MANKATO, MINN — The Mankato MoonDogs picked up a hard-fought 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Mud Puppies on Saturday night at ISG Field, building an early lead before holding off a late push to earn the win.
Mankato struck first in the opening inning before adding single runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh. Marvin Montenegro (Florida State University) provided the biggest swing of the night with a solo home run, while Sam Erickson (Lamar University) and Nico Libed (UC Santa Barbara) each drove in a run. Sean Griggs (Monmouth University) doubled, scored, and stole a base, while Liam Ebbs (Wofford College) paced the offense with a pair of hits.
The MoonDogs were aggressive on the basepaths, swiping four bases as Kyle Hvidsten (Liberty University), Griggs, Jack Mislan (Lafayette College), and Erickson all recorded steals.
Logan Gross (Colorado Mesa University) turned in one of his strongest outings of the season, tossing 7.2 innings while allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out seven without issuing a walk. The Mud Puppies were held scoreless through six innings before breaking through in the seventh and pulling within one in the eighth.
Gerardo Gonzalez (Central Arizona CC) entered in relief with two outs in the eighth and shut the door, recording the final four outs while allowing no hits and striking out one to earn his second victory of the season.
The MoonDogs finished with seven hits and played error-free defense to secure the 4-3 win. Mankato will face the St. Cloud Rox Sunday and the first pitch will be thrown at 4:05 pm.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in developing elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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 410 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM).