St. Paul 5, Sioux City 3 – Box
The St. Paul Saints inched closer to clinching the North Division with a 5-3 win over the Sioux City Explorers. The win was also significant because it prevented the Explorers from their 15th straight win, which would’ve tied an American Association record. In the first inning, DH Vinny DiFazio set the tone for St. Paul with a two-run homer. But Sioux City would tie it up in the second inning with a 2B Ryan Court solo blast and CF Matty Johnson’s RBI single. But the Saints slowly pulled away, highlighted by LF Willie Argo’s solo homer in the fifth.
Kramer Sneed picked up the win for St. Paul after pitching 5.2 innings and allowing just three runs. Michael Zouzalik pitched a perfect 2.1 innings, and Ryan Rodebaugh got the save with a perfect ninth.
Winnipeg 3, Sioux Falls 0 – Box
One three-run inning was all the Winnipeg Goldeyes needed to beat the Sioux Falls Canaries 3-0. In the third inning, LF Adam Heisler got a run on the board with an RBI single. CF Reggie Abercrombie hit a two-run homer immediately after to raise the lead to three. 1B Casey Haerther led the Goldeyes with two hits. Combined with that inning was the great pitching performance from Edwin Carl. He pitched the complete game, allowed zero runs and just three hits and also struck out nine.
Though Sioux Falls couldn’t get anything going offensively, the Canaries starting pitcher kept them in it. Miguel Pena pitched his entire game of eight innings and allowed just the three runs.
Rockland 8, Joplin 0 – Box
The Rockland Boulders won their 10th game in a row, a franchise record, with an 8-0 defeat of the Joplin Blasters Wednesday. With a run already on the board, 2B Steve Nyisztor hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning for Rockland. In the eighth, the Boulders scored four runs, behind a LF Stephen Cardullo RBI single and DH Marcus Nidiffer’s three-run home run. Cardullo finished 3-for-5 with one run and two RBIs and was the only multi-hit batter for the Boulders. Bo Budkevics pitched a gem for Rockland: complete game, win, zero runs, six strikeouts.
DH Jake Taylor led Joplin at the plate with two hits.
Lincoln 4, Kansas City 1 – Box
The Lincoln Saltdogs prevailed in a low-scaring affair with the Kansas City T-Bones thanks to a strong effort from the pitching staff. Jesse Smith, who got the win, pitched the first 6.2 innings for Lincoln and allowed just one run. He passed the ball to Conor Spink, who pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, and then Marshall Schuler picked up the save with a perfect ninth. At the plate, Lincoln scored twice in the first inning with 1B C.J. Ziegler’s RBI single and a bases loaded walk. CF Matt Forgatch led Lincoln with two hits and two runs.
Kansas City scored its lone run in the first inning behind a wild pitch to score LF Starlin Rodriguez. Starting pitcher Bobby Doran took the loss but pitched a solid 6.2 innings while allowing three earned runs and striking out seven.
Fargo-Moorhead 6, Gary SouthShore 3 – Box
After just three innings, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and Gary SouthShore RailCats scored all of their runs, and from then on the RedHawks had to play defense to hold on for the 6-3 win. Gary SouthShore jumped out to a 3-0 lead with DH Brennan Metzger’s RBI single in the first inning and then SS Ryan Brockett’s two-RBI single in the second. But Fargo-Moorhead came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning. That’s when DH Charlie Valerio hit a two-RBI double. In the third, Fargo-Moorhead pulled ahead with four runs, three of which came off a RF Joe Dunigan homer.
RedHawks pitcher Brandon Mann pitched the complete game and allowed just two runs. Mann struck out 12 and needless to say, picked up the win.
Wichita 3, Grand Prairie 1 – Box
The Wichita Wingnuts outlasted the Grand Prairie AirHogs in a pitcher’s duel by the score of 3-1. The Wingnuts used four arms, starting with Jon Link, who pitched five innings, allowed one run, struck out seven and received the win. For the rest of the game, Wichita was perfect with work from A Boshers, D Bennett and P Smyth. On the AirHogs’ side, starter Bennett Whitmore took the loss but still pitched 6.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs.
In the first inning, 3B T.J. Mittelstaedt hit a solo homer to score the first run for Wichita. Grand Prairie responded with an RBI double from C Michael Pair in the second inning, but Wichita took the lead for good later in the inning with a SS Taylor Smart RBI double.
Amarillo 13, Laredo 2 – Box
The Amarillo Thunderheads raced out to a 9-0 lead in the first two innings and never looked back, eventually winning 13-2 over the Laredo Lemurs. SS Juan Martinez’s RBI double and 1B Rene Leveret’s two-RBI single in the first inning gave Amarillo a 3-0 lead after one. Then the Thunderheads scored six runs in the second, which included a grand slam from DH Stefan Gartrell. The team had three homers later in the game from 3B Christian Ibarra, CF-RF Dexter Kjerstad and 2B Geraldo Valentin. The two runs for Laredo came from back-to-back RBi doubles from DH Kevin Taylor and LF Denis Phipps in the sixth inning.
Amarillo starter Leondy Perez took the win after pitching seven innings and allowing just two runs. He also struck out eight.
