MINOT, N.D. — The Mankato MoonDogs erased an early three-run deficit and scored six unanswered runs to defeat the Minot Hot Tots 6-3 on Thursday night.
Trailing 3-0 through five innings, Mankato broke through with four runs in the sixth before adding two more in the seventh to complete the comeback.
Liam Ebbs (Wofford College) paced the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while Charlie Longmeier (University of Evansville) also drove in two runs. Maddox Foss (Augustana University SD) and Cole Clark (UC Irvine) each added two-hit performances as the MoonDogs finished with 13 hits.
On the mound, Tyler Walton (Texas State University) earned the win with 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit while striking out six. Starter Luke Ballantyne (Biola University) recorded seven strikeouts in 3.2 innings, and Ryan Dilger (Chandler-Gilbert CC) struck out four over the final two innings to earn the save.
The MoonDogs’ pitching staff combined for 17 strikeouts while limiting the Hot Tots to just four hits in the victory. They are looking for another win against Minot tomorrow, for their third game in the series. First pitch is at 6:35 pm.
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