(Mankato, MN) The MoonDog pitchers struggled with their control walking nine batters and hitting two, and the position players struggled defensively as the St. Cloud River Bats (12-14) scored in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings to pull away from home team by a final score of 8-5. The loss drops the Mankato MoonDogs to 18-9 on the season, two and a half games ahead of second place Rochester.

Starter Ryan Demmin (UW-Oshkosh) pitched five innings for Mankato allowing six runs (five earned) on six hits and five walks. Demmin also struck out five batters and hit two. Kolby Wood (Michigan) came into the game in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings for the MoonDogs allowing two hits and walking two batters. Wood was followed out of the bullpen by Dale Dickerson (Nicholls St.) who allowed two runs on two hits and a walk.

The MoonDogs showed they have some power in their bats with Cory Harrilchak (Elon) and Wes Freie (Iowa) hitting their first home runs of the season in the bottom of the seventh to pull the home team within a run of St. Cloud, but the River Bats answered with two runs of their own in the top of the eighth. Harrilchak and Dan Burkhart (Ohio State) each collected three hits on the evening, with Harrilchak scoring two runs and driving in two runs for the MoonDogs. Bobby Munoz (St. Leo’s) went 2-for-5 on the night with a run scored and one RBI.

The MoonDogs and River Bats will travel to St. Cloud on Friday to play the second game of their two-game series. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm. The MoonDogs will return to Franklin Rogers Park on Monday, June 30th, to play host to the Madison Mallards. That game will also begin at 7:05pm.