ROCHESTER Minn. The Mankato MoonDogs broke out for 18 hits and went on to defeat the Rochester Honkers 15-9 at Mayo Field on Monday night in front of a crowd of 809. The victory was the fourth in a row for the MoonDogs which is now their longest winning streak of the season. Ethan Valdez (Nicholls State) and Jake Shepski (Notre Dame) each had three runs batted in and Daniel Amaral (UCLA) went 3 for 3 with an RBI and three runs scored in a hitting effort that culminated in a pair of five run innings for the road team. Mankato also totaled 5 doubles for the game, giving them 75 on the season, second most among 20 teams in the Northwoods League.
After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Ethan Valdez, Mankato added five more in the top of the third when Toby Hanson (Minnesota), Ethan Valdez, and Logan Busch (NDSU) all hit doubles in order. The MoonDogs sent ten to the plate before Drew Fearing (NDSU) grounded out to end the third inning rally.
After scoring three more in the fourth, Daniel Amaral, Kyle Cuellar (UCLA), and Ryan Kriedler (UCLA) all picked up RBI hits in the fifth and the MoonDogs scored five more to bring their lead to 14-0. In the sixth the Honkers began to put runners across the plate, starting with a grand slam by Jordan Hart (Minnesota State). They plated two more in the seventh inning before Cooper Powell (Nevada Reno) entered the game to get the final out in the ninth after the Honkers scored two more to bring the score to 15-9.
MoonDogs starting pitcher Collin Floyd (Youngstown St.) picked up the win. Floyd (2-0) pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits, walked two and struck out 6. Michael Stryffeler (0-2) took the loss for Rochester, lasting 2.1 innings and giving up 6 runs (5 earned) on 5 hits, walking 3 and fanning 3. The MoonDogs (19-16) will play again against the Rochester Honkers (16-18) for the second game of the home and home series tomorrow night at Franklin Rogers Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05pm.
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The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit [www.mankatomoondogs.com]or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the MoonDogs as your favorite team.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC).
All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
