CROSBY, Minn. --

by Max Mercy

The Cuyuna Range Miners snapped the Duluth Padres' three-year opening-day winning streak with a 7-2 victory in a non-league game at Crosby on Saturday, May 18.

Evan Ferdelman tossed seven shutout innings for the win. He allowed just two hits and had 11 strikeouts, but walked seven batters. Kylan Hill had two hits for the Miners.

Kevin Hendrickx singled to lead off the second inning for Duluth's first hit of the 2013 season. The Padres did not get another hit until Anthony Bush's single in the seventh inning. Nick Moran singled to lead off the eighth, and scored Duluth's first run of the season when Nick Nylund was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Tim Nylund scored on Bob Baxton's single in the ninth for the Padres' other run. Tim Nylund and Greg Schullo each had two stolen bases. True to form for an early-season game, the Padres had 14 strikeouts and just four hits, but also drew 11 walks.

Bush (0-1, 4.50 ERA), making his fifth straight opening-day start for Duluth, was the losing pitcher. He worked the first six innings and allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts. He had retired seven batters in a row before issuing his first walk with two outs in the fifth inning. Hendrickx pitched two scoreless innings in relief; he had three strikeouts and one walk.

Cuyuna Range scored three runs in the second inning on three hits and an error, and added four more runs in the sixth on three hits, a walk, and an error.

The Padres are next in action on Saturday at White Bear Township, Minn., in a three-team round-robin with the White Bear Township Champions and the Metro Knights before opening the Upper 13 League season with Sunday's game at Marenisco, Michigan.