Gary 6, Fargo-Moorhead 5

The Gary Southshore RailCats got a win that they desperately needed, coming from behind to beat the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 6-5 in 10. The RailCats trailed by one heading into the top of the ninth, but tied the game when Drew Muren led off the ninth with his fifth home run of the year against RedHawks closer Nate Garcia. In the 10th Garcia (0-2) remained and eventually took the loss. After striking out Drew Martinez to begin the inning, Zac Mitchell singled and advanced to second on a ground out by Craig Maddox. Jose Garcia then singled to leftfield scoring Mitchell. James Parr, who had pitched the ninth inning for Gary remained in the game and earned the win to move to 2-2 on the season. Besides the RBI, Garcia had a big night at the plate, going 3-5 with a run scored. C.J. Retherford went 2-5 and hit his 10th home run of the year in a losing effort.

Lincoln 4, Sioux Falls 0

With Gary winning, Lincoln had to get a victory of their own to stay tied atop the Central Division and that is exactly what they did. Marquis Fleming pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up just five hits and two walks, while striking out nine in moving his record to 9-3. His nine wins are tied for second most in the American Association, and his 2.95 ERA moves him into second. Two other relievers helped to combine on the shutout, with Connor Spink striking out the side in the eighth and Trey Barham giving up a single in the ninth. John Gaston and Ian Gac had big games at the plate for the Saltdogs. Gac was a perfect 3-3 with a walk, and Gaston went 2-4, with a run and three RBI, including his sixth home run of the year.

Amarillo 7, Grand Prairie 1

While many could easily see that Wichita and Lincoln would be the hottest teams in the league, there is another team that is equally as hot, and this one is raising more than a few eyebrows. The Amarillo Sox, the team that just a few days ago had the worst record in the American Association, won their sixth in a row, this time 7-1 over the Grand Prairie AirHogs. While eight different players had hits in the game for Amarillo, Joe Weik had the big bat, going 2-5 with two runs and two RBI. His two hits were a triple and a double, and he now has 11 hits in his last 23 at-bats. Coleman Stephens got the win for Amarillo, his first as a Sox player this season, pitching five innings, giving up five hits and just one run.

Laredo 9, Kansas City 9 (Susp.)

With the score tied in the bottom of the 10th inning, the game was suspended due to the late hour and will be picked up tomorrow. This is a game that Laredo must have to take advantage of the St. Paul Saints loss.

By Robert Pannier
Senior Baseball Editor
Member of the IBWAA