MANKATO-Minn. Two runs in the fourth wasn’t enough on Tuesday night as the MoonDogs lost yet another close game 3-2 at Franklin Rogers Park against the St Cloud Rox.

After going down 1-0 in the top of the third, it looked like it was going to be a good night at the plate for Mankato. Brett Synek led off the bottom of the fourth with a double to deep left-center field and Peter Maris follow with a single to put runners on the corners. First baseman Levi Scott then took the first pitch offered by Rox starting pitcher Austin Casperson deep to left center field, scoring Synek and Maris easily.

That was all the MoonDogs would muster on the night offensively though, finishing game two of their doubleheader with just five total hits. Austin Casperson picked up the win for the Rox, going six innings and giving up two earned runs on five hits, one walk, and one strikeout. Connor Miller took the loss for Mankato.

St. Cloud picked up single runs in the third, fifth, and sixth to bring their total to three runs on eight hits for the game. Leading the offense for the Rox was nine hole hitter Garrett McMullen who went three for four on the night including a double and a run in the fifth.

With a split in today’s home and home double header, the MoonDogs record goes to 21-15 in the first-half north division standings, putting them solidly in third place. The Rox, (19-16) drop to fifth place in the north division standings.

The MoonDogs will be back in action on Wednesday night against the Willmar Stingers at Bill Taunton Stadium after enjoying their first off day of the season tomorrow. Fans can listen to all MoonDogs home and away broadcasts with the radio voice of the team Josh Horton on AM1230 The Fan Mankato.

The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.