(Mankato, MN) The Mankato MoonDogs are currently in the middle of one of the biggest three game series this season, and through two of these games the team is 1-1. Mankato and Rochester split their doubleheader on Saturday with the Honkers taking the first game of the evening 7-4, and the MoonDogs taking the second 5-0.
In the first game starter Jimmy Dale (MSU-Mankato) went 4.2 innings allowing five runs on eight hits. The Honkers were finding all of the holes in the MoonDog defense, generating eleven hits and seven runs in the game. Reliever Zach Calhoon (Texas-San Antonio) came into the game in relief of Dale and allowed two runs on three hits in just over an inning.
Carlos Ramirez (Chandler-Gilbert) and Cass Via (Garden City CC) each drove in two runs apiece, with Ramirez blasting his third home run of the season out of Mayo Field in the top of the fourth inning. Via’s two RBI also came in the top of the fourth, but the MoonDogs could not generate any more offense than this.
Mankato sent their second Jimmy to the mound to start game two of the doubleheader and this starter Jimmy Reyes (Elon) faired slightly better than Dale did in the first game of the night. Reyes pitched six innings of one hit baseball. He walked two batters and struck out seven, including four in the first inning. Mike Lobacz (Elon) collected two hits and two runs batted in and Ramirez hit his second home run of the night to lead the MoonDogs to a 5-0 victory and a split on the day.
The split puts the MoonDogs at 16-7 on the season, still two and a half games over the second place Honkers, who move their record to 13-9 with the split. The two teams will face each other for the third time this weekend on Sunday evening at Franklin Rogers Park. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 6:05pm, and the MoonDogs will also be inviting the Zooperstars to town, one of the best minor league baseball entertainment acts in the country. Tickets for the game are available at the MoonDog ticket office, located at 310 Belle Ave., or at Franklin Rogers Park prior to the game.
