Gary SouthShore 5, St. Paul 4 (10 innings)
3B Brian Kolb walked off on St. Paul with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to cap a three-run comeback for the RailCats, 5-4. The RailCats trailed 4-1 with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning, when 2B Daniel Pulfer put the ball in play to keep the game alive. An error by Saints’ pitcher Matt Meyer scored three runs, and Gary SouthShore sent the game to extra innings. Saints’ DH Brandon Tripp recorded three RBI in the loss via a solo home run and a two-RBI double. RailCats’ closer Clay Zavada (3-1) picked up the win after throwing a scoreless top of the tenth.
Fargo-Moorhead 7, New Jersey 4 (10 innings)
3B Ray Bourquin’s bases-clearing, two-out double in the top of the 10th inning surged the RedHawks past New Jersey, 7-4. The Jackals threatened in the bottom of the 10th, bringing the tying run to the plate, but closer Chase Johnson induced a groundout to second base to pick up his first win of the season. The RedHawks trailed 3-1 until the 7th inning when DH Tim Alberts tripled in a run, and RF Buddy Sosnoskie drove in another with a fielder’s choice to tie the game. In the eighth, the RedHawks’ CF Nic Jackson scored on an error to give Fargo-Moorhead the lead, but it was short-lived, as Newark’s 1B Chris Duffy scored on a wild pitch, setting the stage for Bourquin’s clutch hit. Jackson led all hitters with four hits in the game.
Lincoln 3, Winnipeg 2 (Game 1 – 7 innings)
A sixth-inning sacrifice fly from Saltdogs’ LF Matt Forgatch clinched the first game of a doubleheader for Lincoln, 3-2. Winnipeg took a 2-1 lead in the first inning on CF Fehlandt Lentini’s RBI single, but Lincoln 1B Tyler Goodro scored on a groundout in the second to tie the score. Moises Melendez (2-0) earned the win for the Saltdogs, allowing two runs in five innings. Closer RJ Rodriguez struck out two in the seventh for his league-leading 13th save. The Saltdogs stole three bases in the game — CF Dan Carroll swiped two and Forgatch stole one.
Winnipeg 4, Lincoln 3 (Game 2 – 7 innings)
The Goldeyes responded in the second game of the doubleheader, beating Lincoln 4-3 thanks to a four-run second inning. Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the second, Winnipeg DH Michael Coles singled in a run to cut the Saltdogs lead in half. Then, with the bases loaded, 3B Amos Ramon drove in all three base runners with a triple to right field. Lincoln DH Stephen Douglas’s RBI-single in the top of the seventh brought the Saltdogs within a run, but Goldeyes’ closer Patrick Keating got 2B David Espinosa to fly out to center field to end the threat. Winnipeg LHP Peter Gehle (2-1) earned the win after going 5.1 innings and allowing just two runs on six hits.
Wichita 2, Sioux City 0
Two solo home runs in the first inning from 2B Jake Kahaulelio and 1B CJ Ziegler were all Wichita needed to hold off Sioux City, 2-0. Three Wichita pitchers combined to limit Sioux City to five hits. RHP Junior Guerra (4-0) struck out a season-high nine batters, and pitched into the eighth inning without giving up a run for the Wingnuts. Relief pitchers Daniel Bennett and Josh Dew carried the torch to the finish line, keeping the Explorers hitless, and Dew notched his seventh save.
Grand Prairie 3, Amarillo 2 (10 innings)
CF Keanon Simon used his legs to beat Amarillo, scoring on a walk-off wild pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning. AirHogs’ starter Jared Mortensen struck out a season-high 12 batters, and scattered four hits and one earned run over seven innings, but did not factor in the decision. Jakob Cunningham (2-0) kept the Sox scoreless in the 10th to earn the win.
AirHogs’ 3B Frazier Hall doubled in the game’s first run in the second, but Amarillo 1B Joe Weik’s fourth-inning double tied the score at one. The teams continued to trade leads and Grand Prairie 2B Brandon Pinckney struck next, singling in a run in the fifth. Right on cue, Sox LF David Peralta slugged a home run in the sixth to knot the score at two, which lasted until Simon streaked across the plate in the 10th.
Laredo 19, Kansas City 9
Laredo bested Kansas City 19-9 in a no-holds-barred slugfest. The Lemurs led Kansas City 10-6 after two innings, but a six-run fifth inning tipped the scales in favor of Laredo. Three Lemurs recorded four hits in the game, including, CF Sawyer Carroll, who went 4-for-6 with six RBI. Carroll drove in runs with a two-run homer, a three-RBI double and an RBI single. Lemurs’ leadoff hitter Jimmy Mojica batted 4-for-6 with two RBI and three runs scored. For the T-Bones, 3B Devin Goodwin was 3-for-5 with three RBI, a stolen base and a run scored. Laredo starter Fabian Williamson (3-1) took advantage of his ample run support, allowing four earned runs in five innings for the win.
Sioux Falls 7, El Paso 3
A five-run eighth inning gave Sioux Falls a definitive lead to stave off El Paso, 7-3. With the game tied at two, an error brought home Canaries’ 1B John Alonso to give Sioux Falls a 3-2 lead. SS Cory Morales’s fielder’s choice and RF Nate Baumann’s RBI triple made the score 5-2, and the Canaries kept hitting, building a 7-2 lead before the inning was over. CF Nick Van Stratten led the Canaries, hitting 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and an RBI. Diablos’ 2B Jose Garcia had two doubles and an RBI in the loss. Sioux Falls starter Ben Moore (4-2) was the game’s winning pitcher. He threw seven innings and allowed two earned runs, while striking out seven.
