Laredo 5, Amarillo 1 – Box
Laredo right-hander Cesar Carrillo held the Sox to one run in eight innings, and the Lemurs beat Amarillo, 5-1, clinching a wild card berth in the American Association playoffs. Carrillo won his eighth game of the season, striking out seven and walking three.
The Lemurs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second, scoring the first run on an RBI triple from SS Devin Goodwin. Goodwin then came home on LF JP Ramirez’s RBI groundout, and C Carlos Ramirez capped the rally with a solo home run. In the fifth, RF Denis Phipps hit a solo shot, and Phipps drove in another run on an RBI single to left field in the seventh. Phipps batted 3-for-3 with a walk Wednesday night.
Amarillo DH Kyle Nichols led off the fifth with a home run to score the team’s lone run.
Wichita 6, Grand Prairie 5 – Box
The Wichita Wingnuts scored three runs in the top of the ninth, and beat the AirHogs, 6-5, for their 69th win of the season — an American Association single-season record. The team broke its own record of 68 wins set in 2013.
After the Wingnuts took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth, Grand Prairie roared back with three runs on 1B Jason Botts’s RBI single and a two-run homer from 3B Matthew Burns.
Trailing 5-3 in the top of the ninth, Wichita scored three runs on three Grand Prairie errors to steal a 6-5 win. LF Jake Luce scored the go-ahead run when he stole third and scored on an error by the catcher.
Right-hander Chris Peacock got the win after allowing three runs in the eighth, and Chase Johnson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to get the save.
Lincoln 4, Sioux Falls 3 – Box
Lincoln 1B Ian Gac hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth, and the Saltdogs beat Sioux Falls, 4-3. The home run, Gac’s 23rd this season, was his third in the past four games.
Gac batted 3-for-5 with three RBIs. He hit RBI singles in the first and seventh innings. In the fifth, CF Matt Forgatch drove in a run with a run-scoring fielder’s choice.
Canaries RF Steven Tinoco tied the game in the seventh on an RBI single, but Gac broke the tie in the ninth.
Lincoln right-hander Jhonny Montoya got the win — his fourth — after pitching a scoreless eighth inning, and closer Marshall Schuler earned his league-leading 34th save in the ninth.
St. Paul 14, Winnipeg 7 – Box
St. Paul snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 14-7 comeback win against the Goldeyes.
Winnipeg trailed 5-0 before exploding for a seven-run fifth inning, highlighted by 1B Josh Mazzola’s grand slam.
The Saints’ bats got back to work in the bottom of the fifth, when 2B Jake Taylor hit a game-tying two-run homer. In the sixth, LF Willie Cabrera gave St. Paul a 9-7 lead with a two-run homer — his 11th of 2014. The Saints added three more in the seventh on an RBI double by C Vince DiFazio and a two-RBI single by CF Mitch Elliott. The center fielder went 2-for-5 with a team-high four RBIs in the game.
In the eighth, DH Tyler Peterson hit an RBI single, and Elliott took one for the team with a run-scoring hit-by-pitch. St. Paul right-hander Dylan Thomas got the win, pitching 2 2/3 innings without allowing a run.
Gary SouthShore 15, Sioux City 8 – Box
The RailCats used two big innings to stave off several Sioux City rallies, winning 15-8 to stay tied with Lincoln atop the Central Division.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first, C Ryan Babineau tied the game with a two-run single, and CF Drew Muren drove in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk. Babineau and Muren each had a team-high three RBIs. Muren also hit a two-run homer in a five-run sixth inning. 3B Wally Backman went 3-for-5 for the RailCats, scoring three times, including on a ninth-inning solo home run.
For the Explorers, DH Brock Kjeldgaard went 2-for-5 with three RBIs. He hit a two-run homer in the first and an RBI single in the fifth.
Right-hander Shawn O’Neill got the win after getting the last out of the fifth inning.
Fargo-Moorhead 6, Kansas City 3 – Box
The RedHawks used a four-run sixth inning to beat Kansas City, 6-3.
SS Anthony Kaskadden drove in the first run with an RBI single. Kaskadden led the RedHawks with three hits in the game. 2B Frank Salerno hit a two-RBI single, and 1B C.J. Retherford added an RBI single to give Fargo-Moorhead a 5-0 lead. C Travis Higgs led off the seventh with a solo homer to give the RedHawks a six-run advantage.
The T-Bones scored three in the eighth, but Fargo-Moorhead’s lead held up. RedHawks right-hander Matthew Schuld allowed two runs on five hits, striking out five in 7 2/3 innings. Closer Nate Garcia picked up his 18th save in the ninth.
Fans can watch American Association and Can-Am League games live for free on www.independentprofessionalbaseball.com from InnovaTV.
