By: Connor Wachtel

ST. CLOUD, Minn. –The Mankato MoonDogs (21-8) moved into a tie for first in the Great Plains West with a 5-4 win over the division-leading St. Cloud Rox (21-8), Wednesday at Joe Faber Field. 

 

Matt Higgins (Bellarmine) remained hot in the MoonDogs’ season-high seventh straight victory. The Dogs won 5-4 in extra innings behind Higgin’s 3-for-5 evening which featured two RBI and a run scored which tied the game to force extra innings. 

 

Mankato grabbed the game’s first lead, 1-0, in the top of the first frame when Higgins singled up the middle in the first to score Justin Boyd (Oregon State). 

 

In the third inning, the Rox grabbed a one-run lead following a two-run home run hit by Nick Yovetich. After three innings in St. Cloud, the Rox led 2-1. 

 

Then, the MoonDogs battled back twice to tie the game 2-2 and 4-4 to force extra innings, Wednesday. In the 10th inning, Adrian Torres (Grand Canyon) was the hero after he legged out a bases-loaded groundout to avoid an inning-ending double play, allowing Kole Kaler (Hawaii) to score from third.  

 

Vince Reilly (Grand Canyon) entered the game to pitch the final frame for his first save of the summer. Reilly struck out a pair in the final inning. 

 

The MoonDogs outhit the Rox 12-9 in Wednesday’s game. It was a miscue-heavy evening with Mankato having three errors compared to St. Cloud’s two miscues defensively. 

 

In relief, the win went to Mankato’s right-handed pitcher Davonte Butler (Cal State Bakersfield). Butler is now 2-1 in 2021 after throwing a scoreless ninth inning in the game. Despite allowing one hit, Butler struck out the side. 

 

The loss went to Rox reliever Noah Myhre, who fell to 0-1, Wednesday. Myhre surrendered one run (none earned) en route to the defeat. Myhre never allowed a hit, walked two and struck out four. 

 

Now in a tie for first in the Great Plains West with five nights remaining in the first half of the season, the MoonDogs and Rox rematch Thursday at Joe Faber Field with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. 

 

-DOGS-

The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th season, the Northwoods 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, over 230 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.