The Rochester Honkers (4-2) fell at the hands of the Mankato MoonDogs (3-3) as the pitching staff faltered, and the offense couldn’t pick up the slack and lost 14-5. The Honkers led the league in ERA heading into the game with a mark of 1.40, but after walking a total of 17 batters and surrendering 14 runs, that is no longer the case.

Mankato got their offense rolling immediately as Kip Fougerousse (Evansville) started the first inning with a single. After a walk, Mason Landers (Belmont) singled up the middle, and it seemed like Mankato would take the lead right there.

Center fielder Chase Spencer (Air Force) made a beautiful throw to nail Fougerousse at the plate and keep the game scoreless. That was the high point of the night for the Honkers.

Mankato scored two runs in the first, one in the third and three in the fourth. Meanwhile, the Honkers didn’t get their second hit of the game until the fifth inning. By then, Mankato had already taken a 6-0 lead.

Ben North (Creighton) tripled off the wall in the fifth inning scoring Kimo Fukofuka (San Jose State). North later scored on an RBI groundout.

Mankato truly broke the game open in the top of the seventh. Joe Hauser (Minnesota), Max Williams (Florida State) and Ty Rumsey (Evansville) hit back-to-back-to-back home runs to begin the inning, which pushed the lead to seven runs.

The brightest spot of the night for Rochester came in the eighth inning.

Fukofuka stepped to the plate with Nico Regino (Charleston Southern) aboard and hit one over the wall in left-center field. This marked the first home run of the young season for the Rochester Honkers and provided a bit more momentum heading into the next contest.

The Honkers are in action again on June 4 against the La Crosse Loggers at Mayo Field. The first pitch is at 5:05 p.m. You can stream the game live on the Northwoods League Network.

The Rochester Honkers began their 30th season of play on May 29th. Keep up with the team on social media by following them on Twitter (@RochHonkers) and Instagram (@honkersbaseball) and like the Honkers on Facebook at Rochester Honkers Baseball Club. Interact on social by using the hashtag #FunForTheWholeFlock!

The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 310 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 World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.