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  • Mankato MoonDogs' Chris Munoz turns a double play during their game against Rochester Saturday at Franklin Rogers Park. Pat Christman

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June 9, 2012

MoonDogs continue to roll

Mankato moves into first in North Division

By Drew Lyon Special to The Free Press

MANKATO — Rolling on all cylinders, the Mankato MoonDogs continued their winning ways with an 8-0 romp over the Rochester Honkers Saturday in a Northwoods League baseball at Franklin Rogers Park.

The win put the MoonDogs (9-2) atop the North Division.

“It’s a good feeling,” said MoonDogs pitcher Kyle McGrath, who pitched six shutout innings to nab his first win of the season. “We’re just really clicking right now and playing good baseball.”

McGrath, starting his second game of the season, thwarted Rochester’s scoring threat in the first. After Reid Roper walked, first basemen Blaire Moore dropped McGrath’s pick-off attempt, advancing Roper to second. After a strikeout, McGrath then hit Trevor Podratz before Rochester first basemen Justin Parr grounded out to end the inning.

Moore wasted little time in redeeming his error; in the bottom of the first, he blasted Rochester starter Elliot Engle’s first pitch high over the right-center wall to give the Dogs an early 1-0 lead.

“It was a great game offensively,” McGrath said. “It’s always nice to get a few runs on the board early in the game.”

In the third, McGrath (1-1) again brushed off an error to leave Rochester scoreless. With one out, Roper walked again, followed by a Michael Benjamin single past third. Third basemen Trey Nielsen fielded Podratz’s grounder, stepped on third for the force out but threw high to first. The ball rolled to the fence, but Roper was held up at third. With two out and runners on second and third, McGrath again forced Parr to ground out.

Mankato second basemen Drew Stankiewicz tripled to center with one out in the third before Chris Munoz laid down a textbook squeeze bunt down the third base line to put Mankato ahead 2-0.

In the fourth, McGrath continued his bend-but-don’t-break trend. After a hit-by-pitch, a walk and an infield single loaded the bases with one out, McGrath struck out Dakota Smith for the third time. Three pitches later, the left-hander from Louisville struck out Roper, once more leaving multiple runners on base. The Honkers stranded nine runners.

“I didn’t have my best stuff,” McGrath said, “but I just battled, and stuck with my fastball and was able to get some strikeouts when I needed them.”

In the fifth, the scoring floodgates opened wide for the MoonDogs. Garrett Fischer walked and Zach Luevanos sprayed a one-out single to left. With Fischer on third, Stankiewicz’s soft grounder to second padded Mankato’s cushion to 3-0. With two outs, Munoz added his second RBI with a single to left that scored Luevanos. Chase Fowler then lifted an RBI single over Parr’s outstretched arms.

Moore’s pop-up looked to be the third out, but the left side of the Honkers’ defense appeared to lose the ball in the sun, and it dropped just inside the foul line for an RBI double. The MoonDogs quickly capitalized on the miscue as Chad Christensen cracked a two-run homer to left to complete the six-run inning and put the lead at 8-0.

McGrath struck out seven, and surrendered just four hits before he was relieved by Zach Hall, who struck out three batters in two innings of scoreless relief.

Mankato and Rochester (4-7) play today at Rochester.

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