Heat, Errors, And Extra Innings Define Sunday's Rox Loss To Mankato

The Mankato MoonDogs beat the St. Cloud Rox 16-12 Sunday night in a ten-inning game at Joe Faber Field. The game was originally scheduled for a 4:05 p.m. start time but was moved to 6:35 p.m. due to extreme heat.

The two teams combined for 36 hits, with Mankato charting 21 and the Rox 15, and nine errors (six by St. Cloud) in the nearly four-hour long game.

MANKATO STRIKES FIRST

After Mankato scored six runs in the top of the first inning, the Rox answered with three in the bottom of the opening frame, highlighted by Brett Griffiths' two-run home run.

The Rox scored single runs in the second and third innings, but trailed Mankato 8-5 heading into the bottom of the fourth when Colton Rother's two-run single cut the MoonDogs' lead to 8-7.

ROX RALLY LATE

The teams traded runs in the fifth inning before Mankato scored three in the top of the sixth for a 12-8 lead. However, the Rox would answer with a pair of sixth-inning runs to cut the lead in half before tying the game in the bottom of the seventh inning on a two-run single from Rother.

The game saw its first two scoreless innings played in the eighth an ninth innings before the MoonDogs pulled away with a four-run tenth as the Rox were forced to use position players Tanner Recchio and Jaixen Frost on the mound.