(7/20/06) The Duluth Huskies came to Mankato riding a 10-game winning streak to open the second half of the Northwoods League season. The Mankato MoonDogs made sure the streak did not reach 11.

Tyson Brummett took a shutout into the eighth inning, and Robert Rodebaugh slugged his first home run of the season as the MoonDogs handed the Huskies their first loss since July 6 with a 3-1 win Thursday night. The ‘Dogs closed within two games of Duluth for the North Division lead.

Rodebaugh broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a long drive over the wall in right center field for his first round-tripper and finished 2-for-4 for his second multi-hit game in as many nights. The MoonDogs could have built an even bigger lead in the fourth, loading the bases with one out. But Brandon Davis struck out on a high fastball, and James Keithley grounded out to end the threat.

In the fifth, some alert baserunning by Tim Smith doubled the Mankato lead, as Smith went from first to third on a ground ball into the hole at second base off the bat of Chris Henault. Shane Buschini’s single past a drawn-in Duluth infield plated Smith to give the ‘Dogs a 2-0 lead.

The lead grew to three runs in the sixth after Nate Hanson led off with a double, advanced to third on an error, and scored when Davis grounded into a double play.

Brummett, meanwhile, had the Huskies tied up for much of the evening, scattering six hits over 7.1 innings and notching nine strikeouts. Brummett struck out six of the final eight batters he faced before turning the ball over to Pat Cassa, who recorded the final two outs of the eighth.

Jason Novak encountered some trouble in the ninth, walking the first two batters en route to loading the bases, but struck out Nick Sullivan looking with the tying run on base to run his record to 7-for-7 in save opportunities.