Dogs Blast Milkmen, Saltdogs Complete Sweep, Alexander Slows DockHounds
Featured Image Courtesy of Jennifer Andreachi, Field Dreams Photography
American Association Daily provides insights, features, and recaps of the action from around the American Association of Professional Baseball League, as well as player and coaching profiles and transactions. In today’s edition, Robert Pannier recaps the five games in the American Association on Thursday, including the Lincoln Saltdogs completing their sweep of the Sioux Falls Canaries, Garrett Alexander stymies the Lake Country DockHounds, and the Chicago Dogs crushed the Milwaukee Milkmen. This, plus much more.
Game Recaps for Thursday
11-Run Second Powers Dogs
The Chicago Dogs scored 11 runs in the third inning, powering them to a 12-1 victory over the Milwaukee Milkmen. The contest was scoreless through two, but Chicago sent 16 men to the plate in the third as the Dogs scored 11 runs on just six hits. Milwaukee committed two errors in the inning.
Cody Bohanek gave his team the lead with an RBI double and he scored on an error. Back-to-back bases-loaded walks to Ryan Lidge and K. C. Hobson extended the lead to three. A Stevie Wilkerson fielder’s choice made it a four-run lead and Harrison Smith made it 5-0 with an RBI single. Milwaukee starter Myles Smith was replaced by Ben Holmes, but he was greeted by a two-run triple by Anfernee Grier. Connor Kopach later added a two-run homer.
Jeff Kinley pitched very well for Chicago, tossing six scoreless innings. He struck out seven. The bottom three in the Chicago order were a combined 7-12 with six runs scored and seven RBI. Grier was 2-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Bohanek with 3-5 with two runs and two RBI and Kopach was 2-3 with two runs scored and three RBI. Hector Sanchez had four hits for Milwaukee.
Alexander Holds Down DockHounds
Garrett Alexander allowed one earned run in six innings to lead the Cleburne Railroaders to a 5-3 victory over the Lake Country DockHounds. Cleburne jumped out to a 5-0 lead, scoring two in the fourth and three in the fifth. Bases-loaded walks to Jacob Bockelie and Nick Shumpert made it 2-0 in the fourth. In the fifth, Chase Simpson extended the lead to four with a two-run single and Kacy Clemens added an RBI double.
Alexander did not allow a run through the first five innings but lived dangerously, loading the bases in both the third and fourth innings but came away unscathed. In the sixth, Lake Country finally broke through as an error and a single cut the DockHounds deficit to three. The club rallied for a run in the top of the ninth and had the tying run of the plate, but Kevin McCarthy was able to record the final out for his second save of the season.
Alexander allowed six hits and five walks while striking out eight. Simpson scored two runs and had two RBI. Jordan Schaffer had three hits and scored a run for Lake Country. Jake Snider, Lamar Briggs, and Manuel Blanco each had two hits.
Abbott Leads RailCats Past Cougars
Sam Abbott hit his 20th homerun of the season and drove in four to lead the Gary SouthShore RailCats to an 8-6 victory over the Kane County Cougars. Gary SouthShore broke a scoreless tie, leading five in the bottom of the third. An RBI double by Jesus Marriaga and a run-scoring single by Thomas Walraven made it to-zero. Abbott followed with a three run blast.
Sherman Johnson hit his 13th homerun of the season in the fifth, but the RailCats responded with two in the bottom of the frame. LG Castillo led off with a solo homer, and Abbott later delivered an RBI single. Gary SouthShore looked like they were in complete command of this game, but the Cougars scored a run in the sixth then put three on the board in the seventh as Galli Cribbs it a three-run homer, his first of the year. Thomas Walraven hit his 12th homerun of the season in the bottom half to extend the lead to three. Ernie De La Trinidad cut the deficit to two with an RBI single in the ninth, but Jack Eisenbarger was able to get the final out for his fifth save of the season.
Abbott finished 2-3 with a run scored and four RBI. Castillo and Walraven each had two hits and scored two runs. Walraven drove in two. Cribbs had two hits and drove in three for the Cougars.
Gary SouthShore RailCats Recap by Ryan Zimmerman
Pair of Threes Propels Explorers
The Sioux City Explorers erased a one run deficit, scoring three in the sixth and adding three more in the seventh to defeat the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 7-2. The RedHawks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on an RBI double by Christian Correa and a run-scoring single from Manuel Boscan. The Explorers cut the deficit in half with a run in the bottom half of the frame.
Davis Feldman was cruising through the first five innings, allowing just two hits. However, things changed quickly in the sixth. With one down, Gabe Snyder doubled and scored on a single by Ademar Rifaela on a very close play at the plate. Correa argued the call and was eventually thrown out of the contest. After a walk, Feldman was replaced by Reid Birlingmair, who gave up a walk to load the bases. A wild pitch and a balk put the Explorers on top.
In the seventh Snyder delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to four and Miguel Sierra capped off the scoring with a sacrifice fly. Patrick Ledet was outstanding for Sioux City, allowing two runs on two hits in seven innings. Snyder finished with two hits and two RBI. Boscan had two hits for Fargo-Moorhead.
Sioux City Explorers Recap by Connor Ryan
Big First Helps Saltdogs Complete Sweep
The Lincoln Saltdogs scored six runs in the first inning, then held on for a 9-6 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries. The victory completed the sweep of the three-game set.
Lincoln dominated this contest early, scoring nine unanswered runs to start the game. The club added two in the second and one more in the fourth. Josh Altmann drilled his 15th homerun of the season and drove in four while Justin Byrd and Welington Dotel each had three hits.
John Bizdicek was cruising for the Saltdogs, holding the Canaries to just one run through the first four frames. However, Gavin LaValley hit his 20th homerun of the season in the fifth, a three-run shot, and Sioux Falls added one more in the seventh and one more in the ninth to pull within three. They would get no closer as Steffon Moore recorded the final three outs for his 11th save of the season.
LaValley finished with two hits and five RBI. Wyatt Ulrich was 2-3 with two runs scored and Ozzie Martinez had three hits.
Lincoln Saltdogs Recap by Michael Dixon
Three Stars of the Night
No. 3 – Patrick Ledet (Sioux City Explorers) 7.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 2 ER, 7 K
No. 2 – Sam Abbott (Gary SouthShore RailCats) 2-3, R, HR, 4 RBI, BB
No. 1 – Jeff Kinley (Chicago Dogs) 6.0 H, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 7 K
American Association Daily Notes
Gary SouthShore RailCats 1B Sam Abbott became the first player in franchise history to hit 20 homeruns in a season… The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks hold a one-game lead over the Kansas City Monarchs for the top record in the American Association. These clubs have a four-game series in Kansas City this weekend… The Monarchs won their eighth straight game on Wednesday… The Lincoln Saltdogs trail the Sioux City Explorers by 2.0 games. These teams play a four-game series in Sioux City this weekend. Lincoln must win at least three of the games to clinch the final playoff spot in the West Division.
Transactions
Cleburne: Placed RHP Danny Zardon on the Injured List retroactive to August 29
Fargo-Moorhead: Removed OF Rymer Liriano from the Injured List and placed him on the Inactive List retroactive to August 12
Gary SouthShore: Activated LHP Jaylen Smith from the Injured List; Placed INF Sherman Graves on the Injured List retroactive to August 28
Kane County: Released LHP Tyler Koch
Lake Country: Placed RHP Alex McRae on the Inactive List retroactive to August 28; Activated RHP Francisco Jimenez from the Injured List
Milwaukee: Activated INF Correlle Prime from the Inactive List
Sioux Falls: Placed RHP Matt Dunaway on the Inactive List retroactive to August 12
By Robert Pannier