Schultz Shows Out in Final Start, MoonDogs Hold Mud Puppies to Pair of Hits for Season Sweep
July 22, 2022 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Mankato MoonDogs News Release
MANKATO, Minn. - The Mankato MoonDogs shut down the Minnesota Mud Puppies, 5-0, while dealing out a two-hit performance defensively, Friday night at ISG Field.
With the win, the MoonDogs now grasp a 26-22 overall and are back to .500 in the second-half standings with a 7-7 mark. The Mud Puppies, now 6-19, are 0-8 in the second half with eight straight losses.
Donovan Schultz (Evansville) thrilled in his eighth and final outing for Mankato of the summer. He improved his record to 4-2 after throwing seven and a third scoreless innings with just one hit allowed. He walked one opposing hitter and struck out seven others along the way. It was Schultz's second one-hit showing of the season.
With the bat, Kai Roberts (Utah) smack the ball around and sported a three-for-four evening with a triple, RBI and two runs scored.
Mankato grabbed the first lead in the second inning of Friday's contest when Mikey Gottschalk (Minnesota State - Mankato) drew a bases-loaded walk and Angelo Peraza (San Diego) hit a sacrifice fly out to right. Both runs were deemed unearned and gave the MonDogs a 2-0 lead following a miscue defensively earlier in the inning for the Mud Puppies.
The MoonDogs tacked on another run to make it 3-0 in the third inning. After Orlando Salinas (Kansas State) fouled off a pitch the other way down the leftfield line, it was caught deep down the line allowing Roberts to tag up from third base to extend the lead.
Roberts scored again in the fifth frame on a sacrifice fly fit to right by Simon Scherry (Evansville). After five frames in Mankato, the MoonDogs led the Mud Puppies 4-0.
In the bottom half of the seventh, Roberts made his presence felt again with an RBI knock to center that scored Dustin Crenshaw (Grand Canyon) and made it a 5-0 ballgame. The MoonDogs rode the five-run lead until the finish to pick up their second consecutive win.
During Friday's finale between the two Minnesota-based squads, the MoonDogs outhit the Mud Puppies 6-2. The visiting had the only errors in the ballgame with two.
In relief for the MoonDogs, Taisei Yahiro (Grand Canyon) finished the eighth inning for Schultz before Thomas Bruss (Augustana) entered the game in the ninth to secure the victory.
The MoonDogs open a new series playing host to the Bismarck Larks Saturday night at ISG Field. Mitch Casperson (Gustavus Adolphus College) is slated to make his MoonDogs debut when he delivers the first pitch at 6:35 p.m.
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