WATERLOO, Iowa – The Mankato MoonDogs wrapped the first half of the 2013 season Wednesday night with a 2-1 loss to the Waterloo Bucks at Riverfront Stadium.
Mankato took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-out, John Michael Twichell (UT-Arlington) RBI double, driving in Jonathan Rodriguez (Oklahoma City) from first base. The MoonDogs would scatter four hits over the first three innings, but the offense stalled after a Tim Arakawa (Oklahoma State) leadoff single in the third. From that point on, the Waterloo pitching staff retired 20 of the next 21 Mankato hitters.
Bucks Starter TJ Renda (Alabama St) improved to 3-1 on the season, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings. Steve Maher (St. Thomas) picked up his first save of the year, shutting out the Dogs over the final two innings.
Brock Dykxhoorn (West Virginia) suffered the tough luck loss for Mankato, dropping his season record to 1-3 on the year. The Canadian born right-hander allowed just two runs on six hits over seven innings, while walking a pair of Bucks batters, striking out seven. Dykxhoorn had his best outing of the year, posting season highs in strikeouts (7), innings pitched (7.2), and pitches thrown (112).
The loss dropped Mankato to 17-18 overall in the first half of the 2013 season, their lowest first half record since 2010 (15 -19). The Dogs open up the second half schedule on Independence Day with a two game series north of the border in Thunder Bay, Ontario. First pitch will be at 605pm CT on July 4, with Kahana Neal (U of the Cumberlands) making his third start of the Summer for Mankato.
Mankato returns to the Frank on Saturday, July 6 against the St. Cloud Rox for Duck Dynasty Night. Season and single game tickets are on sale at the MoonDogs office located at 1221 Caledonia Street in Mankato. For more information visit the website at www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the office a 507-625-7047.