There was no postgame fireworks show scheduled for the Fourth of July at Target Field. It was, after all, a day game under a bright blue sky and puffy clouds. So Harrison Bader provided some fireworks of his own.

Bader hit a home run in the fifth inning to get the Twins on the board and then hit a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to send the Twins to a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Knotted at three, Bader unleashed on the first pitch he saw, a 91.8 mile per hour sinker, from Kevin Kelly, sending it out to left field and the Twins to a much-needed win.

Bader’s first home run also opened up a tied game — 0-0 at the time — to open up the scoring in the game. But the Twins’ lead wouldn’t last long.

Chris Paddack, who started his day by retiring the first 11 batters he faced, ran into some trouble in the sixth inning, eventually leading to the end of his day. The Rays scored two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh — two runs were charged to Paddack, another to Brock Stewart — putting the Twins into a hole.

After not scoring more than two runs in each of their past four days, it seemed as if the Twins might be on track for more of the same on Friday, unable to convert on some of their earlier opportunities.

But in the seventh inning, they clawed back, using a Byron Buxton single to left to grab a run and a Brooks Lee hit by pitch to force in another. Carlos Correa then struck out with the bases loaded. But though they missed out on cashing out on earlier opportunities, Bader ensured none of that mattered with one swing.

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Minnesota Lynx vs. Golden State

When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Target Center
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network North
Radio: BOB-FM, 106.1

Bottom line: The Lynx are 11-1 against Western Conference opponents this season. Minnesota averages 85.7 points and has outscored opponents by an average of 11.5 points. … Golden State scores 79.5 points while outscoring opponents by 2.3 points per game.

Last time: The Lynx won 86-75 in San Francisco on June 2. Napheesa Collier had 24 points and 11 boards for Minnesota.

Top performers: Collier, the Western Conference player of the month for June, is scoring a WNBA-best 24.6 points a game and ranks fifth with in rebounding (8.2 per game) for the Lynx. Kayla McBride is averaging 14.9 points and 2.2 rebounds over the past 10 games. … Kayla Thornton is averaging 15 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Valkyries.

Last 10: Lynx (8-2) averaged 86.6 points, 33.7 rebounds, 24.6 assists, 8.0 steals and 6.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.8 points per game. … Valkyries (7-3) averaged 82.8 points, 38.6 rebounds, 19.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 42.0% from the field.

Injuries: Lynx, Karlie Samuelson, out (foot). … Valkyries, none listed.

—- Associated Press

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DULUTH — Essentia Health has reached a tentative contract agreement with acute care hospital nurses in the Twin Ports, averting a strike that was set to begin next week.

The accord, reached Friday morning, includes a 9.75% wage increase spread over the next three years, according to the Minnesota Nurses Association. It also contains a one-year freeze on reductions to current staffing ratios, the union said, and protections against changes in employment terms.

“Our fight has never been just about contracts — it’s about patient care — and these wins will enable us to provide that care more safely than before,” MNA President Chris Rubesch said in a news release. “We will move forward with these wins while also recommitting to the fight for safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. It’s what our patients deserve, and it’s what our nurses deserve.”

The bargaining unit covers approximately 1,500 nurses at Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center and the Miller-Dwan building in Duluth, as well as Essentia Health St. Mary’s Hospital-Superior.

“I’m proud of my fellow nurses who pushed both sides to find a resolution that kept them at the bedside caring for our patients,” said Rhonda Kazik, chief nurse executive at Essentia. “Nurses are called to this profession because they want to care for others, and we’re grateful to have some of the best in the profession here at Essentia Health. We have prioritized patient care throughout these negotiations and will continue to do so in every community we serve.”

The nurses’ previous contract expired Monday. Members are set to vote on ratification of the new agreement in the coming weeks.

The deal came just one day after Congress passed President Donald Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill that will reduce Medicaid spending by $1 trillion and lead to 11.8 million more uninsured people, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

The MNA on Thursday also canceled a strike that was set to begin at Aspirus St. Luke’s hospital in Duluth, citing substantial progress in negotiations and the expectation that a tentative agreement will be reached in the coming days.

But strikes still loom at several other Essentia properties where units are negotiating their first contracts. Ambulatory nurses at the Duluth Clinic’s First, Second and Third Street buildings, the Superior Clinic, Miller Hill Surgery Center and Solvay Hospice House are set to walk off the job Tuesday.

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Advanced practice providers in Essentia’s East Market are also set for an unfair labor practices strike beginning Thursday.

“Our members fighting for first contracts deserve to have dignity and respect in the workplace — and that means having a fair contract,” Rubesch said. “We continue to call on Essentia to bargain in good faith with our members, which means also coming to the table to start the bargaining process with advanced practice providers.”

Essentia officials noted first contracts in health care typically take about 18 months to finalize. Bargaining with those units has been underway for four to 11 months so far.

The health system said it is taking steps to “ensure minimal disruption to patient care” during potential strikes, though Solvay will temporarily pause care due to its unique “wall-to-wall” MNA representation.

Two motorists were killed in a collision early Friday along County Highway DD in St. Croix County, Wis., police say.

St. Croix County authorities received a call about 4:04 a.m. Friday from a cell phone’s automatic collision notification. Police tracked the phone and located a two-vehicle crash near the 2200 block of Highway DD in Baldwin Township.

A 2012 Chevrolet Cruze traveling westbound on the highway had collided with a 2010 Chevrolet Equinox traveling eastbound.

Both motorists were pronounced dead at the scene. One driver was an 18-year-old man from Emerald, Wis., and the other driver was a 24-year-old man from Baldwin, Wis.

No passengers were involved.

Police are still investigating the collision and did not provide identification of the victims.

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