WILLMAR-Minn. The MoonDogs split their season series 4-4 against the Willmar Stingers, dropping the final game between the two teams 7-1 on Saturday night at Bill Taunton Stadium. Willmar starting pitcher Polo Portela went 5.2 innings and allowed one earned run on 3 hits to get the win. Tyler Lesley took the loss for Mankato, working 7.0 innings and giving up 2 earned runs on 8 hits, striking out 1 and walking 3.

Toby Hanson put the MoonDogs in the lead in the top of the first inning, hitting his first home run of the season, a solo homer to left. It was the first earned run allowed by Polo Portela this summer. The MoonDogs could not mount any further offense the rest of the night however, and Willmar took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Nolan Bumstead led off with a walk, then Brady Schockey went to first on a single. The MoonDogs nearly turned a double play up the middle but Coffers beat out the throw at first, putting runners at the corners. After Caleb Ledbetter was hit by a pitch, Eli Wilson singled to score two and the inning ended on a flyout by Marcus Still.

The game remained 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh, when Nolan Bumstead broke the game open on a three run home run off reliever Matt Young, scoring Luke Becker and Josh Bissonette who were on base because of a walk and a hit by pitch, respectively. Brady Schockey followed the home run with a double and scored on a Ledbetter one-out single. Willmar added one more run in the eighth after Becker came around to score on a Bumstead single. Becker had reached base on a walk.

On a positive note for the MoonDogs, first baseman Toby Hanson extended his hitting streak to 13 games, going 1-4 and Daniel Amaral had the best night at the plate for Mankato, going 2 for 3 with a walk. The MoonDogs continue their four game road swing with the first of two games against the LaCrosse Loggers tomorrow night at Copeland Park. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05pm. With the loss, the MoonDogs move back to a tie for second place in the second half division standings with a 2-2 record, 22-18 overall and the Stingers improve to 2-2, 20-20 overall this season. Tomorrow night, Collin Floyd is expected to be the starting pitcher for Mankato while Grant Ford is the expected starting pitcher for the Loggers.