By Connor Wachtel
Bismarck, N.D. – The Mankato MoonDogs prevailed against the Bismarck Larks in Bismarck on Sunday to settle for a series split with the Larks. The final score was 5-2 as a home run, and great relief work, in the final frames was the difference.
BOX SCORE: Mankato 5, Bismarck 2
Mankato got on the board first with Dayton Dooney (Arizona) driving in Nick Novak (Angelo State) with a single to left in the first to give the MoonDogs an early 1-0 lead.
In the fifth scoring resumed when Adan Fernandez (FIU) roped a single to left that scored Jake Moberg (UCLA). However, in the bottom half the Larks got on the board and evened the score at two. It was from a base knock from Alex Peterson (Missouri) scored a pair.
In the seventh Garrett Gilbert (Creighton) put the Dogs back on top by pulling a home run to left. His 2nd home run of the season gave Mankato a 3-2 advantage.
A 20-minute rain delay after the seventh didn’t faze the Dogs. Fernandez continued to rake in RBI, plating two more with a bases clearing triple in the bottom of the eighth. It upped the score to 5-2 for the Dogs. The Larks had to response for the MoonDogs relief work in the final inning and the game ended as a 5-2 final in favor of Mankato.
Player Notables:
Fernandez led the charge with a 2-4 day and a trio of RBI.
Earning his first win of the summer was Trent Baker (Angelo State). Baker pitched seven innings for Mankato before a rain delay arguably put an end to his day. He allowed three hits and two runs while walking four and striking out three. Brett Newberg (Austin Peay) came in to pitch the eighth and finished the game to record the save in his first appearance out of the pen in 2019.
The loss went to Trevor McGee (Northampton CC) after his six-inning outing that saw him surrender two runs on three hits. He walked a pair and struck out one.
Due up for the Dogs:
Tomorrow the Mankato MoonDogs (25-27) take on the Willmar Stingers (28-24). Tyler Lesley (Angelo State) will make his return to the hill for the first time since the all-star game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 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.
