La Crosse, WI – A day after six of their players showcased their talents in Madison, the Mankato MoonDogs took the field at Copeland Park against the La Crosse Loggers. The Loggers out-slugged Mankato, hitting two home runs that would prove to be the difference in a 5-2 loss for the MoonDogs on Wednesday night.
Jordan Washam led the MoonDogs’ offense, going 2-for-3 while scoring both of Mankato’s runs in the ballgame. Both David Metzgar and Drew fearing also recorded multi-hit efforts, going 2-for-4 each. Metzgar recorded an RBI, driving Washam in during the fourth inning.
Mankato’s run in the fourth would be the final one to cross for the MoonDogs, with La Crosse putting on a power display from two of their best players. Griffin Conine (Duke) clubbed his 15th home run of the season in the third inning to pull even with Mankato. With that solo shot, Conine now leads the Northwoods League in long balls.
Mason McCoy (Iowa) hit a two-run shot in fourth with two outs, driving in Kyle Plantier (UC-Santa Barbara) to give the Loggers a lead they would not give up. La Crosse tacked runs on in the seventh and eighth to tally a 5-2 lead. The three run deficit proved to be too much for the MoonDogs offense to overcome.
The MoonDogs and Loggers take their series back to Mankato, where the MoonDogs will finish out their regular season at The Frank over the next four days. First pitch will be at 7:05 PM with Thursday being Mini-Bat giveaway day. Tickets can be purchased at the gate, or at the MoonDogs office on Caledonia Street.
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The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd 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 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visitwww.mankatomoondogs.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the MoonDogs as your favorite team