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 two games in the American Association on Monday as the division finals got underway, including J.C. Escarra hitting a three-run homer in the top of the night to give the Kansas City Monarchs the comeback victory, and Miguel Gomez homered twice to lead the Milwaukee Milkmen. This, plus much more.

Kevin Luckow and Rob Pannier recap the Game 1s in the division finals on Monday on This Week in the Association.

Game Recaps for Monday

Escarra Homer Gives Monarchs Comeback Victory

J.C. Escarra delivered a three run, pinch-hit homer in the top of the ninth inning to help give the Kansas City Monarchs a comeback victory over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, 5-2. This was a great matchup early on between Matt Hall and Kevin McGovern, as the two lefties kept this game scoreless through the first three frames.

In the fourth, the Monarchs got on the board. With one down, Jan Hernandez and Casey Glaspie delivered back-to-back singles before Pete Kozma walked to load the bases. Gio Brusa then hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Hernandez to put the Monarchs on top by a run.

Hall was dominating through the first five innings, but an error to lead off the sixth helped the RedHawks to tie the score. Manuel Boscan followed with a walk with one down and a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Alec Olund then delivered a single, bringing home Leobaldo Pina. An inning later, Fargo-Moorhead took the lead against Kansas City reliever Jordan Martinson. Drew Ward walked before Pina singled. John Silviano followed with a base hit into right that brought home Ward to put the RedHawks on top, 2-1.

McGovern came out after seven, allowing one run on six hits. Reid Birlingmair came on in the eighth and retired Kansas City in order, but Anthony Renz opted to keep the right-hander in for the ninth and he got into trouble right away, giving up two walks with one down. That brought another call to the bullpen, with Joe Jones coming on. He was greeted by a base hit by Kozma up the middle that tied the score. Brusa then struck out, but Escarra came on to pinch-hit for Alexis Olmeda, drilling a 1-1 pitch over the right-centerfield wall for a three-run homer, putting Kansas City on top for good.

Alex Valdez came on in the ninth, striking out two batters to earn his second save of the playoffs. Brian Glowicki earned the victory while Birlingmair took the loss. Hernandez scored two runs for the Monarchs and Glaspie had two hits and scored a run. Pina, Silviano, and Olund each had two hits for the RedHawks.

Kansas City Monarchs Recap by Dan Vaughan, Jr.

Boxscore

Schugel Stymies Railroaders, Gomez Homers Twice

A.J. Schugel tossed six scoreless innings and the bullpen did the rest as the Milwaukee Milkmen earned a 5-2 victory over the Cleburne Railroaders in Game 1. Schugel was on top of his game, allowing four hits and no walks while striking out six.

Kody Bullard pitched well for Cleburne, giving up two runs in 5.2 innings, but that was two too many in this contest. Milwaukee got on the board against him in the second when Miguel Gomez drilled a solo homer, his second homer of the playoffs. Two innings later, it was Gomez again, drilling his second homer of the night, a shot over the left-centerfield wall to put the Milkmen up by two.

This contest continued to be a nailbiter into the seventh, when Cleburne looked like they were going to get on the board. Jack Mahoney came on and retired the first two batters of the inning, but then gave up a base hit. Myles Smith relieved and walked Hunter Wolfe, but struck out Nick Shumpert two end the inning.

That proved to be huge, as the Milkmen added three more runs in the top of the eighth. Jeremiah Burks was hit by a pitch to start the inning and Bryan Torres and Logan Trowbridge delivered back-to-back singles to load the bases. Kevin McCarthy struck out the next two batters and looked like he would get out of the frame unscathed, but Gomez delivered a two-run single with Trowbridge scoring on an error to make it 5-0.

Cleburne had a golden opportunity in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with two down, but could only come away with one run. Peyton Gray had come on in the eighth to get the final out, and remained in the game in the ninth, but found himself in some trouble when he loading the bases with one down. Ben Holmes came on and gave up a sacrifice fly to Shumpert before getting Nehrir to groundout to and the game. The Railroaders had the bases-loaded in both the eighth and ninth inning but came away with one run in both frames, thwarting the comeback.

Gomez finished 3-42 runs and four RBI. Edwin Arroyo, Chase Simpson, and Mitch Ghelfi each had two hits for the Railroaders.

Boxscore

Three Stars of the Night

No. 3 – A.J. Schugel (Milwaukee Milkmen) 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

No. 2 – J.C. Escarra (Kansas City Monarchs) 1-1, R, Pinch-Hit, Game-Winning Homerun, 3

No. 1 – Miguel Gomez (Milwaukee Milkmen) 3-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI

American Association Daily Notes

This Week in the Association and the Minor League Sports Report named Kansas City Monarchs left-hander Matt Hall as the American Association Pitcher of the Year on Monday. Hall finished 10-2 with a league 1.10 ERA.

Transactions

Fargo-Moorhead: Released OF Rymer Liriano

By Robert Pannier