(Mankato, M.N.)- The Willmar Stingers continued their exceptional play Saturday night as they downed the Mankato MoonDogs at Franklin Rogers Park.

In the first matchup of the season between the two sides, and the first of five between the two, the Stingers continued to fire on all cylinders winning 13-3 over Mankato.

The Stingers struck first in the third with an RBI single from Griffin Cheney. However, the MoonDogs added two in the bottom half of the third to take the lead.

The Mankato lead didn’t last long though as Willmar stole it back in the fourth. The Stingers scored a couple runs on errors in the fourth and a two-RBI double from Chase Stanke in the fifth.

Ultimately, the Stingers scored in six straight innings from the third to the eighth, continually adding to their lead.

Notable performances for the Stingers included Chase Stanke, who went two-for-four with four RBI, a double, and a triple. Grant Schoen also drove in his first runs of the season with a two-RBI triple in the eighth. Jaxon Hallmark also grabbed a triple, his third of the week, in the sixth inning. In total, the Stingers hit three triples in the game.

Jonathan Brand continued to pitch strongly out of the pen. He threw four scoreless innings in relief of starter John Bezdicek, retiring 12 of the 13 batters he faced. Brand’s performance earned him his team-high third win of the season.

The Stingers are back home Sunday for a doubleheader against the MoonDogs once again. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:05 pm.