By: Connor Wachtel

MANKATO, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs (43-23) fell victim of a two-game sweep with a 6-0 loss in a series finale vs. the Duluth Huskies (29-37), Thursday night at ISG Field.  

 

The Huskies hit the ground running with one run in the opening inning before Mike Boeve (Nebraska Omaha) and Calyn Halvorson (Northern Oklahoma) launched two home runs in the third inning to give the Huskies a 6-0 lead. Then, in the fourth inning, the Huskies piled on six more runs to make it a 12-0 game at ISG Field. 

 

The MoonDogs got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning and scored four runs on two hits. Will Hanafan (Nebraska Omaha), Matt Higgins (Bellarmine) and Jack Costello (San Diego) each had RBI in the four-run fifth inning as the Dogs exited the frame trailing the Huskies 12-4. 

 

After stretching time at ISG Field, Carson Yates (UCLA) cut the MoonDogs’ deficit in half, 12-8, with a grand slam to left which was his third home run of the summer. 

 

The Huskies added two more runs in the eighth to take a 14-8 lead in which they held onto the rest of the evening for a six-run victory. 

 

While being outhit 12-8 in the finale, Mankato struggled in the field and had four errors opposed to Duluth’s one miscue on the night. 

 

Getting the win was the final relief arm for the Huskies, Grant Taival (St. Scholastica). With the victory, Taival got his first win and moved to 1-0 this summer. The loss went to MoonDog starting pitcher, and everyday reliever, Dalton Mesaris (Western Kentucky) as he fell to 4-2 in the 2021 campaign after spanning two and a third innings in the contest. 

 

Up next, the Mankato MoonDogs get set to conclude the 2021 regular season by playing host to the Rochester Honkers (29-36) at ISG Field. First pitch for game one of the series on Friday is slated for 6:35 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.