Goldeyes Sweep Double-Header, Railroaders Hang On, RedHawks Outslug Cougars
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 seven games in the American Association on Saturday, including the Winnipeg Goldeyes sweeping a double-header against Lincoln Saltdogs, the Cleburne Railroaders hang on for a victory over the Sioux City Explorers, and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks outslug the Kane County Cougars. This and much more.
Railroaders Thwart Explorers Comeback
The Cleburne Railroaders jumped out to a 5-0 lead on Saturday, then held on to defeat the Sioux City Explorers, 6-5. Cleburne took the lead in the bottom of the first when Hill Alexander singled into right, scoring two runs and he came home on a ground out by Chuck Taylor. Two innings later, Zach Nehrir led off with his third homerun of the season and they Railroaders added another run on a sacrifice fly by Edwin Arroyo in the fourth.
The Railroaders were rolling behind starter Kevin Hilton, but began to chip away in the top of the fifth, scoring three runs. Nate Samson cut the deficit to three with a two run double and Shane Podsednik drove home another run with a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Chase Harris singled home Samson to cut the deficit to one, but Cleburne extended the lead to two on a single by Hunter Wolfe in the eighth that sealed the victory.
Hilton earned the victory, allowing four runs in 6.1 innings. Nick Gardewine closed out the contest for his third save of the year. Nehrir finished with two hits and scored two runs. Wolfe and Chase Simpson also had two hits apiece. Samson, Harris, and Trey Martin each had two hits for Sioux City.
Sioux City Explorers Recap by Connor Ryan
Six-Run Seventh Seals Dogs Victory
The Chicago Dogs scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning, sealing an 11-3 victory over the Lake Country DockHounds. Chicago scored runs in each of the first three innings. Ryan Lidge gave his team the lead with an RBI double in the first and Grant Kay hit a solo homerun in the second. In the third, Stevie Wilkerson drove home two more runs to make it a 4-0 lead.
The Dogs held onto the four-run advantage until the seventh when they blew this game open, sending 10 men to the plate. Michael Crouse and Lidge each drove home two runs in the inning. Lake Country came back with two runs in the bottom of the frame, but the advantage was far too much to overcome.
Tanner Lawson earned the victory with three scoreless innings of relief. Charlie Tilson finished 4-6 with three runs scored and Lidge, Wilkerson, and Kay each drove in three runs in the game. Kay homered twice in the contest, giving him nine homeruns on the year. Jake Snider drove in two runs with his third homerun of the season for Lake Country.
Three Homer First Powers Monarchs to Victory
The Kansas City Monarchs scored four runs in the first and third innings in a decisive 8-3 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries on Saturday. Kansas City set the tone for this game right away, hitting three homeruns in the first inning. Darnell Sweeney led off the contest with a homerun. Kevin Santa followed with a triple, but Sioux Falls starter Joey Pulido was able to strike out the next two batters and looked like he was getting out of the frame without any further damage. However, Jan Hernandez and Casey Gillaspie followed with back-to-back home runs to give the Monarchs a four-run lead.
In the third, Willie Abreu singled home Matt Adams to extend the lead to five and Sweeney delivered a two out, bases clearing triple to make it an 8-0 lead. Lewis Thorpe started for Kansas City and pitched well, allowing three runs in 6.0 innings, striking out eight. Brock Gilliam came on in the seventh and tossed three scoreless frames to earn his first save.
Sweeney finished 3-5 with a run scored and four RBI. Hernandez had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Gavin LaValley hit his sixth homerun of the season for Sioux Falls.
Kansas City Monarchs Recap by Gabriel Lopez
Four-Run Third Leads RailCats to Victory
The Gary SouthShore RailCats used a four-run third inning to help propel them to a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Milkmen on Saturday. Gary held a 1-0 lead entering the frame, but RBI singles by Daniel Lingua and Michael Cruz extended the lead to three. With one down, Alec Olund drove in two more to make it 5-0.
That was more than enough support for John Sheaks, who allowed two runs in 6.0 innings. Josh Vincent finished off the final 1.1 innings for his first save of the season. Cruz finished 4-5, including hitting his third homerun of the season. Lingua had two hits and scored two runs. Keon Barnum hit his 11th homerun of the season as part of a three-hit performance. Logan Trowbridge and Bryan Torres also had two hits for the Milkmen.
Gary SouthShore RailCats Recap by Ryan Zimmerman
RedHawks Outslug Cougars
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks outslugged the Kane County Cougars on Saturday, winning 11-10. This was a wild affair that saw the lead changed hands four times in the contest. Kane County got things going in the top of the first when Jimmy Kerrigan hit a two-run shot, his first of two home runs on the day. The RedHawks responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame as Drew Ward hit a two-run shot that tied the score and Evan Alexander and Christian Correa each drove in runs.
Lake Country retook the lead, scoring a run in the third and adding four more in the fourth. But Fargo-Moorhead tied the score with a run in the bottom of the fourth and two more in the fifth. Peter Maris delivered a solo shot in the fourth, his ninth of the year and Rymer Liriano hit a two-run blast in the fifth. In the sixth, Kerrigan delivered his second homerun of the game, a three-run shot, but Fargo-Moorhead put four on the board in the bottom half of the frame thanks to a three run double by Liriano.
The RedHawks bullpen took over from there, as Jon Jones tossed 2.0 scoreless innings and Alex DuBord closed out the ninth for his 11th save of the season. Liriano finished with two hits and five RBI. John Silviano scored three runs. Cornelius Randolph had three hits and drove in three and Kerrigan also had three hits and drove in five.
Goldeyes Sweep Double-Header
The Winnipeg Goldeyes completed a double-header sweep over the Lincoln Saltdogs on Saturday thanks to outstanding pitching from their starters in both contests. In the first game, Luis Ramirez tossed 5.1 shutout innings and two relievers helped to complete the blanking of the Saltdogs. Ramirez allowed five hits and a walk while striking out six. Tasker Strobel came on in the seventh to finish off the game for his 10th save of the year.
Winnipeg took the lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by Ian Sagdal. Sagdal added an RBI single in the seventh to close out the scoring. Raul Navarro had two hits and scored two runs for Winnipeg. Matt Cronin was to hard luck loser, allowing one unearned run in 3.0 innings. Josh Altmann had two hits.
In the second game, Alex Manasa went the distance, allowing one run in 7.0 innings to lead the Goldeyes to an 8-1 victory. Navarro had another huge game, going 3-4 with an RBI. Max Murphy hit his 11th homerun of the season as the Goldeyes scored two in the second, three in the third, a run in the fourth, and two more in the sixth.
Winnipeg Goldeyes Recap by Steve Schuster
Three Stars of the Night
No. 3 – Alex Manasa (Winnipeg Goldeyes) 7.0 IP, CG, 6 H, 3 BB, ER, 4 K
No. 2 – Grant Kay (Chicago Dogs) 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI
No. 1 – Jimmy Kerrigan (Kane County Cougars) 3-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI
American Association Daily Notes
Winnipeg Goldeyes right-hander Luis Ramirez earned his fifth straight victory on Saturday. That is the longest winning streak in the American Association this season… Lincoln Saltdogs OF Hunter Clanin saw his 28-game consecutive on-base streak and on Saturday. That is the fourth longest streak in the league this year… The Kansas City Monarchs hit three home runs on Saturday. The club now has 73 homers in 38 games, putting them on a pace for 192 this season.
Transactions
Chicago: Signed INF Stevie Wilkerson
Fargo-Moorhead: Transferred the contract of RHP Ryan Flores to Durango (Mexican League)
Kansas City: Activated RHP Brock Gilliam from the Inactive List
Lincoln: OF Justin Byrd signed with Oaxaca (Mexican League)
Sioux City: Placed INF Nick Franklin on the Injured List retroactive to June 16; Signed C Shane Podsednik
By Robert Pannier