Alex Bosher’s Arm, Matt Chavez’s Bat Gives Wichita Wingnuts 4-1 Win
Sometimes it is the temporary move that can turn a season around, and for the Wichita Wingnuts the move by Manager Pete Rose, Jr. to put Alex Boshers in for a spot start has been a major reason why this team has quite possibly become the best ream in the American Association. The right-hander has been absolutely amazing, this time leading Wichita to the 4-1 victory over the Central Division leading Lincoln Saltdogs. Boshers was aided by a power surge from Matt Chavez that gave him his ninth win of the season.
The Wingnuts would stake their starter to a lead right off the bat. Christian Stringer led off the game with a single. Lincoln starter Matt Larkins retired the next two hitters, but Matt Chavez followed with his eighth homer of the year to make it 2-0 Wichita.
The Saltdogs got one of those runs right back against Boshers in the bottom half of the inning. Robby Kuzdale led off the frame with a double and Austin Darby followed with a base hit that sent Kuzdale to third. Curt Smith’s sacrifice fly scored Kuzdale and it was a one-run game.
In the top of the second, the Wingnuts got that run right back. Larkins retired the first two batters of the inning, but the two-out homerun came back to haunt him again. This time it was Brennen Salgado, who his second homerun of the year and second of the series to extend the lead back to two.
It would stay that way until the sixth when the Wichita Wingnuts would add an insurance run. Chavez was the first batter of the inning and he drilled a 1-0 pitch for his second homer of the game. That made it 4-1, and the way that way that Boshers was pitching, it looked like it was plenty enough.
The right-hander scattered 9-hits over 7-innnigs pitched. He walked just one batter and struck out 2. That gave Boshers (9-3) his ninth win in his 10 starts.
Seth Harvey and Chad Nading combined to keep the Saltdogs off the scoreboard in the eighth. In the ninth Frankie Reed came on. He would pitch a perfect inning for his 14th save of the season, giving the Wingnuts the victory in two of the first three games of this series.
Chavez finished the game 2-4 with 2-runs scored and 3-RBI. Kuzdale was 3-5 with a run scored for Lincoln, and Darby had 2-hits.
Tomorrow Eddie Medina (4-3, 5.24) will go for the Wichita Wingnuts looking to give them the series victory. All-Star Lindsey Caughel (5-3, 2.27) will start for Lincoln. Game time is 5:05.
By Robert Pannier
