SANFORD — Plenty of opportunities were given to the Sanford Mainers (3-5) Monday night but the Moose were unable to cash in with runners in scoring position, falling for the third time in as many days to the Laconia Muskrats 5-3 at Goodall Park.

Trailing 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the Mainers pushed a run across when Robbie Knightes (St. John’s University) grounded in to a fielder’s choice to make it a 4-2 deficit. The Mainers brought the game within a run with a Brandon Bingel (Bryant University) double scoring Mike Mastroberti (University of Southern New Hampshire) in the eighth inning making it 4-3.

Muskrats’ Deon Stafford (St. Joseph’s University) added an insurance run in the top of the ninth with a RBI double making it 5-3. Despite putting the go-ahead run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth the Mainers were unable to mount a comeback.

Sanford stranded 15 men on the bases including nine in scoring position. The Moose had runners at the corners with two outs in both the fourth and fifth inning and bases loaded in the sixth but failed to push across a run.

Mastroberti finished with four hits and a run scored while Knightes collected three hits and reached base in all five at-bats. Stafford had three hits, including two doubles and three RBIs. Ben Greenberg (Fordham University) was the tough luck loser allowing just three runs, two earned in 5 2/3 innings, falling to 0-1 on the season.

The Mainers travel to take on the North Adams SteepleCats tonight with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game will be aired on the NECBL Broadcast Network courtesy of Pointstreak and The Legends 1220 AM or 102.3 FM in Sanford.