MANKATO — Mankato East baseball coach Micah Degner watched his No. 2-seeded Cougars follow a desirable script Wednesday in a 4-0 win over Jordan in the opening round of the Section 2AAA tournament at Wolverton Field.
Not only did a trio of left-handed pitchers — junior Owen Studtmann, freshman Keaton Wojcik and junior Nathan Bridger — limit the Hubmen (5-16) to one hit, all three stayed under the 75-pitch count and will be available for Saturday’s 11 a.m. semifinal clash with third-seeded Marshall at New Ulm’s Mueller Park.
“Our pitchers did a tremendous job as usual,” Degner said. “We would have liked to make things a little more comfortable for them but we used the same recipe we’ve used all year. Our pitching staff is not afraid to attack the zone and let their defense work. Our defense has been so good that it gives our pitchers the confidence to put the ball in the zone.
“We watched too many pitches and at times we get tentative and are too picky.”
East (17-4) scored a first-inning run without a base hit when sophomore center fielder Carson Hart drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on Nick Werk’s sacrifice bunt and scored on junior third baseman Zach Bosse’s RBI fly-out. The Cougars added two runs in the third behind the same scenario along with Bosse’s RBI double into the left-field corner and the lone error of the contest.
“This was an amazing game for us,” Bosse said. “Our pitching staff put in a lot of work in the offseason and has put in a lot of effort. I was just looking for pitches in the zone and it felt good off the bat. My approach at the plate has been better and I’ve been more aggressive. I am jumping on good pitches early in the count after being kind of hesitant early in the year.”
Studtmann struck out five and walked two in allowing no hits over the first four innings. He was the beneficiary of a nifty play by Bridger in the fourth inning, when a sharp bouncer glanced off first base and ended up in the glove of a leaping Bridger.
“We couldn’t have expected a better game,” Bridger said. “I kind of sat back to make sure I got the ball to get the out. Our overall defense was very solid all game. We’re having a lot of fun this year and the communication has been good. … Each one of us is always there for a teammate.”
Wojcik struck out two and walked two in two innings off work and gave up Jordan’s lone hit — Zac Daak’s sixth-inning infield single — before Bridger closed things out with two strikeouts and a pair of base on balls. East added a run in the sixth when junior left fielder Caden Hansen doubled to deep left field and scored on Bridger’s run-scoring double down the left-field line.
“We wanted to save all of our pitchers for Saturday because of the tough competition,” Studtmann, who tallied a single and two walks in three at bats, said. “Our defense made all the plays and we hit all right, we just need to swing at better pitches. My pitches were working for the most part and when the defense makes the plays, it’s going to be a good day. … You can’t always do it all yourself, that’s why you have eight players behind you.”
Both teams left six runners on base.