Sioux Falls 11, Lincoln 5
The Canaries caught fire in the third inning, scoring an incredible 10 runs on 11 hits to surpass the Saltdogs and build a lead that would secure their eventual 11-5 victory. In the span of just four batters in the third, LF JP Ramirez, 3B Jared Clark, and RF Nate Baumann each added a home run of their own to turn a tie game into a five-run lead for the Canaries. 1B Marcos Rodriguez also scored on two separate occasions in just the third inning alone. CF Nick Van Stratten provided one of the more spread out contributions of the team, going 3-for-5 with two RBIs, a triple, and the only Canaries run that didn’t occur in the third inning.
Lincoln CF Dan Carroll decreased the Canaries’ lead with a two-RBI double in the ninth, but it was not nearly enough to compete with the monster inning Sioux Falls had put together earlier.
Gary SouthShore 11, Winnipeg 6
The Goldeyes kept themselves within reach for most of the game against the RailCats, but a couple of productive batting performances from Gary SouthShore’s infielders and five runs in the eighth were enough to dispatch Winnipeg 11-6. The Goldeyes could not seem to stop 1B Christian Vitters and SS Zac Mitchell all night. Vitters scored three times, including the first run in the RailCats’ eighth inning rally, and went 2-for-3. Mitchell had five RBIs while going 3-for-5 at bat. 3B Brian Kolb also aided with three runs of his own.
The Goldeyes had no trouble getting on base themselves. LF Michael Coles went 3-for-5 with a run and RF Ray Sadler was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a solo home run in the first. 1B Luis Allen’s home run in the sixth brought Winnipeg within just one run of the RailCats, but their inability to stifle Gary SouthShore proved to be the difference.
Fargo-Moorhead 8, Sioux City 2
The Explorers scored first, but RHP Paul Burnside and the RedHawks allowed the X’s to get on the board just twice the whole game as Fargo-Moorhead ground out an 8-2 victory against Sioux City. Burnside allowed seven hits in his seven innings and RHP Mackenzie King kept the X’s off the bases completely in the final two innings.
Lead-off batter SS Zach Penprase started off the RedHawks with a hit in the first and continued to lead with similar productivity throughout. Penprase scored the first run for the RedHawks and went 3-for-5 with two more runs and an RBI. CF Nic Jackson contributed with a perfect 3-for-3 performance that included two runs and three RBIs.
Wichita 7, Amarillo 0
LHP Ryan Hinson’s first complete game for the Wingnuts resulted in a dominant 7-0 shutout of the Sox as Hinson struck out five batters, had zero walks, and allowed just six hits. Wichita was just as deadly offensively, loading on the runs in the early innings. 2B Jake Kahaulelio had maybe the best night at the plate, hitting a solo home run in the first and then adding two more RBIs and another run of his own in the fourth. DH John Rodriguez and LF Jared McDonald also added two runs each as the Wingnuts earned a 7-0 lead by the end of the fourth and never looked back.
St. Paul 6, Kansas City 5
St. Paul CF Jose Hernandez scored the game-winner in the ninth to defeat the T-Bones 6-5 as the Saints narrowly survived a rally that brought Kansas City even after they had faced an early 5-0 deficit. A pair of back-to-back home runs from DH Brad Boyer and LF Willie Cabrera, along with Hernandez’s first run of the game, helped St. Paul build its margin by the end of the second. Boyer, who was 2-for-3 at the plate, made it 5-0 with another run in the third.
The T-Bones made their way back into the game with a two-RBI single from RF Kennard Jones in the fifth and a run from Jones in the seventh. SS Devin Goodwin’s RBI ground-rule double in the top of the ninth completed the comeback and tied things up before SS Adam Frost’s single in the next frame brought Hernandez home to seal the win for St. Paul.
Laredo 11, Newark 2
Newark’s only lead came early in the third before inter-league opponent Laredo put together a string of runs that culminated in a six-run eighth inning to cement their 11-2 victory against the Bears. LF Palmer Karr was at the center of the scoring for the Lemurs, hitting an RBI double in the third and then a three-run homer in the eighth. DH John Alonso did his part as well, scoring once and collecting three RBIs on a 2-for-4 outing. SS Jimmy Mojica also added three runs.
The Bears posted plenty of hits, but Laredo RHP Michael Suk held Newark to its two early runs for the rest of his 6.1 innings. Suk earned his second win of the season.
Grand Prairie 11, El Paso 3
A steady stream of runs for the AirHogs kept them in the lead for the entire game against the Diablos and resulted in a 11-3 victory for Grand Prairie. LF Brian Myrow created the AirHogs’ first run with an RBI single in the third and Myrow continued to be the star, finishing 3-for-6 with a three-run home run in the eighth and five total RBIs. 2B Ryan Pineda scored both of Grand Prairie’s first runs and added another as a result of Myrow’s eighth inning homer. 3B Brandon Pinckney also had three runs.
RHP Derek Blacksher anchored Grand Prairie’s suppressive defense for seven innings, allowing just two runs and five hits on his way to earning a win.
