June 28 Recap
Wichita 13, Sioux City 5
Sioux City had no answer for Wichita’s explosive early innings in the Wingnuts’ 13-5 triumph over the X’s. 1B CJ Ziegler (pictured) set the tone for the game early on when he hit a grand slam to give the Wingnuts a lead that Sioux City never recovered from. By the end of the second inning, Wichita had amassed a 7-1 lead. A two-run home run from Explorers DH Sam Judah cut into Wichita’s lead, but the Wingnuts refused to let up and concluded their blowout win with five runs in the eighth inning.
On the way to its 13 runs, Wichita had no shortage of impressive batting performances. SS Ryan Khoury went 3-for-3 with four runs, 2B Jake Kahaulelio was 2-for-3 with two runs and four RBIs, and C Cole Armstrong added a three-run home run in the eighth.
Following his grand slam, Ziegler remains well ahead of all batters in the league in home runs (16) as well as in RBIs (50).
Lincoln 7, El Paso 4 (Game 1 – 7 innings)
The Saltdogs defeated El Paso 7-4 in game one of a doubleheader after capitalizing on two pivotal wild pitches that directly led to four total runs for Lincoln. SS Yasel Gomez tallied two of those runs for the Saltdogs. CF Dan Carroll also played a large role in securing Lincoln’s victory with a 3-for-4 night at bat, four RBIs, and one run.
While Lincoln’s batters were putting runs on the board, RHP Ben Henry did his best to keep El Paso’s offense one step behind. He allowed just three hits in his four innings. Two of those hits– RF Brian Joynt’s home run in the second and LF Rogelio Norris’s two-RBI homer in the fourth– kept the Diablos contending until the Saltdogs pulled away in the fifth.
Lincoln 2, El Paso 1 (Game 2 – 7 Innings)
CF Dan Carroll’s home run in the fifth proved to be the winner for the Saltdogs as they defeated El Paso 2-1 and swept the doubleheader. Carroll’s homer and 2-for-3 tally came in addition to the impressive performance he already had in game one earlier in the night. Along with his first win of the season, RHP Stephen Bougher nearly posted a no-hitter through five innings in the game until Diablos LF Rogelio Norris hit his second home run of the night in the top of the sixth that gave El Paso its only hit of the game.
St. Paul 10, Sioux Falls 6
St. Paul’s big hitters proved too much for Sioux Falls as the Saints outlasted the Canaries 10-6 in this high-scoring battle. St. Paul built a powerful early lead with five runs in the third inning, sparked by a three-run home run from RF Brandon Tripp. Sioux Falls tried to keep up as 3B Jared Clark hit a home run in the bottom of the third and 1B Marcos Rodriguez followed with a homer of his own in the fifth.
The Saints struck back with four more runs in the sixth, including a single from C Dwight Childs that ended up collecting him three RBIs after an error in center field. In the following inning, Clark hit his second home run of the day, but St. Paul’s lead remained out of reach for the Canaries.
Saints RHP Anthony Claggett earned his fifth win of the season with six strikeouts and three earned runs in six innings.
Newark 6, Grand Prairie 3
Newark’s four runs in the sixth inning were enough to help them overcome an early deficit and beat the AirHogs in an inter-league matchup, snapping the Bears’ twelve-game losing streak. Grand Prairie SS Ryan Pineda put the AirHogs on the board first in the bottom of the fourth with a three-RBI double. Newark stopped Grand Prairie’s scoring there and rallied back with six unanswered runs. Key contributors for the Bears included RF Carlos Guzman, whose two-RBI double tied the game, and 2B Travis Weaver who went 3-for-5 and scored twice, including once in the eighth to put the lead just out of reach.
RHP Brian Parker earned the win for the Bears after coming to the mound in the sixth and allowing zero runs and just one hit in his 2.1 innings.
Fargo-Moorhead 5, Kansas City 2
RHP Alex Caldera’s electric pitching performance sparked his RedHawks to a 5-2 win against Kansas City. In seven innings, Caldera allowed just four hits, walked just one batter, and struck nine out. The two runs that the T-Bones scored against him mark the only two he’s allowed in his last three games. Caldera’s six wins is now tied for the league best with four other pitchers.
By keeping Kansas City’s hitters at bay, Fargo-Moorhead controlled the lead ever since 1B Keith Brachold scored first in the bottom of the second. Brachold’s bat remained the hottest for the RedHawks as he went 4-for-4 on the night with two runs and one RBI. SS Zach Penprase also scored twice in Fargo-Moorhead’s victory to extend its win streak to four.
Laredo 6, Amarillo 5
SS Jimmy Mojica’s grand slam in the second inning was the difference maker for Laredo as Amarillo eventually fell just one run short of the Lemurs in Laredo’s 6-5 victory. The Sox had arguably the stronger performance at bat as they slowly crawled back from the early deficit created by Mojica’s grand slam. Amarillo CF David Peralta had the team’s hottest hand, going 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs, including a home run in the seventh that finally brought the Sox within just one run.
After the Lemurs added one more run in the eighth, RF Chris Valencia brought the Sox within one run once again with his second run of the night. With two outs and two men on base, 1B Joe Weik had a chance to tie things up but was put out after a suspenseful three balls and six fouls.
No single Laredo player notched more than one hit in the game, but Laredo looked to its bullpen to hold the team’s lead late into the game. RHP Bradley Blanks earned the win after relieving LHP David Newmann and allowing zero runs in his 1.1 innings. RHP Mike Benacka was credited with the save after keeping the lead through the ninth inning.
Winnipeg, Gary SouthShore (postponed – rain)
The game between Winnipeg and Gary SouthShore has been postponed due to rain. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, June 29 beginning at 6:10.
