WILLMAR, MN – The Willmar Stingers defeated the Mankato MoonDogs tonight, 16-6.

This ends the season series 6-2 in Willmar’s favor. This marks the third-straight home game where the Stingers were able to get 19 hits or more over the course of a game.

As it has become a bit of a trend, the Stingers got out of the gate hot once again scoring five runs in the first inning. Willmar has now scored in the first inning in eight-straight games as they continue to put the pressure early on opposing teams.

The scoring got started with back-to-back RBI doubles from Graysen Tarlow and Zac Corbin. Tarlow now has 12 hits in his first six games and Corbin’s double total has increased to 13.

Immediately after the RBI double from Corbin, Will Hodo sent his seventh homer of the season to deep right field. In the last three games when Hodo was in the starting lineup, his first at-bat of the day in the first inning has been a home run.

Dalton Pearson finished the inning with an RBI single. He would go on to be the MinnWest Technology Campus Player of the Game going 3-5 with an RBI while scoring two runs.

The Stingers would double their lead by the bottom of the fifth until the MoonDogs were finally able to put some runs on the board.

The highest scoring inning of the game was the bottom of the seventh where Willmar found a way to score six runs. Highlights of the inning included an RBI single from Will Safford and a two-run RBI double from Hodo that went over the center fielder’s head.

Steven Brooks was the winning pitcher throwing five innings while giving up four runs. It was his fourth win of the season. Andrew Gustafson got the save throwing four innings, giving up two runs while striking out five.

The Stingers go on the road tomorrow to start a four-game road trip in Duluth for a tw0-game series against the Huskies. The Stingers now hold a 22-4 second-half record and a 43-17 overall record.

As a playoff birth inches closer, Willmar looks to continue their dominating ways with only eight more games until the regular season comes to a close. The first pitch for tomorrow’s game is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.