MANKATO-Minn. The Mankato MoonDogs had their backs against the wall for the second time in under a week but were able to come up with timely hits in the bottom of the sixth to beat the St Cloud Rox 8-5 at Franklin Rogers Park on Tuesday night.
MoonDogs starting pitcher Jake Jenkins came out with a strong first inning, retiring the Rox hitters in a row but had trouble getting outs in the second as Clay Ardeeser led off the inning with a single to center. He would eventually score after an error by Derek Umphres and an RBI double off the bat of Derek McMullen.
Things continued to spiral downhill in the inning as Jenkins allowed two more hits, bringing the Rox second inning total to four.
The MoonDogs struck back in the second to get on the scoreboard for the first time in the game when Derek Umphres led off the inning being hit by a pitch and eventually scored on a Eric Schenck-Joblinske single, making the game 4-1. St. Cloud added to their lead in the top of the fourth when Rox hitter, Eric Loxtercamp picked up a one out single and scored on Seth Heck’s double down the left field line.
The MoonDogs looked to be down and out, that is until the team started piling up the hits with one out in bottom of inning six. Eric Schenck smacked a double to left and Craig Lepre reached via base on balls. Gray flew out for out number two and the MoonDogs would be forced to mount a comeback with two down. Tyler Sullivan then walked to load the bases and Brinn Bell singled to left, scoring Schenck and Lepre easily from second.
The hits were contagious after that as Levi Scott solidly hit a single on the first pitch offered and Spencer O’Neil followed with a single of his own, scoring two more and closing the scoring gap on St. Cloud. The MoonDogs weren’t done yet though as Derek Umphres smashed a double down the right field line to give the MoonDogs their first lead of the night.
Mankato added a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and they went on to win 8-5, snapping a five game Rox winning streak. The win was especially important for Mankato as they continue to try and close on the best teams in the division, improving their record to 9-6. The St. Cloud Rox fell to 11-4 on the season and along with the Willmar Stingers, lead the MoonDogs in the standings by two games.
The Mankato MoonDogs will be back in action tomorrow night at Franklin Rogers Park to face the same opponent in the second game of a two game set against the St. Cloud Rox. Game time is at 7:05pm. Fans can listen to Josh Horton call MoonDogs games on the radio all season long 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. For more information, visitwww.mankatomoondogs.com