Chicago, Ill.- July 28- After finishing up the tied game at 5-5 from over a week ago, the scheduled game took place right after.

The MCL Minutemen (8-22) fell in both games to the Southland Vikings (15-18) 7-6, and 12-2. The Minutemen scored the first run in the top of the twelfth inning, but the Vikings responded with two of their own to win the game. The two teams then took the field for the seven inning game that was scheduled for today. Manager Deandre Gilmore believes that coming into it with a loss on the day brought negative energy to the team.

“I think it had a big impact on the way we came into the next game because one inning determined a win and a loss. That one inning carried over into the next game, and we lost focus at the end,” Gilmore said.

The Minutemen were only able to manufacture two runs, and they came in the seventh inning. Austin Velasquez (Quincy/ Lansing, Ill.) walked. Justin Keresets (Northwood/ Loves Park, Ill.) singled with a line drive into center field. Gabe Cortez (Prairie State/ Tinley Park, Ill.) ripped a triple into right field to score Velasquez and Keresets. Even though the Minutemen didn’t score many runs, Gilmore was still happy with the way the team hit and got on base.

“It wasn’t bad. We hit a couple balls hard, but they were just caught. They were in the right position at the right times. I’m not upset with how we batted, I’m upset with the energy. You have to be able to give your team your all, and some guys aren’t doing that right now,” Gilmore said.

The Minutemen brought in another new addition to the team. Nick Noles came in the middle of the game to play center field. He went 1-2 on the day with a grounder to the second basemen for a single. Gilmore liked what he saw from his new outfielder.

“He looked good. He came in and did what he was supposed to do. He put the bat on the ball with great at bats,” Gilmore said.

The Minutemen will bounce back tomorrow to take on the Joliet Generals at Benedictine University at 7:05 pm. Follow @MclMinutemen on Twitter to keep up with all the latest Minutemen news and updates, and follow @MCLMinutemen on Facebook to catch the live streams of every game.