The Battle Creek Bombers fell in walk-off fashion to the Mankato Moondogs in 11 innings, 6-5 Tuesday night at Franklin Rogers Park.

The Moondogs got to Dylan Givens, making his first start of the season in his first appearance for the Bombers, in the bottom of the first, knocking in three runs on five hits to take an early lead. David Metzger led off the inning with a double, coming around to score as Jake Shepski followed with a triple.

A couple ground outs kept the score at 1-0 before Jordan Washam, Marcus Pingelton and Gavin Wehby strung together back-to-back-to-back singles to extend the Moondogs' lead to 3-0.

The Moondogs would get on the board once again in the third, as after a leadoff walk drawn by Chase Hamilton, Washam mashed a two-run shot over the right field wall to extend Mankato's lead to 5-0.

But after four scoreless from Josh Matheson, the Bombers got on the board in the top of the fifth. Back-to-back walks drawn by Storm Joop and Cody Young put runners at first and second before Jarrod Watkins grounded into a fielder's choice, as he advanced to second on the errant throw and Joop scored to cut the Moondogs' lead to 5-1.

With Watkins at second, Daniel Patzlaff and Nick Poirier followed with back-to-back doubles to right to cut the Moondogs' lead to 5-3.

Gibbons would go 5.2 innings for the Bombers, settling down after the first couple innings to allow five runs on seven hits while striking out one and walking three. Max Ritchie would relieve Gibbons in the sixth with a runner on first, two outs and Shepski at the plate, but Ritchie would strike out the Moondogs' switch hitter to get out of the inning unscathed.

Cody Young led off the top of the seventh for the Bombers with a solo shot to deep left, cutting the Mankato's lead to just one run.

And after Ritchie held the Moondogs scoreless in the bottom of the inning, Battle Creek tied things up in the top of the eighth. With one out in the eighth, Dean Miller walked prompting a pitching change for the Moondogs. Daniel Jipping followed Miller's walk with a double, and with runners at second and third, Nick Podkul's sacrifice fly tied the game at five.

Ritchie would work around two walks in the bottom of the eighth and Krystien Johnson-Battilana worked a scoreless ninth as the Bombers headed to extra innings for the first time this season.

The Bombers would threaten in the top of the tenth, loading the bases with two outs, by Cody Sporrer grounded out to end the threat for Battle Creek.

Johnson-Battilana and Jonathan Cheshire would combine to pitch a scoreless tenth, but once again the Bombers would leave a runner in scoring position in the top of the eleventh.

But in the bottom of the eleventh, the Moondogs proved to be too much as with the bases loaded Gavin Wehby lined a single up the middle to give the Moondogs the win in walk-off fashion. 6-5.

Cheshire takes the loss for the Bombers who fall to 31-29 on the season and 13-11 in the second half, while the Moondogs move to 39-21 overall and 17-8 in the second half.

The Bombers will go for the series split Wednesday night at 7:05 CST/8:05 EST as they send Malcolm Grady to the hill at Franklin Rogers Park.