle Messner retired from the Hutchinson Huskies, it left the team without a much-needed closer.

During the past two weeks, two games have been blown in the ninth inning. Included in those losses was a defeat to Wednesday's opponent, Maple Lake.

After throwing eight outstanding innings against the Lakers, starter Adam Padrnos hit the wall for the second straight game in the ninth inning.

Up 5-2 and the bases loaded following two walks and a single, manager Tim Thode went to the bullpen. The call - 18-year-old Adam Katzenmeyer. Pitching in his first league contest, Katzenmeyer struck out Marcus Zahn and pinch hitter Darin Decker before getting a ground out to shortstop to shut the door.

Five in a row. That's the streak of Class B wins in a row for Hutchinson, who are off until next Wednesday when they host St. Michael at 7:30 p.m.