Lincoln 8, Kansas City 2 — Box Score
Lincoln jumped out to a strong start and never trailed thanks to a combined one-hitter from the Saltdogs’ pitching staff on their way to beating the Kansas City T-Bones 8-2 in Kansas City Sunday night. Starter Zach Varce was credited with the win for his six-inning start in which he struck out five batters and did not allow a hit.
Varce was pulled after the sixth inning and T.J. Bozeman, Trey Barham and Marshall Schuler each one inning in relief to finish off the one-hit. Though the T-Bones had only one hit, the Saltdogs’ pitching staff combined to walk 14 batters.
The Saltdogs capitalized on a lead off hit from SS Maikol Gonzalez in the top of the first and ended up pushing across three runs in the first frame to claim the early lead. Gonzalez, who was 2-for-4 with two runs scored on the night, stole second after his lead off single and scored on a single from CF Jon Gaston. Gaston lead all hitters in the contest with a pair of RBI on a 2-for-5 night with three runs. Saltdogs C Chris Anderson had a game-high three hits in five at bats and scored a run. For the T-Bones, LF Byron Wiley had the one hit and 2B Danny Richar and C Brian Erie each had one RBI.
Winnipeg 8, Amarillo 4 — Box Score
The Winnipeg Goldeyes doubled up the Amarillo Sox 8-4 behind a three-RBI night from 2B Jake Blackwood Sunday in Amarillo. Blackwood singled in his first at bat of the night to move Tyler Kuhn over to third base to set up the game’s first run. In the third inning, Blackwood blasted a three-run homerun to put Winnipeg out in front 4-0.
The Sox responded in the bottom of the third with a three-run homerun from Joe Weik and a solo shot from Cory Patton to tie the score but that tie wouldn’t hold. In the next half inning, Ryan Pineda and Kuhn singled in runs to take back the lead which the Goldeyes would not relinquish. Kuhn for Winnipeg and Weik from Amarillo each went 3-for-5 in the game while Pineda was 2-for-4 with two RBI of his own.
Winnipeg sent six different pitchers to the mound on the night but reliever Gabe Aguilar picked up the win for his work in the fifth and sixth innings. He did not allow a hit and registered one strikeout.
Sioux City 8, Sioux Falls 2 — Box Score
The Sioux City Explorers broke the game open with a six-run fifth inning on their way to an 8-2 win over the Sioux Falls Canaries Sunday afternoon. The win drew the season-opening four-game series as the Explorers won 10-2 on Saturday after dropping the first two games.
3B Mark Sobolewski started the rally in the fifth inning with a leadoff single to center field. Two batters later, Sobolewski scored as 1B Luke Murton reached on an error and in the next at bat RF Peter Barrows doubled DH Tommy Mendonca home to go out 2-0. That was the final earned run of the inning for the Explorers but when Sobolewski came to the plate again and recorded the final out of the inning Sioux City lead 6-0. Each team scored a pair of runs in the eight keeping the score differential level at six.
Mendonca and Barrows along with 2B Andres Perez and SS Nate Samson all had two hits for the Explorers and Perez and Barrows each added a pair of RBI. For the Canaries, LF Brandon Jones had two of the team’s five hits and both of the RBI.
Laredo 7, Fargo-Moorhead 2 — Box Score
The Laredo Lemurs held the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks to just four hits and limited their run production to just one inning as they won 7-2 in Laredo. The Lemurs took the lead in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run homerun by 2B Travis Denker. Denker finished the day with three RBI on two hits in four at bats.
The Lemurs extended the lead in the second as two runs were pushed across the plate as a result of back-to-back walks. The RedHawks only runs came in the third inning. One was a result of an error and the other was a sacrifice fly from 1B C.J. Retherford. Retherford and CF Nic Jackson were the only RedHawks with hits in the contest.
Laredo sealed the victory with three more runs in the seventh inning including an RBI single from Denker and a triple later in the inning from LF J.P. Ramirez that scored Denker and 1B John Alonso. Starter Tyler Pearson picked up the win in five innings on the mound. He allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and struck out eight batters.
