(Rochester, MN) – The Mankato MoonDogs (4-7, 19-26) won their first game after the All-Star break Thursday night 2-1 against the Rochester Honkers (3-7, 22-20).

It was pitching that carried the load for the MoonDogs as Logan Odom (2-2, USC) earned his second win of the year. The right-hander went five and two third innings, and gave up one run on five hits, while striking out seven.

Blake Schwartz (Minnesota St.-Mankato) turned in his best relief performance of the year. He faced ten Honker hitters and retired them all in order to earn his first save of the season.

While the MoonDogs relied on Odom and Schwartz to do the heavy lifting, the Honkers used six pitchers throughout the contest. Starter Grant Muncrief (0-3, Wichita St.) gave up two runs in two and one third innings of work, before giving way to the bullpen, which threw a combined six and two third innings of scoreless ball.

All the runs came courtesy of the long ball as MoonDogs’ all-star Jordan Steranka (Penn State) hit his third homerun of the season in the first inning to give the MoonDogs an early 2-0 lead. The Honkers received a solo blast from Jimmy Waters (Kansas) in the fourth, but that was all they would get offensively.