It doesn’t seem like it was very long ago that Wichita Wingnuts Manager Pete Rose, Jr. was simply asking Alex Boshers to make a spot start for him so that he didn’t have to move one of his starters up a day. Now, Boshers has established himself as one of the best pitchers on the staff. Tuesday night he tossed his first complete game of the season in winning his fourth game of the year, 6-2 over the Laredo Lemurs.

The Wingnuts staked their starter to the early lead, plating a run in the bottom of the first inning. Zack Cox doubled with one out. He would move to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Matt Chavez singled to make it 1-0.

In the second, Wichita extended their lead to three. Harrison Kain started the inning by ripping a single into right. He moved to second on an error by the right fielder and Brent Dean was then hit by a pitch to put two on with no one out. A fielder’s choice by Leo Vargas scored Kain and Dean came home on another Laredo error to make it 3-0.

In the bottom of the third, Richard Prigatano led off the inning and blasted his fourth homer of the year to extend the lead to four.

Boshers had been absolutely awesome through the first four innings. His only trouble came in the second when Leandro Castro doubled with one out. Two batters later Abel Nieves singled to right field. Castro looked like he was going to score easily and tie the game at that point, but a great throw by Prigatano nailed the runner to preserve the lead.

The Lemurs had no real answer for Boshers, that is until the fifth. They would get one of those runs back at the midway point in the game. Back-to-back singles by Ty Morrison and Nieves got the inning started. Alvaro Rondon followed with a single and the bases were loaded with no one out. This inning had the makings of a huge one that would get Laredo back into the game, however, the Wingnuts right-hander remained calm. He retired Jimmy Norris on a comebacker that scored a run. The next batter walked, but Boshers then got Cesar Valera to lineout into what turned out to be a double-play. That ended the threat.

With the huge double-play, Boshers then took command of the game. He retired the side in order over through the next three innings, running a streak of 10-straight batters retired.

Meanwhile, his offense extended the lead for him in the sixth. Christian Stringer walked to start the inning and scored on a huge blast by Brent Clevlen. That was the Clevlen’s 12th homerun of the year, and made it 6-1.

Up by five, the Wingnuts starter was simply masterful. He allowed a home run to lead off the ninth, but Laredo had no answers for him on this night. Boshers (4-3) moved to 4-1 as a starter in completing the first game of his professional career. He allowed 7-hits, 2-walks, and 2-runs. He also struck out 5. Of his 106-pitches, 77-went for strikes.

Kain finished 2-2 with a run scored and a walk. Mittelstaedt walked three times for Wichita. Nieves was the only Lemurs player with more than one-hit.

The Wichita Wingnuts will go for the sweep tomorrow. Jon Link (6-2, 3.22) goes for Wichita looking for his seventh win of the season. He will be opposed by Josue Montanez (1-4, 8.36). First pitch is 7:05.

Boxscore

By Robert Pannier