Written by Jacob Toepfer
WILLMAR, Minn. – The Willmar offense once again was too much for Mankato on Friday night at Bill Taunton Stadium. The Stingers beat the MoonDogs 16- 6 in a game of Northwoods League baseball.
The MoonDogs with their second consecutive loss are now 15-11 in the second half and have a season total of 34-26. They now seven games behind the Stingers in the second half. Willmar is now 22-4 in the second half and are first overall in the Great Plains west with a record of 43-17.
The MoonDogs had a big outing from Charles Mcadoo at the plate. McAdoo went three for five and was a triple shy of the cycle. He hit his third home run in two games. Brendan Hord (Evansville)also had another nice day going three for four at the plate. Dustin Crenshaw (Grand Canyon) also had a plus night going two for four with a homerun and three RBIS.
The game was once again a slug fest from the beginning once again but this time only in Willmar’s favor. They opened with five runs in the first frame and added one in the third and the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Mankato finally responded in the top of the sixth adding four runs. The MoonDogs had back-to-back singles and then home runs. Hord singled and Mcadoo homer in the next at bat. Ari Armas (San Diego) singled to get on first base, and then Crenshaw came up. Crenshaw then took a pitch opposite field over the wall for the fourth and final run of the inning.
Willmar added six more runs in the bottom of the seventh, and Mankato responded with two runs in the eighth. McAdoo led off with a double, and after an Armas single runners were on base again for Crenshaw. Crenshaw screamed one down the right field line to drive in one. Armas advanced to second base, and later scored in the inning.
Kobe Lovell (Southwest Minnesota) made his debut as a Moondog going four and a third giving up ten earned runs as well. Three relivers came and gave up a combined six earned runs.
The Moondog’s are now 1 and two on this five-game road trip as they head to Bismark to try and change their fortunes. First pitch will be at 7:05 at Bismarck Municipal 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. Now in its’ 29th 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, 300 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.
