By Jack Ankony, The Chicago Dogs

Unlike the Dogs’ first four wins of the season, a comeback wasn’t in the cards tonight.

The Dogs fell 6-1 in their sixth road game of the season and series opener against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The lone Dogs run of the game came in the fourth inning on a Danny Mars infield single.

With two men on and one out, Mars ripped a line drive towards Fargo-Moorhead third baseman Leobaldo Pina. Pina smothered the ball and threw to first, but the speedy Mars reached easily. The hit was deep enough in the infield for Anfernee Grier to score from third base, but besides this play, it wasn’t the Dogs’ night at the plate.

Brennan Metzger, Grier and Mars each recorded a hit at the top of the Dogs lineup, but Ryan Haug was the only other batter to muster a base knock. The Dogs struck out a combined 14 times tonight and were never able to figure out the methodical Kevin McGovern. The RedHawks starter was the key to victory tonight as he cruised for seven innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out nine.

In the eighth inning, it looked as if they Dogs might have a bit of the same late-inning magic that has been present in their first four wins of the season. Grier reached on a single and easily stole second base, but the Dogs three hitter Mars struck out to end the inning. This was the final nail in the coffin for the Dogs in an otherwise uneventful night at the plate.

Before the game, Dogs manager Butch Hobson said the game’s starter Jake Dahlberg would pitch three innings tonight, and he did exactly that. Dahlberg gave up three earned runs on five hits, but struck out three while walking none.

A bright spot for the Dogs tonight was the performances by a trio of bullpen arms in Greg Harris, Tyler Ferguson and Jonathon Crawford. The three combined to pitch five scoreless innings while allowing just four hits, walking three and striking out four.

This left the door open for another Dogs comeback, but that might have been too much to ask after the late-inning heroics of the first two series. The Dogs will look to even up the series tomorrow night at 7:02 p.m. as Jordan Kipper toes the rubber for the Dogs.

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