By Connor Wachtel
Mankato, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs dropped game two of the two-game series in one-run fashion on Monday night. The final score was 1-0 as the Willmar Stingers took the win.
BOX SCORE: Willmar 1, Mankato 0
The game’s lone run, scored by the Stingers, came in the seventh. After a walk by Brandon Bohning (CSU – Northridge) got a Stinger runner on. A failed pickoff attempt that resulted in an error moved Bohning to second. Then with a Cal Elvers (Miami – Ohio) double in the right field gap, Bohning scored on the play. Wilmar owned a 1-0 lead after the seventh, where the game would ultimately finalize.
Player Notables:
Turning in a notable offensive performance was Elvers of the Stingers who went 2-3 with an RBI.
Earning the win was Polo Portela (Cumberland). He threw six complete innings of shutout baseball and held Mankato to two hits. Portela also struck out five batters. Casey Cobb (Alabama) claimed the save going 1.1 innings, striking out three and walking one.
Handed the loss was Brett Newberg (Austin Peay) who pitched six innings of no-run baseball before surrendering one in the seventh. Newberg gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six along the way. In relief, it was Hayden Juenger (Missouri State). Juenger threw the final two frames and allowed a hit and struck out two.
Due up for the Dogs:
Up next for the Mankato MoonDogs (11-11) is the Rochester Honkers (12-8). The probable starter for the MoonDogs tomorrow is Nick Schmidt (Missouri State). First pitch is slated for 4:35 p.m. at Mayo Field in Rochester, Minn.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 25-year old summer collegiate 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, 225 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG), World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS) and MLB All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the MoonDogs as your favorite team.