Photo captured by Dylan Engel (Mankato MoonDogs)
Written by Connor Wachtel
MANKATO, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs took down the Rochester Honkers, 6-4, in a come-from-behind effort to pick up their third win in a row, Monday night at ISG Field.
With the victory, the MoonDogs now own a 37-26 overall mark on the season while the Honkers fell to 29-34.
Charles McAdoo (San Jose State) and Owen Little (Southwest Tennessee CC) guided the MoonDogs’ way to victory, respectively. McAdoo went four-for-four in the contest with a double, RBI and the go-ahead run scored in the seventh. Little pitched 5.2 innings of relief work from the second into the seventh with just three hits against, a walk and three strikeouts.
The highlight of Monday’s contest was early offense that went for none as Rochester got off to a hot start by tallying four runs on three hits in the opening frame. However, it was all MoonDogs from that moment on as the Honkers’ bats were blanked the rest of the way.
Mankato had suddenly erased the deficit by the end of the second inning after scoring a run of their own in the bottom half of the first before adding three more in the second to tie the game, 4-4.
Five innings later, in the bottom of the seventh, the MoonDogs gained their edge in the contest over the Honkers. The rally was rolling from the get-go when McAdoo doubled high off the wall in left. In the next at-bat, he scored the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run on an RBI single to center by Brendan Hord (Evansville). Hord scored later on an RBI single to short by Derek Shoen (UMary), which provided insurance in the form of the 6-4 upper hand the MoonDogs rode to victory.
The MoonDogs outhit the Honkers 10-8 in Monday’s ballgame. Both sides had one error in the contest.
On the mound for the MoonDogs, Alfredo Frey (La Verne) picked up the win to move to 1-0 after relieving Little to lead the MoonDogs out of the seventh inning. After also pitching the eighth, Frey finished the night with one hit against and a strikeout. Jakob Meyer (Evansville) entered the game for the ninth and picked up his first save of the summer.
The MoonDogs rematch the Honkers, Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. back at ISG Field in Mankato.
-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.