Laredo 12, Wichita 3 (Laredo leads series, 1-0) – Box
After falling behind early, the Laredo Lemurs roared back in a big way to defeat the Wichita Wingnuts, 12-3 in game one of the best-of-five semifinal series.
Wichita would get the scoring started in the second inning. With one out, LF Harrison Kain doubled home 3B TJ Mittelstaedt and C John Nester to give the Wingnuts a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, Laredo would tie the game up at 2-2 thanks to 1B Travis Denker’s two-run home run.
Wichita would get the lead right back in the fourth inning on a solo home run by 1B Andy LaRoche and go up, 3-2. The score would stay that way until the sixth inning when the Lemurs took full control of the game.
After the tying the game up at 3-3 on a bases loaded walk to 3B Juan Silverio, C Phil Pohl came up and launched a grand slam to give Laredo a 7-3 advantage. The Lemurs then tacked on five more in the eighth highlighted by another home run from Denker, this time a three-run shot.
Denker finished 3-for-4 on the night with two home runs, three runs scored and five RBI. Pohl chipped in with a 2-for-3 game with a home run and four RBI while RF Denis Phipps added three hits, scored three runs and drove in two.
Laredo starting pitcher Henry Garcia gave up three earned runs on five hits in six innings of work to grab the victory.
Game two of the series is tomorrow night at 7:30 PM CT from Uni-Trade Stadium in Laredo.
Sioux City 3, St. Paul 2 (Sioux City leads series, 1-0)
The Sioux City Explorers grabbed the lead early in the game and held on to beat the St. Paul Saints by a 3-2 score in game one of the semifinal series.
St. Paul would take an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on a fielder’s choice from 1B Angelo Songco. Sioux City would come back in the bottom of the second and tie the game up at 1-1 as SS Noah Perio scored on a double from 3B Tommy Mendonca.
The Saints would go right back on top, 2-1, in the top of the third on a solo home run from Songco. However, that was short lived as the Explorers would take the lead for good in the bottom of the frame as Perio doubled home CF Matty Johnson and RF Michael Lang to go up, 3-2. The score would stay that way for the rest of the contest as the Saints would have trouble scoring runs all night as they left a total of 14 runners on base.
Sioux City starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman collected the victory. Zimmerman tossed 5 2/3 innings allowing two runs, one earned, on eight hits and struck out six batters. St. Paul starter Kramer Sneed was the tough luck loser going eight innings giving up two earned runs on just three hits and fanning 13 batters.
Game two of the best-of-five series is scheduled for tomorrow night in Sioux City. Game time is 7:05 PM CT.
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