Midlothian, Ill. – Nothing seemed to go right for the MCL Minutemen (11-20) way on Sunday night against the Joliet Generals (6-23). The opposition had their number the whole way en route to an 11-2 loss.

“We were not locked in today,” manager Jack Murphy said. “Today is an example of what happens when you lose your focus. We were able to get runners on base, but our approach at the plate was off and we couldn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”

The Generals struck early and often, scoring a trio of runs in the first, third, and fourth innings. Though the Minutemen limited the damage in the later frames, permitting just two more scores in the ninth, the immediate damage had already been done.

Despite the lopsided scoreline, a few Minutemen players turned in quality performances. Patrick Rafferty (Dubuque/Orland Park, Ill.) entered in relief in the sixth inning and produced three scoreless frames, not allowing a run until the ninth inning while striking out six. Three batters reached base twice, including Mike Koszewski (Cincinnati/Oak Brook, Ill.) who paced the team with two hits. Ryan McCoy (Wabash Valley College/Frankfort, Ill.) and Brennan Brogni (Illinois-Springfield/Flagstaff, Ariz.) each registered one base hit and one walk.

“We did not play our best as a team today, but these guys never quit,” Murphy said. “Everyone battled until the final out. The effort level never dropped today; they should take pride in that.”

The Minutemen get a chance for a do-over on Monday as they rematch the Generals at 7 p.m. back at Howie Minas Field. As the players try to get back into the win column, Murphy expects his guys to go regain their focus and go back to playing at their level.

“We have to come out hard,” Murphy said. “Tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to lock back in and turn things around.”

You can catch every pitch tomorrow on the MCL Minutemen Broadcast Network with Ryan Zimmerman and Alex Coil on the call.