(Mankato, MN) As hot as the MoonDog bats were at the beginning of the season, they were just as cold while they were north of the border visiting Thunder Bay. The MoonDogs managed only two runs on four hits in Thursday’s game after collecting three runs on seven hits the night before. The two runs were not enough as Thunder Bay finnished the sweep of the first-half champs 10-2 on Thursday night.

Starter Ryan Demmin (UW-Oshkosh) pitched six solid innings for the MoonDogs, but only recorded two outs in the seventh inning before handing the game over the Kolby Wood (Michigan), who got out of the inning and finished the game, but was charged with four earned runs on five hits in the final inning and a third. Demmin finished the game allowing six runs on eleven hits in 6 2/3 innings pitched. He did not walk a batter and struck out six on the evening.

The offense sputtered for the MoonDogs on Thursday, but Cory Harrilchak (Elon) continued his solid hitting going 2-for-4 on the evening with the team’s only run batted in. Michael Rockett (Texas-San Antonio) and Matt Prokopowicz (Hofstra) collected the other two hits for the visitors.

The loss drops the MoonDogs to a final record of 20-14 in the first half. Thunder Bay improves to 19-15 and moves into the runner-up spot for the first half. Mankato moves on to play Duluth on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 6:35pm. The MoonDogs will return home on Wednesday, July 9, when Battle Creek travels to Franklin Rogers Park.