St. Paul 1, Lincoln 0 – Box
The St. Paul Saints clinched the North Division crown tonight as they defeated the Lincoln Saltdogs, 1-0. St. Paul starting pitcher Kody Knaus and reliever Ryan Rodebaugh combined to toss a four-hit shutout. Knaus went the first seven innings allowing only a walk and the four hits while fanning a batter. Knaus grabbed his second win and is now 2-2 on the season. Rodebaugh hurled the final two innings and picked-up his league leading 23rd save of the season. The only run of the game was scored in the eighth when CF Alonzo Harris scored on a fielder’s choice by 3B Nate Hanson.
Texas 2, Sioux City 1 (Game 1 – 7 Innings) – Box
Third baseman Cory Morales singled home DH Leon Byrd with the go-ahead run in the fourth inning as the Texas AirHogs defeated Sioux City in game one of the doubleheader, 2-1. Texas tallied only four hits in the contest with one of those being a third inning solo home run from LF Nick Akins. Starting pitcher Griffin Russell tossed six solid innings to grab his fourth victory of the season. Russell gave up an earned run on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. For Sioux City in defeat, LF LeVon Washington had a 1-for-3 game with a RBI.
Sioux City 11, Texas 4 (Game 2 – 7 Innings) – Box
It was all Sioux City in game two of the doubleheader, as the Explorers pounded out 14 hits and rolled to an 11-4 win over Texas. The Explorers had five batters with multi-hit games led by 1B Ino Patron who went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. Sioux City leadoff hitter Derrick Robinson collected three hits and scored a run while SS Nate Samson, CF Tim Colwell and C Ralph Henriquez each chipped in with a home run. Explorers pitcher Shawn Blackwell tossed two innings of relief and nabbed his first win with the club. Blackwell faced eight batters and gave up an earned run on three hits. With the doubleheader split by Sioux City, the win by Gary SouthShore and the loss by Lincoln, the Explorers now hold a one game over the RailCats and Saltdogs with two to play.
Winnipeg 8, Fargo-Moorhead 6 (8 Innings) – Box
Trailing 6-0 after 4 ½ innings of play, the Winnipeg Goldeyes stormed back with eight runs over the next frames and beat Fargo-Moorhead, 8-6. Winnipeg 3B Wes Darvill led the offensive charge going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Goldeyes leadoff hitter Adam Heisler added a two-run home run while RF Josh Romanski drew a pair of walks and scored a run. Winnipeg pitcher Victor Capellan threw a scoreless inning of relief to collect his first victory. With the win by the Goldeyes and the loss by Laredo, Winnipeg now has a magic number of one to clinch the Wild Card.
Gary SouthShore 10, Joplin 0 – Box
Gary SouthShore banged out 18 hitters in the contest and rolled to a 10-0 win over the Joplin Blasters. All the batters in the RailCats lineup collected at least a hit including CF Chase Harris who went 4-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBI. Gary SouthShore 2B John Holland and SS Jarred Mederos each had two hits in the game with Holland scoring two runs and Mederos driving in two. RailCats starter Taylor Black earned the win and is now 7-6 on the season. Black gave up two walks and five hits in five innings of work. The bullpen shutdown Joplin the rest of the way allowing only a walk and three hits.
Sioux Falls 7, Kansas City 3 – Box
Sioux Falls tallied five runs in the third inning to take a 6-1 lead and would never look back as they beat Kansas City by a 7-3 final. Canaries CF Ethan Chapman led the way offensively going 2-for-5 with two runs scored. Sioux Falls 2B Darwin Perez had a hit and scored two runs while 3B Patrick Fiala chipped in with a three-run blast in the third inning. Canaries starting pitcher Ray Hanson threw seven solid innings and earned his first win of the year. Hanson gave up an earned run on four hits to go along with seven punchouts.
Wichita 7, Laredo 2 – Box
The South Division champion Wichita Wingnuts scored five runs in the fifth inning to rally from an early 2-0 deficit and beat Laredo, 7-2. Wichita RF Nick Van Stratten had a 3-for-5 game with a triple, two runs scored and two RBI. Wingnuts 1B Matt Chavez hit a pair of doubles and plated two runs while 3B Zack Cox launched a solo home run in the fifth. Wichita starting pitcher Jesse Pratt notched his sixth win and improved his record to 6-2 on the year. Pratt gave up two earned runs on six hits in six innings pitched. For Laredo in the loss, RF Denis Phipps went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run.
Fans can watch select American Association games live and for free at www.americanassociationbaseball.tv.
