{"id":8389,"date":"2020-07-24T23:02:35","date_gmt":"2020-07-25T04:02:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/?p=8389"},"modified":"2020-07-24T23:02:35","modified_gmt":"2020-07-25T04:02:35","slug":"back-and-forth-friday-frenzy-ends-with-another-moondogs-walk-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/northwoodsleague.com\/mankato-moondogs\/2020\/07\/24\/back-and-forth-friday-frenzy-ends-with-another-moondogs-walk-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Back and Forth Friday Frenzy Ends with Another MoonDogs Walk Off"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Connor Wachtel<\/p>\n

Mankato, Minn. —\u00a0<\/b>The Mankato MoonDogs and Rochester Honkers played through six lead changes Friday night. The last was a big one for the home team, it saw the Dogs winners in the ninth, 6-5.<\/p>\n

With two outs and the bases loaded,\u00a0Zach Gilles<\/b>\u00a0provided the game-winning hit to left center that scored\u00a0Max Wright<\/b>. The 6-5 win upped the MoonDogs team-high winning streak to four in a row and a 7-12 overall record.<\/p>\n

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Gilles (Right) celebrates with Evan Berkey (Left) after being doused in the game-winning Gatorade shower. (Image captured by Mansoor Ahmad)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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However, the Honkers made their way into the score column first to start the weekend series in Mankato. Batting second,\u00a0Robert Moore<\/b>, drew a walk and later put the Honkers up 1-0 in the first after stealing second and later scoring on a\u00a0Connor Denning\u00a0<\/b>RBI double.<\/p>\n

UCLA teammates,\u00a0Emanuel Dean\u00a0<\/b>and\u00a0Michael Curialle<\/b>, each had RBI singles in the bottom of the fourth that gave the MoonDogs their first lead of the night, 2-1.<\/p>\n

An RBI double and a sacrifice fly restored the Honkers one-run lead, 3-2, in the sixth inning.<\/p>\n

An infield groundout was good enough to score\u00a0Jake Thompson<\/b>, for his second run of the night,\u00a0<\/b>Friday night.\u00a0Maddux Houghton\u00a0<\/b>had the dribbler that scored the tying run. Two batters later,\u00a0Zach Kokoska<\/b>\u00a0helped the MoonDogs reclaim the lead with a base knock to right that scored Dean and made it a 4-3 game through six innings at Franklin Rogers Park.<\/p>\n

The back and forth battle continued into the seventh when the Honkers tied the game again off another RBI hit by Denning. It was in the form of a single that made it a 4-4 game and queued stretching time at The Frank.<\/p>\n

The Honkers took the lead back in the eighth.\u00a0Robert Moore<\/b>\u00a0had the hit to put the visitors in front, scoring\u00a0Jacob Shaver\u00a0<\/b>from second on a liner up the middle.<\/p>\n

After a walk-off win in their last home showing, Mankato found a way to win it again in the ninth. A bases-loaded walk was drawn by Kokoska to tie the game and made room for Gilles\u2019s Friday night heroics.<\/p>\n

Both sides showed efficient hitting to kick off the weekend. Eight hits were put up by each team respectively with perfect fielding in the form of zero errors for both sides.<\/p>\n

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#MOONDOGS<\/a> WIN!!!@gillesz16<\/a> wins it with a single to left center that scored @maxwright21! <\/p>\n

Dogs are walk-off winners again tonight at Franklin Rogers Park. That's four in a row! #DogsAreHot<\/a> #MoonDogginIt<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/cB47vevdDd<\/a><\/p>\n

— Mankato MoonDogs (@MankatoMoonDogs) July 25, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n