August 4
Sioux City 5, Lincoln 1
The Saltdogs had just one hit, a homerun, and it came in the first inning as the Explorers stifled Lincoln 5-1. Starter Richard Salazar picked up the win as he allowed just the one hit in seven innings on the mound. He also fanned six batters.
Relievers Jonathan Rodriguez and Jimmer Kennedy (pictured) came in and kept the one-hitter going as they combined to walk one batter and strike out four more. Kennedy earned the save.
Sioux City’s 3B Bryan Pounds, who was 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored, posted three RBI. Three other Explorers had multi-hit games including 2B Anthony Kaskadden who added an RBI. Lincoln’s 1B Curt Smith had the team’s only hit.
El Paso 5, Grand Prairie 4
When 1B Anthony D’Alfonso drew a walk in the bottom of the ninth it pushed across SS Maikol Gonzalez for the game-winning run and the El Paso Diablos edged the Grand Prairie AirHogs 5-4. The Diablos scored the game winning run in the ninth without registering a hit. Gonzalez, who was 2-for-4 with three runs, led off the inning with an walk. The second batter reached on an error and the third was intentionally walked.
D’Alfonso had two RBI in the game. For the AirHogs, SS Yasutsugu Nishimoto went 3-for-4 and 2B Ryan Pineda was 2-for-4 with a team-high two RBI. Reliever Jake Meiers picked up the win for throwing the last two innings without allowing a run.
Wichita 13, Newark 5
The Wichita Wingnuts flipped the switch offensively in the late innings as they bolted past the Newark Bears 13-5. Three-run homeruns by 1B C.J. Ziegler and CF Brent Clevlen in the seventh and eighth innings pushed the Wingnuts way out in front of the Bears in the final innings. Clevlen was 3-for-6 and 2B Jake Kahaulelio was 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
The Wingnuts combined for 15 hits in the game. The Bears took the lead in the first inning on a two-RBI double from LF Wander Nunez who was 3-for-5. Bears 2B Richard Arias also added two hits.
Laredo 7, Amarillo 3
The Laredo Lemurs jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and held on to beat the Amarillo Sox 7-3. The Lemurs put four runs on the board in the top of the second inning thanks to RBI singles from LF Balbina Fuenmayor, CF Daniel Poma and DH Stephen Douglas. Poma was the most efficient batter for the night as he went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Douglas had a game high two RBI as he went 2-for-5. Fuenmayor also added two hits and an RBI. For the Sox, 1B Joe Weik, LF Cory Patton and 2B Trey Ford all had two hits. Laredo Starter Greg Wilborn was credited with the win for throwing 6.1 innings and allowing two earned runs on eight hits while striking out six batters.
Photo courtesy of the Sioux City Explorers
