American Association Capsule – 8/9: Lincoln, Gary Lose, Remain Tied
Laredo 10-13, Kansas City 9-5
In the continuation of last night’s suspended game, the Laredo Lemurs plated a run in the bottom of the 11th to win 10-9. Laredo was ahead 3-1 entering the fourth, but Kansas City scored four over the next two innings to jump in front 5-3. In the bottom of the seventh Laredo scored four more to retake the lead. Leading 7-5 entering the top of the ninth Tyler Pearson took over on the mound, but he could not hold the lead, giving up the tying runs before Caleb Graham entered. Graham allowed two more runs to score, and Kansas City had a 9-7 lead entering the bottom of the ninth. Patrick Mincey, who had been acquired from Wichita earlier in the season, remained in the game, but could not preserve the lead, as Laredo battled back with two runs to tie the game and send it into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th the game was suspended due to curfew restrictions.
On Saturday the game continued. In the bottom of the 11th Laredo finally won it when Nick Van Stratten beat out a double-play chance as Carlos Ramirez scored to win the game. For Van Stratten it was his first official out of the game, as he went 5-6 with a run and three RBI, including a double and a triple. Carlos Ramirez also had a huge game for Laredo, going 2-3 with three runs and four RBI, including his fourth home run of the year. Casey Harmon was the winner for the Lemurs, moving to 4-1. Bryan Sabatella and Nick Schwarner each had three hits in the loss for Kansas City.
In the regularly scheduled game, Laredo clung to a 6-5 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth before scoring seven runs to put the game away. The T-Bones took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, only to watch the Lemurs score six over the next six innings to take a 6-3 lead. The T-Bones then got a run in the top of the eighth to pull within two, but Laredo crushed out any hopes of a comeback with a seven run, six hit bottom half that put the game out of reach. Travis Denker hit his 22nd home run for the Lemurs, and added two runs and three RBI, giving him 74, which leads the American Association. Devin Goodwin also homered for Laredo, and added two runs and two RBI. Jeremy Strawn improved to 6-0, and Tyler Pearson got his first save of the season.
Fargo-Moorhead 5, Gary 4
The bleeding will simply not end for the Gary Southshore RailCats, as they dropped their eighth game in the last 10 to temporarily fall out of first place pending the Lincoln Saltdogs’ game. Gary had a 3-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but gave up three runs, and they would never regain the lead. Petey Paramore had the big hit of the inning, a two run double that tied the score, and he scored the go-ahead run one out later. Erik Castro had a big night at the plate, going 3-4 with a run and two RBI. C.J. Retherford also had a big game for the RedHawks, rapping three hits of his own and scoring two runs. Starter Brain Ernst (8-4) got the win, and Nate Garcia recorded his 16th save of the season. Drew Muren had three hits and two RBI in a losing effort for the RailCats.
Sioux Falls 5, Lincoln 0
The Saltdogs had their chance to take sole possession of the Central Division, only to watch Ben Moore stifle their hitters to the tune of just two hits. Moore combined with two relievers on the two-hit shutout, and improved his record to 6-5. For the righty it was a much needed shot in the arm after being shelled for four runs of more in eight of last nine starts. This was the first time that Moore had not been scored upon in a start since his June 15 appearance against Fargo-Moorhead, where he pitched seven shutout innings. Steven Tinoco had three hits, two runs and an RBI for the winning Sioux Falls club.
Amarillo 17, Grand Prairie 1
Oddly enough the two hottest team in the American Association are the top and bottom teams in the South Division. While many see why Wichita is so good, Amarillo had its doubters, but maybe no more. Under the guise of “better late than never,” the Sox have gotten hot, and are letting opponents know they are doormats no matter. No one learned that better than the AirHogs, who watched Amarillo score 17 runs off of 25 hits. Three Sox players had four hits each, and three more had three each. Geraldo Valentin remained hot after joining the Sox late last month, going 4-7 with two runs and an RBI. He is up to .388 on the season, with an OBP of .423.
By Robert Pannier
Senior Baseball Editor
Member of the IBWAA