Mankato, Minn. – The MoonDogs move to 1-2 on the season after they lost the third, and final game of the home stand. The St. Cloud Rox got off to an early start drawing a lead off walk and then followed up with a single by Ryan Davis. Rox cleanup hitter, Landon Stephens would drive in both runs with a single up the middle.
Nick Novak and Jake Shepski would have a response of their own, leading off the bottom half of the first inning with two consecutive walks. Zac Wiley, who made his first start of the season tonight, would hit a bases clearing triple into deep right-center field, scoring both Novak and Shepski. Wiley would come in to score after an error was committed by Rox shortstop, Gus Steiger on a Kenton Crews ground ball.
The St. Cloud Rox would retake the lead in the top of the fourth. Right fielder, Ricardo Sanchez hit his second double of the night that would drive in two runs for the Rox.
The MoonDogs would showed late life in the bottom of the ninth when Kyle MacDonald led off the inning with the first home run of the season. It was also the first home run in the newly renovated, Franklin Rogers Park. The home run was not enough though, as Rox reliever, Sean Happ would set down the next three batters.
The Mankato MoonDogs now head on the road for a five game road trip. MoonDogs play at St. Cloud tomorrow, first pitch will be at 7:05 pm.
The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.mankatomoondogs.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bullfrogs as your favorite team.
