Fargo-Moorhead 2, Cleburne 1 — Box Score
With a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning, DH Jesus Posso gave the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks enough offense to claim a 2-1 win against the Cleburne Railroaders.
Cleburne took the early lead in the series opener when 1B Geraldo Valentin singled home 2B Maikol Gonzalez in the bottom of the first inning. But Posso’s blast erased that lead in the fifth and that proved to be enough. Posso was one of six different RedHawks to record a hit in the game and RF K.D. Kang, who also scored when Posso left the yard, picked up a team-high two hits in four at-bats
Starting pitcher Dylan Mouzakes earned the win for tossing five innings and allowing just one run (earned) on two hits while striking out three. Reliever Casey Weathers snagged his second save of the year for working the ninth. Cleburne starting pitcher Santos Arias took the loss but managed nine strikeouts in five innings.
Wichita 6, Texas 1 — Box Score
After dropping the first game of the season, the Wichita Wingnuts have now won three games in a row as they topped the Texas AirHogs 6-1 in their series opener.
Both teams found the scoreboard in the second inning with a single run but the Wingnuts pulled ahead in the third. Back-to-back singles from 3B T.J. Mittelstaedt and 1B Matt Chavez gave Wichita a three-run lead and the Wingnuts held on from there. Chavez led all hitters with three hits in the game including his second double of the young season. LF Brent Clevlen also had a solid night at the plate as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. For the AirHogs, LF Levi Scott went 2-for-3 with the team’s lone RBI.
Starting pitcher Tyler Kane was credited with the win for throwing six innings and allowing just one run (earned) on five hits while striking out seven batters. Three Wichita relievers combined to face the minimum over the last three frames including Mike Devine, who struck out the side in the eighth.
Sioux City 8, Lincoln 0 — Box Score
Three Sioux City pitchers combined to shutout the Lincoln Saltdogs, paving the way for an 8-0 series-opening win.
Starting pitcher Kurt Heyer worked the first 3.1 innings without allowing a run on two hits to go along with three strikeouts and reliever Todd Eaton came on to throw the next 3.2 and earn the win. Eaton gave up three hits and struck out four batters. Reliever Keith Picht finished things off by tossing the eighth and ninth frames, giving up just two hits.
Offensively for the Explorers, the heart of the order was dangerous as the two-through-five hitters combined for 10 of the team’s 13 hits. 1B John Nogowski and SS Nate Samson each had three hits while LF Jayce Ray and DH LeVon Washington added two. For the Saltdogs, 1B Curt Smith went 3-for-4.
St. Paul 12, Sioux Falls 5 — Box Score
The St. Paul Saints saw hits from eight of nine batters in the lineup and racked up 16 for the game on the way to a 12-5 win against the Sioux Falls Canaries.
CF Breland Almadova led the way with a 5-for-6 showing that left him just a home run shy of the cycle. He also scored twice and added an RBI. C Tony Caldwell went 2-for-4 and both of his hits were home runs, leaving him with three RBI in the game. 3B Nate Hanson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored and DH Brady Shoemaker went 2-for-5 with a home run. SS Jon Kristoffersen also had a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 with a double.
For the Canaries, 1B Chris Jacobs had a team-high three hits and both 2B B.J. Guinn Jr. and SS Blake Schmit added a pair of hits.
Gary SouthShore 7, Kansas City 4 — Box Score
The Gary SouthShore RailCats rallied for five runs in the seventh inning to take the lead against the Kansas City T-Bones and they made it stand up for a 7-4 win.
CF Chase Harris started the scoring in the pivotal seventh frame with a double that scored 2B John Holland. Harris and 3B Kris Goodman scored in the next at-bat when LF Reggie Wilson tripled to right field and Wilson scored when RF Colin Willis doubled two pitches later. Willis scored the final run of the outburst on a single from DH Frank Martinez. The RailCat bullpen took care of business from there, as three relievers combined to shutout Kansas City over the final four frames.
Reliever Ryan Fritze picked up the win for working a perfect sixth inning and Reliever Drasen Johnson nabbed the save for closing things down in the ninth. For the T-Bones, 1B Kevin Keyes was the only batter to have more than one hit as he went 3-for-5 with an RBI.
