National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's No. 3 Augustana University (S.D.) gave Duluth, Minn. and the University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team a show this evening with a pair of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference wins.
The Bulldogs fell 10-0 in game one and 8-0Â in the rematch to the Vikings (34-2; 20-2 NSIC).
UMD (15-18; 11-10 NSIC) was shutout in back-to-back games for the first time since April 5 and 6, 2014 against Southwest Minnesota State University.
Vikings' Jacob Blank (W, 6-0) dominated the Bulldogs in spectacular fashion, bringing a perfect game into the final inning. Blank, the NSIC's preseason pitcher of the year, struck out 12 UMD batters on his way to a 10-0 victory for AU. (In 2017, Blank threw a no-hitter (seven innings) against the Bulldogs, striking out nine in the outing.) Senior captain Brett Milazzo broke up the perfect game with an infield single with one out in the seventh inning on a full count. Fellow captain Tyler Midas followed Milazzo's base knock with a single of his own.
The rematch only proved why AU is indeed one of the top teams in the nation as it breezed to a 8-0 win and its third straight shutout. The Vikings have 11 shutouts this season.
UMD will face AU again on Monday, April 23 at 10:30 a.m. in the first game of a doubleheader.
