Rochester, Minn (August 3rd, 2013)–The Mankato MoonDogs broke the Northwoods League record for runs in a single game by plating 27 runs against the Thunder Bay Border Cats on Saturday. The MoonDogs collected 21 hits and drew 12 walks. Perhaps most impressively, they only struck out five times in 47 at bats as they blasted the Border Cats.
Elsewhere around the league, the Lakeshore Chinooks beat the Wisconsin Woodchucks 9-2 to keep their lead in the South Division standings. The win helped them keep their lead over the Eau Claire Express in tact as Eau Claire beat the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 11-6 on the road.
Finally, the Duluth Huskies lost at home to lose a game on both Waterloo and Mankato. They were unable to come back in the ninth inning as Waterloo and Mankato both went on to win in convincing fashion.
La Crosse 4, Madison 0
Josh Frye (Long Beach State) pitched a complete game shutout against the Mallards in Madison on Saturday. He allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. He picked up his fifth win on the season and now owns an ERA of 3.39 in 69 innings pitched.
Mankato 27, Thunder Bay 5
The MoonDogs broke the record for runs scored in an individual game on Saturday with their 27 runs against Thunder Bay. The bulk of the damage was done by the three through five hitters in the lineup as they combined for nine hits, 12 runs, and 16 RBI.
Eau Claire 11, Wisconsin Rapids 6
Holding a 6-4 lead heading into the ninth, the Express scored five times in the final frame to put the game out of reach late. Greg Harisis (Santa Clara) had a huge night as he led the Express on offense. Harisis hit two home runs and drove in six as he patrolled center field on Saturday. Jose Vizcaino Jr. (Santa Clara) joined his collegiate teammate with a double and four RBI of his own.
Lakeshore 9, Wisconsin 2
After they had stumbled in recent days, the Chinooks got back on track Saturday with a win over the Wisconsin Woodchucks. Donnie Hissa (Notre Dame) made a strong start as he allowed two runs over six innings while picking up the win. He was followed by three individual perfect innings out of the bullpen where all three pitchers each also racked up two strikeouts.
Alexandria 4, Duluth 3
The Blue Anchor bullpen shut down the Huskies over the last ten outs of the game as they maintained the one-run lead they were handed in the sixth. Andy Johnson (Bradley) pitched 2.1 innings out of the bullpen as he allowed just two hits while striking out two batters in holding down the Huskies. The bullpen for the Huskies was equally impressive as they threw 5.2 innings of shutout ball to keep the Huskies in the game.
Battle Creek 11, Green Bay 5
The Bombers used six runs in the bottom of the fifth to break away from the Bullfrogs and win convincingly on Saturday. Tyler Moore (LSU) put up big numbers on offense with two hits, three runs, and two RBI as he hit his third home run on the season. He was joined by his teammates for an offensive outburst where four players had three-hit games.
Waterloo 11, Willmar 5
The Bucks got off to a roaring start with eight runs in the first four innings of the game as they put the Stingers away early. David Kerian (Illinois) led the way on offense with a home run and three runs driven in. The Bucks’ win helped them keep them keep their distance over the other contenders in the North Division.
Sunday Schedule:
Alexandria vs. Willmar- 12:05
Green Bay vs. Wisconsin- 5:05
Madison vs. Wisconsin Rapids- 5:05
Lakeshore vs. La Crosse- 5:05
Battle Creek vs. Eau Claire- 5:05
Waterloo vs. Alexandria- 5:05
Rochester vs. Thunder Bay- 5:05
Willmar vs. St. Cloud- 6:05
Duluth vs. Mankato- 6:05