Lincoln 2, Fargo-Moorhead 0
Lincoln needed just two runs to defeat Fargo-Moorhead 2-0 thanks to the heroics of Saltdogs RHP Pete Parise (pictured), who held a no-hitter until allowing a RedHawks single in the ninth inning. Parise pitched a complete game and walked just two batters in addition to allowing just one hit on his way to his first shutout of the season. Until finally walking a batter in the sixth, Parise had held a perfect game through five innings.
3B Brad Payne was the first man on base for the Saltdogs in the bottom of the first and scored early to put Lincoln ahead. CF Dan Carroll, who went 2-for-4, finished the game with a double and the team’s only other run in the bottom of the seventh.
Sioux City 6, Gary SouthShore 1
The batters in the middle of the X’s lineup helped the team build a quick lead against Gary SouthShore and then LHP Richard Salazar kept them ahead on their way to a 6-1 victory against the RailCats. Salazar recorded six strikeouts in his eight innings, allowing just five hits and one run. The Explorers split their six runs between just the first and third innings, as three consecutive players in the batting order did almost all of Sioux City’s scoring.
1B Luke Murton excelled, playing a role in four of the X’s runs as he finished with two RBI doubles and two runs of his own. RF Peter Barrows was just as good, going 3-for-4, including two doubles and two runs of his own. SS Leugim Barroso rounded out the fruitful trio, going 2-for-4 and scoring the run that sparked Sioux City’s four-run rally in the third.
Wichita 6, Grand Prairie 2
Wichita defeated Grand Prairie 6-2 after holding the AirHogs scoreless until the bottom of the eighth. A run from both Wingnuts SS Ryan Khoury and 2B Jake Kahaulelio in the first inning established Wichita’s lead and was followed in the fifth by Khoury’s second run, coming off of a ground-rule double from Kahaulelio. 3B Abel Nieves’s RBI single later in the eighth inspired a rally that saw the Wingnuts increase their lead to 6-0. Grand Prairie 2B Ryan Pineda put the AirHogs on the board with an RBI double in the next frame, but it was too little too late for his team.
RHP Christopher M. Smith pitched 7.2 innings for the Wingnuts, allowing just one run and five hits. He also racked up seven strikeouts on the night.
Amarillo 11, Newark 2
Newark simply could not stifle Amarillo’s hitters, who proved to be more than proficient, racking up 14 hits and downing the Bears 11-2 in this inter-league game. An early RBI ground-rule double put Newark in the lead in the first, but the rest of the game was all Amarillo. Sox 2B Trey Ford finished the game going a perfect 2-for-2 with runs on both of his trips to the plate. RF Chris Valencia and LF Adam De La Garza both went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs each. Finally, C Chris Grossman capped off the big scoring night for the Sox with a three-run homer in the seventh.
RHP Ryan Mitchell earned his six win of the season for the Sox, pitching seven innings and allowing just two runs. Despite the loss for the Bears, DH Carlos Guzman put in solid work at bat, hitting 2-for-4 including the team’s early RBI ground-rule double and a triple to center field in the sixth.
Sioux Falls 6, Kansas City 4
Neither Sioux Falls nor Kansas City held a lead for more than a frame as both teams matched each other run for run until the Canaries finally pulled away in the ninth to defeat the T-Bones 6-4. RF Nate Baumann, the lead-off hitter in the ninth, hit a solo home run that proved to be the game-winning run. CF Nick Van Stratten added to the count with an RBI single after Baumann’s homer. Van Stratten went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and one run.
RHP Matt Daly earned the win by coming on in the seventh after the Canaries had just tied things once again and pitching two innings without allowing a run from the T-Bones.
Kansas City’s highlights of the close battle came from a solo home run in the fourth from 3B Matt Padgett (his third in the last three games) and a go-ahead solo homer from SS Devin Goodwin in the sixth.
Winnipeg 14, St. Paul 7
Winnipeg finally blew open a high-powered scoring shootout against St. Paul with a six-run inning in the seventh, leading them to a 14-7 victory against the Saints in a game that featured major contributions from multiple Goldeyes. No performance was more impressive than that of Winnipeg 2B Amos Ramon, who scored twice and had two RBIs while hitting 4-for-6.
Saints DH Ole Sheldon started things off favorably for St. Paul with a three-run home run in the first inning that gave the Saints their only lead of the game. The Goldeyes came roaring back, scoring a run in each of the first seven innings of the game, including a home run from 3B Josh Mazzola that finally gave them the lead in the third. Mazzola went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.
Other notable Winnipeg performances came from LF Michael Coles, who scored three runs, DH Ryan Scoma, who hit 3-for-4 with two runs, and C Jordan Guida, who hit a three-RBI double in his only at bat of the game. St. Paul SS Adam Frost went 3-for-5 and scored twice for the Saints, including a home run in the seventh.
Laredo 6, El Paso 1
RHP Jake Cowan earned his first win for Laredo after holding the El Paso scoreless until the eighth inning as the Lemurs cruised to a 6-1 victory. Cowan had four strikeouts and allowed just four hits in his eight innings on the mound. SS Jimmy Mojica and CF Harrison Kain each scored twice in early innings to create Laredo’s lead, which C Brian Peterson capped off in the ninth with a two-run home run. Kain finished the game 3-for-5 with a double to help build Laredo’s lead, which El Paso could never quite seem to threaten.