(7/6/06) The sign greeting MoonDogs players in their locker room at Franklin Rogers Park summed it up: "MoonDogs Record: 0-0." After finishing the first half of the Northwoods League campaign on a six-game losing streak and 10 games under .500 overall, the MoonDogs welcome a clean slate that comes with the onset of the second half.

Despite outhitting the St. Cloud River Bats 9-6, the MoonDogs dropped their sixth straight in a 3-2 loss Thursday night. River Bats starter Trevor Fox tossed seven shutout innings, scattering six hits and striking out four to earn his third win of the season.

The MoonDogs made things interesting in the ninth inning facing River Bats closer Chad Dawson, whose nine saves are tied for second-most in the Northwoods League. Ryan Manthei led off with a pinch-hit double, and pinch-runner Pat Cassa scored on a base hit by Ryan Addison. Addison came around to score on a wild pitch to draw the MoonDogs within a run.

After Chris Henault walked, Tim Smith grounded into a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners with two outs. Dawson uncorked a wild pitch to score Addison and move Smith into scoring position, but Shane Buschini bounced out to first to end the game, as the MoonDogs stranded their 11th baserunner of the night. Robert Rodebaugh led the way offensively, going 3-for-3. Buschini and Henault joined Manthei in collecting two-base hits.

Dane Secott (1-2), second in the Northwoods League with a 0.81 ERA, allowed just one run on two hits in five innings, but a wild pitch in the fifth inning proved costly. With J.J. Jelmini at first with two outs, Secott’s wild pitch advanced Jelmini 90 crucial feet, as moments later, Alex Kubal singled Jelmini home to give the River Bats a 1-0 lead.

St. Cloud added two runs in the eighth against Fabian Gomez on run-scoring singles by Ryan Curry and James Leverton.