By Connor Wachtel
Mankato, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs dropped the second game of their two-game series with the Larks on Saturday. The final score was 15-3, Bismarck ran away with it in the final frame.
BOX SCORE: Bismarck 15, Mankato 3
The Larks scored first in the second inning. Brian Leonhardt (San Diego State) notched the RBI single to give the Larks the lead.
Again, it was Bismarck in the third recording another run to put themselves up 2-0 after three innings.
Bismarck doubled their lead in the fifth with a pair of runs each batted in by back to back singles. After five frames, the Larks held a 4-0 lead.
The MoonDogs got on the board in the sixth when Josh Elvir (Angelo State) slapped a pitch over the right field fence. It was a solo shot to cut the Bismarck lead to 4-1.
Leonhardt recorded another RBI single in the eighth. Then Wyatt Ulrich (St. Johns – Minnesota) followed it up with another RBI via a fielder’s choice play that allowed another to score. The Larks owned a 6-1 lead after the eighth.
Bismarck finished the game off with nine more runs on seven hits and an error in the final frame.
The MoonDogs went out on a positive note in the bottom half, recording two hits for two runs. The final stood 15-3 in favor of the Bismarck Larks.
Player Notables:
Turning in the Dogs notable night at the plate was Elvir who went 1-3 with a solo home run.
Earning the win was the Larks starting right-hander, Eric Hildebrand (Jackson College). He pitched six innings allowing a run and two hits.
The MoonDogs starter, Reece Calvert (Western Kentucky), was handed the loss for going six innings and surrendering four runs and nine hits. He walked two and struck out five.
Due up for the Dogs:
Up next for the Mankato MoonDogs (11-9) is the Willmar Stingers (13-7) in enemy territory tomorrow. The Dogs will play the Stingers in a home and home two-day series. Probable pitcher for Mankato tomorrow is Nick Hull (Grand Canyon). First pitch is slated for 5:05 p.m. at Bill Taunton Stadium in Willmar, Minn.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, 225 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG), World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS) and MLB All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the MoonDogs as your favorite team.
