By: Connor Wachtel

MANKATO, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs (26-9) walked off the Waterloo Bucks (23-13) twice with 2-1 and 3-2 victories in a pair of seven-inning contests, Wednesday at ISG Field. 

 

With both wins at ISG Field, the MoonDogs increased their league-best record at home to 17-1.  

 

 

GAME ONE | Mankato 2, Waterloo 1 (7 Innings) 

Preston Clifford (Washington State) shined through as the hero of game one, Wednesday. His bloop single to center in the bottom of the seventh was all it took for the MoonDogs with the bases loaded to grab game one, 3-2.  

 

After Justin Boyd (Oregon State) scored on a wild pitch to give the MoonDogs the lead in inning number three, the Bucks tied the game 1-1 in the sixth with an RBI single to right. The game remained tied the rest of the way until Clifford called game in the seventh. 

 

Hits finished in a 5-5 tie to conclude game one. Mankato came down with the only error of the first game. 

 

In relief, Luke Young (Midland College) got the win after he led the MoonDogs out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth to keep the game tied before throwing a scoreless seventh where the Mankato eventually walked it off in the bottom half. In 1.1 innings, Young never allowed a hit or run, he walked one and struck out two to move to a 4-0 record in 2021. Making his final start for the MoonDogs of 2021 was Ivran Romero (San Diego). Romero worked 5.1 innings while allowing one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out five. 

 

The loss went to Waterloo’s Zach Button (Cal Poly) after he got just one out in the seventh before surrendering the game-winning hit. He allowed just the one run on one hit after walking a pair to fall to an 0-1 record. 

 

 

GAME TWO | Mankato 3, Waterloo 2 (8 Innings) 

After Boyd scored on a wild pitch in game one, he scored the game two game-winner in the eighth on another errant pitch to lift the MoonDogs to a 17-1 home record in 2021. 

 

The Bucks grabbed their first and only lead of the night in the opening frame. It stood until the sixth inning when the MoonDogs scored twice to take their first advantage of game two. The Bucks tied the game 2-2 in the seventh before Boyd scored on the wild pitch in the eighth to give the Dogs the win, 3-2. 

 

Hits went the way of the MoonDogs in game two, 5-4. Waterloo was dealt the only error in the second matchup. 

 

The win went to Davonte Butler (Cal State Bakersfield) after he threw a shutout eighth inning for Mankato with a pair of strikeouts. Butler now owns a 3-1 record in 11 appearances during the 2021 campaign. Jarret Krzyzanowski (Nova Southeastern) made his fifth start, Wednesday, in what was a non-decisive outing record-wise. Krzyzanowski pitched five strong innings allowing just one hit for one run while walking and striking out five along the way. 

 

Waterloo’s relief arm Aaron Treloar (Glendale College) came down with the loss and fell to 1-1 after entering the game to pitch in the seventh and working into the eighth for 1.2 innings of work. He allowed one unearned run and struck out four while throwing a pair of wild pitches that surrendered the game in the eighth. 

 

 

The MoonDogs make their first trip to Iowa to rematch the Bucks in a two-game series, Thursday and Friday. The first pitch for Thursday’s contest is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium. 

 

-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.