Sioux City 8, Grand Prairie 0 – Box
Sioux City starting pitcher Patrick Johnson and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout as they beat Grand Prairie, 8-0. Johnson tossed another gem as he went seven innings allowing three hits and three walks while fanning nine batters. The University of North Carolina product is now a perfect 10-0 on the season with a 1.81 ERA. Explorers’ relievers Ryan Strufing and David Herndon finished off the game giving up only two hits and striking out two hitters. Sioux City LF Tim Colwell went 3-for-4 with two runs scored while 1B Rene Tosoni and DH Brock Kjeldgaard each collected two hits, scored two runs and drove in one.
Joplin 8, Gary SouthShore 7 – Box
Joplin RF Jesus Solorzano belted a go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to help the Blasters beat the Gary SouthShore RailCats by the score of 8-7. Gary SouthShore took the advantage early as they scored one run in the second, three more in the third and one in the fourth to jump out to a 5-0 lead. Joplin would answer as they plated five runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to take the lead at 6-5. The RailCats took the lead back as LF Adam Taylor launched a two-run shot in the top of the eighth and went ahead, 7-6. The Blasters then answered in the bottom of the frame with the game winning home run by Solorzano. Solorzano went 3-for-4 on the night with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored. Joplin reliever Victor Capellan picked up the victory as he went two innings allowing two earned runs on two hits. Capellan is now 5-2 on the year.
Amarillo 10, Lincoln 6 – Box
Amarillo tallied five runs in the sixth inning to overcome a 6-2 deficit and beat the Lincoln Saltdogs by a 10-6 final. Thunderheads 3B Christian Ibarra had a solid game at the plate going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Amarillo SS Juan Martinez was terrific as well offensively as he collected three hits, including a home run, along with two runs scored and two RBI. Thunderheads pitcher Matt McCormick notched his first win of the season. McCormick tossed 1 2/3 innings giving up two earned runs on four hits. Lincoln DH Curt Smith hit his 10th home run of the year in the loss.
St. Paul 9, Fargo-Moorhead 6 – Box
St. Paul rolled out to an 8-0 lead after four innings and cruised to a 9-6 victory over Fargo-Moorhead. The Saints banged out 15 hits in the contest with six players having multi-hit games. St. Paul 1B Angelo Songco went 4-for-5 with a run scored, two doubles and three RBI. Saints CF Alonzo Harris and LF Willie Argo each had 2-for-5 nights at the plate with DH Vinny DiFazio hammering his 12th home run of the season. St. Paul starting pitcher Jeff Shields had more than enough run support to notch his 10th win of the year. Shields gave up two earned runs on six hits in seven innings of work.
Sioux Falls 8, Laredo 5 (11 Innings) – Box
Sioux Falls scored three runs in the top of the 11th inning to comeback and beat Laredo, 8-5. The Canaries had a 5-3 lead after 7 ½ innings only to give up a run in the eighth and one in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Sioux Falls SS Jerome Pena had a solid night offensively going 2-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored. Canaries DH David Bergin had a pair of hits in the game and RF Jason Repko hit his seventh home run of the season. Sioux Falls reliever Chase Johnson gave up a run on two hits in two innings of work to win his fourth game of the year. For Laredo in defeat, CF Ty Morrison had a tremendous night going a perfect 6-for-6 at the plate with a run scored. The six hits tie a league record for most hits in a game.
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