August 6 Afternoon
Wichita 7, Rockland 5
When Rockland starter Pat Moran left the ballgame, the Wichita Wingnuts pounced. Moran had tossed seven strong innings, allowed only three runs (two earned) and left with a one-run lead. But, Wichita scored four runs in the eighth to come from behind and win, 7-5.
In the eighth inning, Rockland called on newly-signed reliever Marcos Frias out of the bullpen. After Frias recorded the first out of the inning, the Wingnuts began a hit parade. Wichita strung together four straight hits, tying the game on the third knock, a Cole Armstrong RBI single. With the bases loaded, Ryan Khoury was hit by a pitch to drive home the go-ahead run. Later in the inning, the Wingnuts added a pair of runs on a John Rodriguez single and exited the top of the eighth with a 7-4 lead.
Rockland scored a run in the bottom of the inning, but could not muster any more offense. Josh Dew (pictured) pitched the bottom of the ninth for Wichita. He worked a perfect inning with two strikeouts to nail down his 19th save of the season.
Photo courtesy of the Wichita Wingnuts