Photo Captured by John Cross
By: Connor Wachtel
Mankato, Minn. — The Mankato MoonDogs lost their first game of the 2020 regular season 9-3 to the Waterloo Bucks Wednesday night at Franklin Rogers Park.
Bucks’ third baseman, Charley Hesse, was a menace for the MoonDogs Wednesday evening. He raked for a 2-for-3 night that included three RBI, a double and a walk. He plated the first run, an RBI single, that drove in Jayden Kiernan that got things going early.
From there, they piled it on with six more runs between the fourth and fifth innings.
The MoonDogs responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. Second baseman Evan Berkey recorded both RBI with a single to centerfield that shrunk the Bucks lead to 7-2 through five.
The Dogs plated another in the sixth after the catcher, Max Wright, drove a double deep into the right-field alley to score Danny Borgstrom from first. The MoonDogs mounted a couple more rallies from that point on, but each went for none. The Bucks sealed the deal with another pair of runs in the eighth.
Bucks pitcher Carter Lyles was credited with the win on Wednesday for his inning of work in relief. He followed up Bucks starter, Dusty Schramm, and surrendered a pair of hits. Schramm worked the first two innings was hit off once for a double and walked one batter.
On the home side of the hill, MoonDogs starter Shane Gray worked through two innings, surrendered one run and two hits. He struck out two along the way.
For tonight’s box score click HERE.
The MoonDogs now take two days off before heading to Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo, Iowa, to take on the Bucks again Saturday night at 6:35 p.m.
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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. Having completed its’ 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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 230 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 (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.