Eight days after their most recent home game, the MoonDogs came back to Mankato for the first time since the All-Star Break, but fell short in a loss to the Eau Claire Express, 2-1.
The only run for the MoonDogs came right away in the first inning. Jake Ortega drew a one-out walk, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Kyle Cuellar, playing in front of his father who traveled from California, lined a single into right field to score his team’s catcher, and give the MoonDogs a 1-0 lead.
On the other side, starting pitcher Ricky Digrugilliers was putting up zeros against the Express. For four straight innings, he stranded Eau Claire baserunners and preserved his team’s lead. The Express were finally able to break through in the fifth, scoring an unearned run on an error by MoonDogs second baseman Jake Shepski, tying the game at one.
Digrugilliers gave the MoonDogs another scoreless inning in the sixth, and came out to pitch the seventh. But after surrendering a solo home run to Scott Ogrin to start the inning, Digrugilliers handed the ball over to Austin Hansen, who struck out the side. Digrugilliers finished his night with six innings pitched, four hits, and one earned run. But his team was facing a 2-1 deficit.
Hansen and Matt Young combined to keep the Express at bay and the MoonDogs in close range. But the home team, missing star Toby Hanson, was not able to close the gap, and the 2-1 lead for the Express became the final score.
The MoonDogs finished with only two singles by Cuellar and Alvaro Rubalcaba on the night, as they dropped to 11-6 in the second half. They will look to bounce back tomorrow night in a rematch with the Express in Mankato at 7:05.
The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate 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 170 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). 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 MoonDogs as your favorite team.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 23-year old summer collegiate 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 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.