It isn’t often that fans get to see it, but every once in a while the Wichita Wingnuts have to battle a nail-biter all game long and pull out a very close win. It is good that they are able to win these kinds of games as well, because it is playoff baseball now, and this is what games are often like. The Wingnuts pulled out a dramatic 4-2 win over Laredo Wednesday night, giving them a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. Just another win for the Wingnuts? Hardly.

Wichita went with ace starter and 10-game winner Tim Brown. That was not a surprise. The Lemurs turned to 9-game winner Jeremy Strawn instead of league ERA champion Cesar Carrillo. That choice was. Most figured that Carrillo would be the natural choice because of his low ERA and experience, but Strawn was undefeated this season in 10 starts and he actually had an ERA comparable to that of Carrillo. The game had the makings of a great pitcher’s duel and that is how it turned out.

The Lemurs got on the board first when Denis Phipps blasted the first pitch Brown threw to him over the left field wall for a 1-0 Laredo lead. This was the start that the Lemurs needed and Strawn did his most to uphold the lead. He did not give up a hit until a one out single by Chris McClendon in the third, and retired the side in order in the first and fourth innings.

In the fifth the Wingnuts finally got on the scoreboard. Victor Diaz led off with a single and moved to second when Chris McMurray followed with a single of his own. McClendon sacrificed to move the two into scoring position, but Ryan Khoury lined out to the center fielder keeping the two runners where they were at. That brought Jake Luce to the plate. Luce looked at the first two pitches to make the count 2-0, then fouled off the next two to even the count at 2-2. He then drove a single the opposite way to score both runners and put Wichita up 2-0. It was a clutch hit that seemed to suck the life out of the crowd and the Laredo bench.

Meanwhile, Brown was in a groove. After giving up a one out single in the second, he retired the next 14 batters in a row, controlling the plate and leaving Laredo wondering how they were going to reach him. Four of the 14 batters went down on strikes and Lemurs hitters seemed stymied.

In the top of the sixth the Wingnuts would drive Strawn from the game. With one out, Abel Nieves doubled and advanced to third on a single by Carlo Testa. Diaz was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and it looked like the Wingnuts were about blow the game open. McMurray then grounded back to Strawn who threw home for the fielder’s choice, and there were two outs with the bases still loaded. That was the last batter he would face. Laredo turned to lefty Estevan Uriegas to face McClendon. After running the count full, Uriegas got the Wingnuts third baseman to fly to left to end the threat.

In the bottom of the seventh the Lemurs would finally break the run that Brown was on. Travis Denker looked at the first two pitches of the inning, both called strikes, then patiently watched the next two to even the count at 2-2. Brown then challenged Denker. Bad mistake. Denker hit a shot down the left field line that just stayed fair. The game was tied and the crowd once again came to life. It was a short-lived euphoria.

With closer Chad Povich on the hill, Brent Clevlen singled but was thrown out trying to steal second with Nieves at the plate. Nieves too the count to 2-2, then hit a ball deep to left field that was originally ruled a double. The umpires huddled and later determined that the ball had hit the railing above the outfield fence, and thus was a home run. Laredo manager Pete Incaviglia vehemently protested, but the ruling stood, and the Wingnuts were up 3-2. Mike Zouzalik relieved in the eighth and retired the Lemurs in order, striking out one.

In the ninth Wichita gave themselves a little breathing room. With Scott Weismann pitching, McMurray led off the inning with a double. He was sacrificed to third by McClendon, and scored when Khoury doubled to left field to make the score 4-2.

In the ninth the Wingnuts sent closer Dan Sattler in to close the game out. Sattler has done the job since being acquired, but he has lived on the edge, and this night it was not going to be any different. Sattler walked Nick Van Stratten on five pitches, and Phipps followed with a single to send Van Stratten to second. Denker then hit into a fielder’s choice to put Van Stratten at third. The tying run was on first, but then Sattler did his thing. He struck out John Alonso for the second out, and finished off Byron Wiley on strikes as well to record the save. Brown earned the win, while Povich was the loser.

The two teams will meet each other in Laredo again tonight as Anthony Capra will face Casey Harman.

By Robert Pannier
Senior Baseball Editor
Member of the IBWAA

Game Date: 09/03/2014
Wichita Wingnuts  4 AT Laredo Lemurs  2

                                 YTD                                   YTD
Wichita            AB  R  H BI   AVG  Laredo             AB  R  H BI   AVG
R.Khoury SS         4  0  1  1  .250  N.Van Stratten CF   3  0  0  0  .000
J.Luce DH           5  0  1  2  .200  D.Phipps RF         4  1  2  1  .500
D.Espinosa 1B,RF    5  0  0  0  .000  T.Denker 3B         4  1  1  1  .250
B.Clevlen CF        3  0  1  0  .333  J.Alonso 1B         4  0  0  0  .000
A.Nieves 2B         4  1  2  1  .500  B.Wiley DH          4  0  0  0  .000
C.Testa LF          4  0  1  0  .250  D.Goodwin 2B        3  0  1  0  .333
V.Diaz 1B           3  1  1  0  .333  J.Ramirez LF        3  0  1  0  .333
 D.Amberson RF      0  0  0  0  .000  C.Ramirez C         3  0  0  0  .000
C.McMurray C        4  2  2  0  .500  K.Brandenburg SS    3  0  0  0  .000
C.McClendon 3B      2  0  1  0  .500       
                   34  4 10  4                           31  2  5  2

Wichita              0 0 0   0 2 0   0 1 1 -  4 10  0
Laredo               1 0 0   0 0 0   1 0 0 -  2  5  0
2B--R.Khoury (1), A.Nieves (1), C.McMurray (1). HR--A.Nieves (1), D.Phipps
(1), T.Denker (1). RBI--R.Khoury (1), J.Luce  2 (2), A.Nieves (1), D.Phipps
(1), T.Denker (1). HP--R.Khoury (1), B.Clevlen (1), V.Diaz (1).
SH--C.McClendon 2 (0). CS--B.Clevlen (1). 
LOB--Wichita 8, Laredo 3. DP--A. Nieves(2B) - R. Khoury(SS) - V. Diaz(1B).

                                                                YTD
                                 IP   H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR     ERA
 Wichita
T.Brown (W,1-0)                 7.0   4   2   2   0   6   2    2.57
M.Zouzalik                      1.0   0   0   0   0   1   0    0.00
D.Sattler (S,1)                 1.0   1   0   0   1   2   0    0.00
                                9     5   2   2   1   9   2
 Laredo
J.Strawn                        5.2   6   2   2   0   3   0    3.18
E.Uriegas                       0.1   0   0   0   0   0   0    0.00
C.Graham                        1.0   0   0   0   0   1   0    0.00
C.Povich (L,0-1)                1.0   2   1   1   0   1   1    9.00
S. Weismann                     1.0   2   1   1   0   2   0    9.00
                                9    10   4   4   0   7   1
HB--J.Strawn 3 (3). SO--J.Luce 2, D.Espinosa 2, A.Nieves, C.Testa, V.Diaz,
N.Van Stratten, D.Phipps, J.Alonso 3, B.Wiley 2, J.Ramirez, K.Brandenburg.
BB--N.Van Stratten. BF--T.Brown 24 (24), M.Zouzalik 3 (3), D.Sattler 5 (5),
J.Strawn 26 (26), E.Uriegas (1), C.Graham 3 (3), C.Povich 4 (4), S.
Weismann 5 (5). P-S--T.Brown 93-67, M.Zouzalik 15-9, D.Sattler 21-11,
J.Strawn 93-60, E.Uriegas 6-3, C.Graham 10-7, C.Povich 17-11, S. Weismann
22-19. 
T--2:53.  A--1558

Weather: 79, cloudy
Plate Umpire - Brian Childe, Field Umpire #1 - Anthony Sheets, Field Umpire #2 - Trent Delmont, Field Umpire #3 - Shaun Hicks