(Mankato, MN) The Mankato MoonDogs did all they could to make up a three run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning, loading the bases with two outs, but the home team could not put enough hits together to make up for the four errors they made in the field. These four errors led to three unearned runs for the visitors as Madison won the game 8-6. The loss drops Mankato to 19-12 on the season, a half game ahead of Rochester for the North Division lead. The win boosts Madion’s record to 20-11 and keeps them in a tie with Wisconsin at the top of the South Division.

The MoonDogs put plenty of runners on base with nine hits, six walks drawn, and three hit batters, but the key stat in the game was runners left on base and the MoonDogs left 13 on. Wes Freie (Iowa) made this most of his trips to the plate with runners on producing two singles and two runs batted in during his two opportunities. Michael Rockett (Texas-San Antonio) and Bobby Munoz (St. Leo’s) also put together two-hit nights for the home team, with Munoz scoring two runs and Rockett scoring one, but the clutch hits were eluding the MoonDogs this evening.

Starter Travis Smith (Michigan) went six innings allowing five runs on seven hits. He struck out five batters and walked four. Smith’s record drops to 1-1 on the season with the loss. Josh Castanza came into the game in the top of the seventh and worked the final three innings of the contest. He allowed three unearned runs on one hit and struck out four.

The Mallards and MoonDogs will meet again on Tuesday night with the first pitch scheduled to be thrown at 7:05pm. The MoonDogs will send Brendan Lafferty (UCLA) to the mound. In his last start, Lafferty went six innings allowing one hit and struck out 12 batters in a MoonDogs victory in Eau Claire.