They never said winning six straight games would be easy, and it wasn’t, but it did happen. The Minot Honeybees extended their franchise-record win streak to six games with a 7-6 victory over the Wausau Ignite on Wednesday.

The Ignite lived up to their name in the first inning, getting a three-run home run from Mia Johnson to make the first move. Minot countered with an RBI double by Virginia Mambelli to get on the board.

Mambelli’s day was far from done, as in her very next at-bat cleared the bases with another double. The big play made the score 4-3 Minot and another RBI soon after extended the lead to two.

In the top of the third, it was Johnson punching in three more on her second home run of the day. Momentum swung back in Wausau’s favor after the play with a 6-5 advantage. That would be the last of Wausau’s scoring plays for the game. Julianna Verni was called in to pitch for the Bees in the second inning and the home run was all the damage she would allow. Verni allowed five hits and three runs over six innings, earning her second win of the series.

Virginia Mambelli came up for a third time and did something even more grand in the fourth inning. With the score tied at six, Mambelli sent the softball into orbit, crushing her second home run of the season. The go-ahead blast stood as the game-winning play for Minot. 

The Honeybees swept Wausau back to the east with four wins against the Ignite. The 7-6 victory improved Minot’s record to 14-8, still second-best in the Northwoods League. They will meet up with the La Crosse Steam over the weekend before a matchup with the league-leading Madison Night Mares over the All-Star celebration.

Mambelli was named SportClips MVP totalling a 3-for-3 day at the plate with five runs batted in. The Bees used the help of five Buffalo Wild Wings Walks and a dazzling defensive First Command Move of the Game by Chloe Cummings to secure a Sky Dancer Casino Big Win.