MoonDogs' Bark Too Much for Huskies Howl en Route in Six-Run Opening Day Victory
May 31, 2022 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Mankato MoonDogs News Release
MANKATO, Minn. - During a crazy Monday night at ISG Field, which featured a pregame rain delay and ninth-inning light outage, the Mankato MoonDogs opened the 2022 campaign on a winning note with an 8-2 victory over the Duluth Huskies in a Northwoods League baseball game.
With the victory, the MoonDogs opened the season on a winning note to improve to 1-0 for a second straight season. Losing game one of the series, the Huskies now stand 0-1 on the year.
The MoonDogs opened the scoring during the second inning of Monday's NWL Opening Day matchup. After Nick Altermatt reached second on a double slapped into the alley in left-center, Drew Buhr blooped a single to left that hopped over the leftfielder and allowed Altermatt to score from second. After two innings in Mankato, the MoonDogs led the Huskies, 1-0.
Sean Ross added to the MoonDogs lead with another pair of runs to make it 3-0 courtesy of a two-run home run, Mankato's first homer of the season, over ISG Field's monster fence in left. After three innings, the score was 3-0.
The Huskies entered the score column on fielder's choice putout in the top of the fifth inning. It was Noah Marcelo who batted in Jake Schelonka to shrink the deficit to 3-1 in the fifth.
In the eighth inning, the MoonDogs scored five more runs on four hits with help from one error. After eight innings at ISG Field, the MoonDogs led the Huskies 8-1.
After the Huskies scored one run and mounted a bases-loaded rally in the ninth, there was a light outage at the ballpark with two outs in a one-ball and one-strike count. After a 15-minute intermission that allowed the lights to warm back up, John Lundgren threw two more strikes up on the Huskies' hitter to finish what he started by retiring the batter for his second strikeout for his first save of the season.
On the mound starting for Mankato, right-handed returning pitcher Nolan Pender, who is now off to a 1-0 start on the season, picked up the win after allowing one run in five and two-thirds innings pitched. He surrendered five hits while walking four and striking out seven Huskies' hitters. In relief, Simon Gregerson finished the fifth inning and pitched the sixth, where he gave up one hit and struck out one.
Duluth's starting pitcher Devin Dodson was handed the loss after pitching four frames where he was hit off four times for three runs while walking a pair and striking out five along the way.
Mankato outhit Duluth, 13-8, to open the series and kick off the season on a winning note. The Huskies found themselves riddled by errors in a 3-1 margin, which resulted in three unearned runs crossing the plate in the contest. The Huskies left 11 runners aboard on the night to the MoonDogs' 10 that were stranded.
The MoonDogs and Huskies rematch in Mankato on Tuesday night for the two-game series finale at 6:35 p.m.
Northwoods League Stories from May 31, 2022
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- Battle Jacks Mark the History Books, Defeat Pit Spitters 10-9 - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Daily Summary - Northwoods League - Northwoods
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- Rockers Get Shut Out Against Wisconsin Rapids Rafters - Green Bay Rockers
- Huskies Drop Second Game in a Pure Pitcher's Duel - Duluth Huskies
- Boerema Flirts with No-Hitter, MoonDogs Complete Two-Game Sweep over Huskies to Open 2022 Season - Mankato MoonDogs
- Nick Mitchell Named May 30th NWL Player of the Night - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Comeback Falls Short as Pit Spitters Split Opening Series - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Rockers Look to Start Season 2-0 with Rematch against Rafters - Green Bay Rockers
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- Asby Leads Honkers to Opening Day Win - Rochester Honkers
- Priester and Corona Homer, Lifting Loggers over Express on Opening Day - La Crosse Loggers
- A Bump in the Road - Duluth Huskies
- Rafters Run out of Rhythm against Rockers - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- MoonDogs' Bark Too Much for Huskies Howl en Route in Six-Run Opening Day Victory - Mankato MoonDogs
- "Rockers Snag Come from Behind Win to Open 2022 Season - Green Bay Rockers
- Kingfish Earn Opening Day Comeback Win over Growlers - Kenosha Kingfish
- Pit Spitters Win an Extra Inning Thriller to Start 2022 Campaign - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Growlers Fall in 9-7 Thriller on Opening Night - Kalamazoo Growlers
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