After putting up 29 runs in the first two games of the series against Mankato, the Minot Hot Tots went a little cold at the plate to wrap up the four-game set. Because of it, the Mankato MoonDogs were able to snatch two wins and settle for a series split with Minot.

On Wednesday night, the Hot Tots rode into first pitch on a three-game win streak, tied for a franchise record. They were also facing Mankato starter Sam Stockman for a third time. Despite the familiarity, the Hot Tots were unable to do much damage against Stockman, as they were limited to four hits and two runs over the seven-inning outing.

Both runs for the Hot Tots came in thrilling fashion. Henry Allen started up the game with a solo home run in the first inning. Later, Ryan Castro would lead off the third inning with a homer of his own which tied the game 2-2.

In the bottom of the third, Mankato regained the lead by scoring two runs on a groundout. The 4-2 score would hold for a while as free passes became a lot less frequent as they had been earlier in the week. In his second start for the Tots, Lucas Morici would pitch 5.2 innings allowing four runs with four strikeouts.

Minot would get just one more run in the remainder of the contest, a second home run of the night for Henry Allen. With the eighth-inning blast, Allen moved into second place in home runs across the entire Northwoods League with seven on the season. The game would finish in a 5-3 loss for Minot.

Game four on Thursday would get off to a good start again for Minot. Will Smoot doubled to bring Max Ortega across the plate in the second inning to start the scoring. Jason Masick pitched well in the early innings, giving up one unearned run through four innings. Despite the strong statline, Masick would leave the game with the score tied 1-1 and trust the bullpen to hold strong.

Right away, the MoonDogs pounced against reliever Kevin Schoneboom. A two-RBI single by Anthony Avalos put Mankato in front, 3-1, and an RBI groundout to follow made it 4-1 MoonDogs after five innings.

In the game, Minot would commit five errors, giving Mankato some extra chances as they continued to stretch the lead. The Hot Tot hitters were held in check by a MoonDog bullpen pair of Tanner Shumski and Will Page-Allen, who combined to shutout Minot over the final three innings.

The 9-1 loss on Thursday wrapped up the Hot Tots’ trip to Mankato with a 2-2 record. Overall, Minot sits at 8-24 on the season and will make the long trek to Dickinson for a ballgame Friday night at 7:35 pm CT.