Monarchs Batter Canaries, RedHawks Extend Win Streak, Saltdogs Rally Late
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. Robert Pannier recaps the six games in the American Association on Saturday, including the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks extending their winning streak to eight, the Lincoln Saltdogs rallying to down Winnipeg, and the Kansas City Monarchs destroy the Canaries. This and much more.
RedHawks Down Explorers for Ninth Straight Win
It was a game of streaks on Saturday night in Iowa as the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks defeated the Sioux City Explorers, 11-6. The RedHawks won their eighth game in a row while the Explorers dropped their seventh straight.
Fargo-Moorhead jumped out in front in the top of the second, plating three runs. Manuel Boscan gave his team the lead, clearing the bases with a three-run double. The Explorers pulled within two but the RedHawks put this game out of reach with six runs in the top of the fifth. Drew Ward blasted a two-run homer, his sixth of the year, and Peter Maris closed the frame with a two-run single. The homer extended Ward’s hitting streak to 14 straight games.
Sam Dexter was 4-5 with three runs and an RBI. Ward finished 3-4 with a run and two RBI and Nick Novak was 2-4 with three runs scored. Boscan had two hits and three RBI. Bret Helton earned the win. Carlos Sierra took the loss. Chase Harris had three hits and scored two runs.
Sioux City Explorers Recap by Mackenzie Attkinson
Monarchs Crush Canaries
A night after scoring 15 runs in a 10-run victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries, the Kansas City Monarchs lineup did not let up, rapping out 23 hits as they defeated the Canaries, 22-1. Kansas City scored three in the first and third innings, five in the fourth, one in the sixth, seven in the seventh and three in the eighth.
Matt Hall was the recipient of all that support, allowing one run in six innings of work. Matt Hartman finished off the final three innings for his first save of the season.
Kansas City hit five homers in the game, led by David Thompson who blasted two. Thompson was 3-4, with five runs scored, four RBI, and two walks. Everyone had at least one hit in the game for the Monarchs. Jan Hernandez and Casey Gillaspie each had four. Hernandez hit for the cycle and drove in six runs. The first seven hitters were 20-36 with 21 runs scored and 21 RBI. Nick Gotta drove home the lone run for Sioux Falls
Kansas City Monarchs Recap by Adam Cook
Early Surge Propels Milkmen
The Milwaukee Milkmen scored eight runs through the first four frames, propelling the team to a 10-3 victory over the Gary SouthShore RailCats. Milwaukee took a 1-0 lead in the first, then added to their lead with three in the second. Keon Barnum had the big blow of the frame, hitting a two-run single to make it 4-0. An inning later, Will Kengor delivered a two run double, and the Milkmen added two more runs in the fourth to take an 8-1 lead.
That was plenty enough support for Milwaukee starter A.J. Jones, who allowed one run in 5.0 innings. Kengor was 4-5 with a run and three RBI. Dylan Kelly was 3-4 with two runs scored and Logan Trowbridge and Bryan Torres each had two hits.
Zach Racusin was 2-3 with two runs scored for the RailCats. Daniel Lingua had three hits. Adam Heidenfelder took the loss, giving up five earned runs in three innings.
Gary SouthShore RailCats Recap by Ryan Zimmerman
Dogs Pitchers Shut Down Railroaders
Four Chicago Dogs pitchers combined to allow one run on three hits as the Dogs defeated the Cleburne Railroaders, 4-1. Carl Brice started for Chicago, but came out in the fourth after walking seven in 3.1 innings. Joe Cavallaro came on from there, tossing 2.2 innings of scoreless relief to earn his first victory of the season. James Reeves then tossed two scoreless innings of relief and Paul Schwendel came on in the ninth to close the game out for his first save of the season.
While the pitchers were shutting down the Railroaders, the Dogs lineup produced enough runs to give their team the victory. Chicago scored a run in the second, two in the third and one in the seventh. Grant Kay gave his team the lead with a two-run double in the third. Ryan Lidge hit his third homer of the season.
Trevor Simms took the loss for Cleburne, allowing three runs in 5.0 innings. Edwin Arroyo scored the only run for the Railroaders.
Saltdogs Rally to Down Goldeyes
The Winnipeg Goldeyes carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, but the Lincoln Saltdogs scored four runs to earn a 5-2 victory. Hunter Clanin had the big blow of the frame, hitting a two run double. Clanin finished with two hits in the game.
Buddy Baumann was fantastic for Lincoln, setting a franchise record with 15 strikeouts in 7.0 innings. However, he left with his team trailing. Carter Hope earned the victory with a scoreless inning of relief. Brandon Cunniff came on in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season.
Alex Manasa was outstanding for Winnipeg, allowing one run in 6.0 innings. However, Tasker Strobel could not hold the lead, giving up four runs, three unearned, before being pulled from the contest. David Washington hit his sixth homerun of the season for the Goldeyes and Reggie Pruitt added his third.
Winnipeg Goldeyes Recap by Steve Schuster
Lincoln Saltdogs Recap by Michael Dixon
Early Runs Propel Cougars Past DockHounds
The Lake Country DockHounds jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Saturday, but the Kane County Cougars responded by scoring runs in each of the next four innings, including two in the second and fourth innings and six in the third. A pair of home runs had helped stake Lake Country to the early lead, as Gabriel Noriega hit a two-run blast and Gio Brusa followed with his sixth homerun of the season. The DockHounds hit three homeruns in all.
The DockHounds scored two runs in the second, then took the lead thanks to a six run third. Jimmy Kerrigan tied the score with his first homerun of the season and first homerun of the game. Josh Rolette followed with his second homer of the year. Three batters later, Alexis Pantoja blasted a three-run homer and Sherman Johnson closed out the scoring with an RBI ground out. In the fourth, Dylan Busby added a two-run homer and Kerrigan added his second homerun of the contest in the bottom of the seventh.
Kerrigan finished 3-4 with three runs scored. Busby was a perfect 5-5 with three runs and two RBI. All nine starters in the Kane County lineup had at least one hit. Noriega, Bennett, Lamar Briggs, and Aaron Takacs each had two hits for Lake Country. Briggs also went deep for the DockHounds.
Lake Country DockHounds Recap by Sam Matheny
Three Stars of the Night
No. 3 – Dylan Busby (Lake Country DockHounds) 5-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, HR, 2 Double
No. 2 – David Thompson (Kansas City Monarchs) 3-4, 5 R, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 RBI
No. 1 – Jan Hernandez (Kansas City Monarchs) 4-6, Double, Triple, HR, 3 R, 6 RBI
American Association Daily Notes
Fargo-Moorhead OF Drew Ward and Sioux Falls Canaries OF Wyatt Ulrich each extended their hitting streaks to 14 straight games. That is the longest streak in the American Association this season… The Kansas City Monarchs scored 22 runs on Saturday. That is the most scored by a team in a single game this season. The Kane County Cougars scored 20 runs on opening night… Kansas City Monarchs OF Jan Hernandez became the first player in the American Association this season to hit for the cycle…
Transactions
Kane County: Signed INF Donivan Williams
Kansas City: Placed INF Kevin Santa on the Inactive List retroactive to May 5; Activated INF Kevin Santa from the Inactive List
Lincoln: Placed OF Justin Byrd on the Injured List retroactive to May 20; Signed LHP Josh Norwood
Milwaukee: Transferred the contract of RHP Kyle Mora to the Arizona Diamondbacks; Placed RHP A.J. Schugel on the Injured List retroactive to May 16
Sioux City: Signed OF Danny Amaral
Sioux Falls: Activated RHP Dean Deetz from the Inactive List; Released RHP Austin Orvis
By Robert Pannier
