WILLMAR, Minn.—A high bar had been set for Stingers starting pitcher Andrew Towns coming into Thursday's second game against Duluth. But a night after one of the best pitching performances of the season by Brady Anderson, Towns may have set the bar even higher as he went the distance in a three-hit shutout of the Huskies in a 5-0 Stingers' win at Bill Taunton Stadium.

Like Anderson, Towns came into his second start of the season having earned a no-decision in his first time on the mound. But also like Anderson, Towns had his pitches working in his second try for a win. Towns changed speeds very effectively during the night and began with a one, two, three top of the first inning.

Huskies' starter Kevin Peters also started the game strongly and did not give up a hit until the fourth inning. It was Towns who actually surrendered the first hit for either starter, as Mac James reached on a soft single to center field to start the top of the second inning. Towns did not let the first hit affect him, and with four pitches, he was out of the inning. Two pitches got Towns a fly out by Michael Fries to left field, while two more got him a double play grounder to end the inning. 

In the top of the third inning the Huskies again threatened for the first run of the game, but again Towns was up to the task. With one out in the inning, Keach Ballard reached on his first hit of his season, a double to left-center field. Ballard moved up to third base when first baseman Grady Caldwell grounded out, putting the first run of the game only 90 feet away with two gone in the third. But Towns saved up one of his four strikeouts on the evening for the right occasion as he fanned Max Bartlett to end the threat.

Just an inning and a half later the Stingers offense finally responded with some runs for their starting pitcher. Troy Kuhn led the inning off with the first hit of the game for the Stingers, a single up the middle. Then, with one swing of the bat from catcher Max Ayoub, the Stingers went up 2-0. Ayoub blasted the second pitch from Peters well over the left field wall for his second home run of the season and what proved to be the fatal fly, the only runs Towns would need on the mound.

Towns was bothered little the rest of the way by the Huskies' offense, and after the third inning double by Ballard, he did not allow another base runner until the seventh inning. The Huskies caused a slight stir in the eighth inning with another double by Ballard, but with two already out in the inning, a ground ball to Max Dutto at second was all Towns needed to get out of the inning.

Only a half inning before, the Stingers supplied more offense and it was again by way of a home run. This time it was leadoff man Dan Motl doing the damage, as he skied a drive well over the left-center field fence with Brian Pruett on base. The Stingers then came back for one more helping of offense in the bottom of the eighth inning with Max Ayoub starting the push. Ayoub walked to begin the inning, moved to second after Dutto got hit by a pitch and came around to score on Alex Borglin's single to give the Stingers a 5-0 lead heading into the ninth.

Approaching 100 pitches, Towns stayed on to try to close the game out for himself. He started his first at-bat in the top of the ninth with a ball to Max Bartlett, but two pitches later Bartlett grounded out for a big first out. The final two outs were even bigger with right fielder Dan Motl coming up huge for his starter. The Huskies Alex Greene sent a slicing foul ball down the line in right and with all-out lunge Motl snatched the ball just a moment before it touched the grass for the second out. Then one batter later against Chase Kiefer, Towns induced nearly a carbon copy of the previous fly ball. Kiefer hit a sinking line drive, this time fair into shallow right field. Motl came racing in and laid out once more to end the dazzling pitching performance by Towns with a dazzling web gem.

Towns (1-0) earned his first win of the season in the complete game shutout, while Peters (1-1) suffered his first loss of the season for the Huskies.

The 2014 season is presented by Charter. For more coverage of the Stingers visit wctrib.com.

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Andrew Towns. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.