MANKATO, MINN-  MoonDogs’ starter Cameron Giannini (Southern Mississippi) further cemented himself as the ace of the Mankato pitching corps as he posted another sterling performance in a 3-0 blanking of the St. Cloud Rox on Saturday night at Franklin Rogers Park.

Giannini (5-1) nearly went the distance, pitching eight innings allowing only five hits while delivering an impressive ten strikeouts and only two walks.  It was the third straight start for the right-hander extending over seven innings, and all three of those starts have been wins.  Giannini has also racked up 24 strikeouts over the three-game stretch, giving him 46 on the season, which ranks among the Northwoods League leaders.

Four different 1-2-3 innings kept St. Cloud from reaching scoring position as the MoonDogs defense was able to keep their bats on the field.  The Rox’ biggest threat came in the first inning when they were able to load the bases on two hits, but a pair of Giannini strikeouts was able to keep them on base and off the board.

Jonathan Rodriguez (Oklahoma City) opened the scoring early when his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first brought home Timothy Arakawa (Oklahoma State), who reached base on a Rox error in the game’s first at-bat.

The MoonDogs were able to bolster their lead with runs in the sixth and seventh innings, due to RBI singles from Krysthian Leal (Maryland) and Quinnton Mack (New Mexico State), respectively. 

While Mankato did not display the offensive fireworks they have in past games at home, their three-run cushion was more than enough for closer Jess Amedee (Texas-Arlington) to work with.  After giving up a lead-off single in the ninth, Amedee struck out the side preserving the shutout and picking up his seventh save of the campaign, which is also among the league leaders.

The win is the MoonDogs’ third shutout of 2013 and brings them to a 2-1 mark in the fledgling Second Half.  Mankato looks to make it two-in-a-row on Sunday when they cap off the two-game set with the Rox.  It is Princess Night at the Frank, with plenty of surprises in store for all in attendance.  First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. 

Season and single game tickets are on sale at the MoonDogs office located at 1221 Caledonia Street in Mankato.  For more information visit the website at www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the office a 507-625-7047.