An unfortunate 4-0 deficit to the Waterloo Bucks would doom the Mankato MoonDogs on
Tuesday night, the Fourth of July, as Mankato fell 7-6 to Waterloo.
MoonDog starting pitcher Caleb Strack (Iowa) got into trouble in the first inning, but a badly-
timed error, and several bloop hits certainly did not help him as the Bucks raced out to an early
lead in front of a crowd of nearly 2000 at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo.
Mankato struck back in the second inning, scoring a run on an error, and then a double to score a
pair by Kai Roberts (Utah). Waterloo would get one of the runs back in the bottom of the inning
to make it a 5-3 game after two.
After another Waterloo run, Mankato answered with one in the fifth as Brody Harding (Illinois)
ripped an RBI single to plate Roberts.
The MoonDogs brought it within a run in the seventh inning, as Ari Armas (San Diego) knocked
in Roberts once more with an RBI hit. However, Waterloo would get a huge insurance run in the
bottom of the inning, plating another run to make it a two-run deficit for the MoonDogs once
again.
Kip Fougerousse (Evansville) knocked in another run for Mankato in the eighth inning to bring
the score back within a run. After Grant Garza (Tarleton State) kept the lead at just one for
Waterloo heading into the ninth, Roberts would draw a walk to leadoff the inning. However, a
double play and a foul out would end it for Mankato.
The MoonDogs dropped their first game of the second half and fell to 19-15 while Waterloo
improved to 15-20, and now have won five of their last six games. The team’s will finish up the
two-game set tomorrow with a 6:35 p.m. first pitch at Riverfront Stadium.
The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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, over 325 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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 Rockers as your favorite team.
