August 15 Night
Sioux City 9, Winnipeg 4 (Completion of suspended game from 8/14)
Sioux City rapped 13 hits to snap a four-game losing streak and down Winnipeg, 9-4, in the resumption of a suspended game from Wednesday evening. Down 4-0, the Explorers stormed back with nine unanswered runs to take the lead for good, tallying two in the third, three in the fourth and another two in the fifth on RF Peter Barrows‘ two-run dinger. Sioux City completed the scoring with a pair of runs in the eighth.The Explorers’ attack was led by CF Eliezer Mesa, who was 3-for-5 with three runs scored, and 2B Anthony Kaskadden (pictured), who went 4-for-5 with an RBI triple in the eighth. 1B Ryan Scoma blasted a third-inning two-run home run for the Goldeyes. Chris Bodisbaugh (3-1) earned the win in relief for Sioux City, keeping Winnipeg hitless through three innings of work. Goldeyes starter Peter Gehle (4-7) took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in four innings pitched.
Winnipeg 1, Sioux City 0 (Regularly-scheduled game, 7 innings)
The Goldeyes rode a superb start from Chris Salamida to earn a 1-0 victory over Sioux City in the evening’s regularly-scheduled contest. Salamida (4-0) twirled a complete-game three hitter, fanning six Explorers and walking none. Sioux City’s Preston Olson (1-5) was the hard-luck loser, also throwing all seven innings and giving up just one run on seven hits, striking out six.The game’s only run came in the third on 3B Amos Ramon‘s sacrifice fly, bringing home C Luis Alen. DH Yurendell de Caster was 3-for-3 for Winnipeg, while DH Sam Judah had two of Sioux City’s three singles. Neither team registered an extra-base hit in the game.
Amarillo 7, Grand Prairie 6 (Completion of suspended game from 8/14)
Propelled by DH Jose Delgado‘s third-inning grand slam, Amarillo came from behind to defeat Grand Prairie in the completion of Wednesday’s suspended game, 7-6. The AirHogs drew first blood with a four-run third inning, courtesy of RBI singles from DH Palmer Karr and C Angel Flores, and a two-run single by SS Yasutsugu Nishimoto. The Sox immediately responded with four in their half of the third via Delgado’s slam, and then tacked on three more in the fourth to make it a 7-4 game.Grand Prairie scored a pair of runs in the eighth via LF Chad Mozingo‘s RBI groundout and 3B Brandon Pinckney‘s RBI single, but could come no closer. LF Cory Patton and CF Chris Valencia both had two hits for Amarillo, while Pinckney and Flores each had three base knocks for the AirHogs. Matt Larkins (5-2) earned the win in relief, while Josh Johnson picked up the rare five-inning save, allowing two runs on five hits. Brandon Bargas (3-6) was saddled with the loss, giving up six runs in three innings of work.
Amarillo 5, Grand Prairie 3 (Regularly-scheduled game, 7 innings)
LF Cory Patton, C Chris Grossman and SS K.C. Cerna each had two hits as the Sox swept the doubleheader from the AirHogs.
Laredo 11, El Paso 9 – (Completion of suspended game from 8/14)
Laredo erupted for a six-run seventh inning to earn an 11-9 come-from-behind victory over El Paso in the completion of Wednesday’s suspended game. El Paso had built a 5-2 lead after six innings, helped by RF Wellington Dotel‘s three-run home run in the fourth. In the seventh, the Lemurs took advantage of an RBI double from SS Jimmy Mojica, a two-run double by RF Harrison Kain, CF Steven Douglas‘ two-run home run, and DH Balbino Fuenmayor‘s sacrifice fly.The Diablos scored two eighth-inning runs to make things interesting, but Laredo put the game away for good on Fuenmayor’s three-run blast in the ninth.Despite the loss, El Paso SS Maikol Gonzalez was the hitting star of the evening, going 5-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. Kain was 3-for-5 for the Lemurs, while five other Laredo players had two hits. Greg Wilborn (6-2) proffered four innings of relief for Laredo and picked up the win, while Jake Meiers (2-2) took the loss.
El Paso 4, Laredo 3 – (Regularly-scheduled game, 7 innings)
Anthony D’Alfonso paved the Diablos’ path to victory over Laredo. The El Paso native doubled and delivered three of the Diablos’ four runs in a 4-3 win. Laredo rallied late with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game, but Miguel Chacoa was there to answer in the bottom of the ninth for El Paso. Chacoa singled home Rodrigo Aguirre to take the lead back and RHP Marshall Schuler shut the door in the seventh.
St. Paul 12, Sioux Falls 8
The Saints used 18 base hits to build a big early lead and hold off Sioux Falls, 12-8. With the Canaries ahead 1-0 in the fourth inning, St. Paul got an RBI single from 3B Joey Becker, followed by a three-run blast from DH Jose Hernandez, to take a 4-1 advantage. The Saints then put the game out of reach with a six-run fifth that featured a two-run double by LF Willie Cabrera; RBI singles from 1B Brian Burgamy, 2B Brad Boyer, and Hernandez; and a run-scoring groundout from CF Donald Blunt.Down 12-3, the Sioux Falls offense woke up and put five runs on the board in the ninth, aided by a grand slam from 3B Jared Clark, but the game was already too far out of reach. Boyer, Cabrera and RF Dan Kaczrowski each had three hits for the Saints, while Clark, 1B Marcos Rodriguez and JP Ramirez each had a pair of base knocks for the Canaries.Billy Soule (3-0) registered the win for St. Paul, pitching 8 1/3 innings, striking out six.
Gary SouthShore at Wichita (Postponed – Rain)
The game between Gary and Wichita was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader during the Wingnuts’ visit to Gary August 20-22.
Photo courtesy of the Sioux City Explorers