St. Paul 3, Winnipeg 2 – Box Score
With a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Goldeyes, the St. Paul Saints punched their ticket to the American Association playoffs.
The Chicago Dogs also helped the Saints clinch beating the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. In Winnipeg, the Goldeyes struck first when SS Andrew Sohn (2-for-4) singled home both 1B Jordan Ebert (2-for-4) and RF Josh McAdams (4-for-4). That lead held until the top of the ninth inning when the Saints went to work.
2B Zach Walters tied things up with a two-run home run, plating DH Brady Shoemaker in the process. After 3B Dante Bichette Jr. bounced out for the second out, C Justin O’Conner (2-for-4) hit a solo home run for what turned out to be the game-winning run.
In the bottom of the frame, reliever Zack Jones came on to pitch and gave up a single in the first at bat but retired the side in order anyway thanks to a 3-6 double play and a strikeout.
Kansas City 14, Sioux City 13 — Box Score
The Kansas City T-Bones walked off on the Sioux City Explorers in a wild afternoon contest 14-13 for their franchise-best 59th win of the season.
The Explorers set the tone with six runs in the top of the first inning including a grand slam from LF Blake Schmit and added two more in the second on a home run from DH Dean Green. But the T-Bones began their comeback (down 8-0) in the bottom of the second with a solo shot from RF Colin Walsh (4-for-5). Both C Tucker Pennell (3-for-5) and 3B Mason Davis homered in the third for the T-Bones, and after a RF Michael Lang solo shot in the top of the fourth, Kansas City picked up three more in the bottom of the frame.
The T-Bones were down just one after SS Anthony Phillips’ (who hit for the cycle in the game) home run in the fifth but a three-run homer from 3B Jose Sermo (4-for-5) extended Sioux City’s lead in the sixth. Four runs in the seventh pulled the T-Bones back to within one and, in the bottom of the ninth, 1B Noah Perio Jr. (4-for-5) doubled home two runs for the walk-off win.
Sioux Falls 5, Cleburne 0 – Box Score
The Sioux Falls Canaries blanked the Cleburne Railroaders 5-0 behind a season-high 17 strikeouts.
The four pitchers, including starting pitcher John Straka (W, 3-5), rattled off 10 strikeouts in a row across the sixth through ninth innings. Straka recorded 10 strikeouts of his own in six innings of work. He allowed five hits and two walks but kept the Railraoders off the board.
Offensively, the Canaries scored four of their five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. All four runs scored on the same play as C Maxx Garrett (2-for-4) came to the plate with the bases loaded. He doubled to plate LF Jabari Henry (3-for-3) and 3B Patrick Fiala and then – thanks to a pair of errors – SS Jordan Dean and Garrett came around to score.
Henry added a solo home run in the next inning to cap the scoring for the game.
Gary SouthShore 11, Wichita 8 – Box Score
The Gary SouthShore RailCats reduced their magic number to just one game with an 11-8 win against the Wichita Wingnuts.
The two teams combined for 30 hits as the RailCats racked up 17 and the Wingnuts had 13. Of the 19 players that stepped the plate in the game 16 of them recorded at least one hit. For the RailCats, CF D.K. Carey went 4-for-5 with two RBIs and three runs scored. SS Will Savage and 1B Alex Crosby each had three hits apiece.
For the Wingnuts, five different batters each had a pair of hits including DH Abel Nieves and C John Nester who each had a pair of RBIs.
Chicago 7, Fargo-Moorhead 3 – Box Score
Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, the Chicago Dogs worked past the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 7-3.
In the bottom of the first, 3B Leobaldo Pina doubled home RF Tim Colwell (2-for-4) and CF Devan Ahart. The Dogs eventually pulled in front in the top of the fifth inning when CF Kenny Wilson (2-for-5) hit an RBI single and then scored alongside C Michael Falsetti when SS Stephen Perez (2-for-4, four RBIs) singled in the next at-bat. LF Tony Rosselli added an RBI single in the next inning to take a 4-2 lead and that proved important as 1B Jake Vieth scored on a fielder’s choice from SS Yhoxian Medina (2-for-4) in the bottom of the inning.
That was the final run for the RedHawks on the night but the Dogs weren’t quite finished. 2B Rubi Silva (2-for-5) singled home Wilson in the seventh and Perez pushed two more runs across in the ninth with a double
Lincoln 13, Texas 4 – Box Score
The Lincoln Saltdogs turned 17 hits into 13 runs and moved back to .500 on the season with a 13-4 win against the Texas AirHogs.
Nine different batters recorded hits for Lincoln on the night and five of them had more than one. RF Randolph Oduber, DH Curt Smith and SS Ivan Marin each had three hits in the game and Oduber had three RBIs and two runs. Smith added a pair of RBIs and a pair of runs as well. 2B Christian Ibarra and LF Brandon Jacobs chipped in two hits a piece and CF T.J. Bennett hit his 11th home run of the season.
For the AirHogs, RF Stewart Ijames, DH Greg Golson and CF Javion Randle all had two hits on the night.
Comedian Larry the Cable Guy coached First Base in the home half of the 1st and 2nd inning.
[…] Click here for the full story: SAINTS CLINCH PLAYOFF SPOT WITH WIN […]