Monarchs Clinch, Dogs Stay Hot, Explorers Take Series
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, Rob Pannier recaps the seven games in the American Association on Thursday, including the Kansas City Monarchs completing their sweep of the Lincoln Saltdogs, the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks rally, and the Sioux City Explorers blank the Milwaukee Milkmen.
Game Recaps for Thursday
Drury, Explorers Blank Milkmen
Austin Drury tossed six shutout innings in two relievers did the rest has the Sioux City Explorers blanked the Milwaukee Milkmen, 4-0. Drury allowed seven hits and two walks in earning his fourth victory of the season. Brandon Brosher tossed two scoreless frames and Sean Rackoski struck out two of the final three batters of the game to finish off the shutout.
Ryan Zimmerman pitched very well for Milwaukee, keeping the Explorers off the scoreboard through the first four innings. However, in the fifth, Scott Ota drilled a two-run homer, his sixth of the season to put his team on top. In the eighth, Sioux City extended the lead to four, as Jake Ortega brought home a run with a suicide squeeze bunt and Tyler Rando drove home the final run of the game with an RBI single.
Bryan Torres had three hits and Roy Morales had two hits for Milwaukee. John Nogowski had two hits and scored a run for Sioux City.
Sioux City Explorers Recap by Dan Vaughan, Jr.
Monarchs Complete Sweep
Jalen Miller tossed five shutout innings, leading the Kansas City Monarchs to a 7-3 victory over the Lincoln Saltdogs. The win completed the sweep of the three-game set, as Micker Adolfo and Taylor Snyder each homered in the contest. Snyder reached base all four times in the contest and Adolfo scored three runs and drove in three.
Kansas City took command of this game early, scoring four in the first and adding two more in the third. Adolfo had a two run double in the first and he scored on a double by Brian O’Grady. In the third, Snyder cracked a two-run homer, his third of the year. Lincoln got one of those runs back in the sixth when Louise Roman hit a solo homer, his third of the year, and Luke Roskam hit a solo home run an inning later. The Saltdogs made it a three-run game in the eighth, but Adolfo hit a solo home run in the ninth to seal the victory.
Aaron Takacs had three hits and Roman had two hits and scored two runs for the Saltdogs. Drew Devine had two hits and walked twice in the contest.
Kansas City Monarchs Recap by Carter Woodiel
Lincoln Saltdogs Recap by Michael Dixon
RedHawks Rally to Down RailCats
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks found themselves trailing by three after four innings, but rallied for five unanswered runs to defeat the Gary SouthShore RailCats, 6-4. Sam Dexter hit one of three home runs for the RedHawks, a two-run shot in the eighth that put Fargo-Moorhead on top for the first time in the contest. Correlle Prime and Michael Falsetti each homered in the game as well.
Everything was going the way of the RailCats early, as the team scored a run in the first and second innings, and added two in the fourth. That helped Gary SouthShore take a 4-1 lead. However, Fargo-Moorhead refused to go away. Prime hit a two-run homer in the sixth, his 14th of the year, and Dexter hit a two-run shot in the eighth, his seventh of the season. Falsetti also homered in the eighth, his second of the year.
Prime finished with two hits and two RBI and Manuel Boscan scored two runs for the RedHawks. Seth Caddell had two hits, including his fifth homer of the year, scored twice, and drove in two for the RailCats.
Gary SouthShore RailCats Recap by Zach Letson
Cougars, Railroaders Split
The Cleburne Railroaders rallied to earn a one run victory in the opening contest of Thursday’s double-header, but the Kane County Cougars did not let the second game getaway, as the teams split a double-header. Game 1 was a continuation of a contest that was suspended on Wednesday in the top of the second. When the contest picked up, the Cougars took the lead in the top of the third on an RBI single by Michael Woodworth. Woodworth was playing in his first game since being acquired by the Cougars.
The lead held as Westin Muir dominated through the first six frames, keeping the Railroaders off the scoreboard. However, Cleburne tied the score in the bottom of the seventh when Brian Klein drew a bases loaded walk. The bases were still loaded with one down, but Keith Rogolla was able to keep the game knotted by striking out the next two batters. The score remained tied until the ninth when Klein was the hero once again, delivering a one-out single that scored Hill Alexander with the game-winner.
Joe Corbett earned the victory, striking out the side in the ninth. Logan Nissen took the loss. Woodworth recorded all three hits for Kane County.
In the night cap, the Cougars left no question of who was going to win this contest, scoring two runs in the first and seventh innings, and adding single runs in the second and ninth frames. A.J. Jones earned the win, tossing three scoreless innings of relief.
The Cougars took the lead in the top of the first on RBI singles by Josh Allen and Todd Lott. An inning later, the lead became three when Olivier Basabe led off with his seventh home run of the year. Cleburne was able to reduce the deficit to two in the fourth when Mark Karaviotis led off with his 12th homer of the year, but it was all Cougars from there. Armond Upshaw hit a two-run single in the seventh and a wild pitch brought home a run in the ninth.
Basabe finished with two hits and scored two runs. Brian Klein had three hits for Cleburne.
Dogs Roll to Fifth Straight Win
The Chicago Dogs found themselves trailing by a run after one, but scored five unanswered runs to defeat the Lake Country DockHounds, 5-1. Joe Wieland was outstanding in his second start for the team, allowing one run in 5.1 innings to earn his first victory in a Dogs uniform. Matt Bottcher had two hits, including hitting his 13th homer of the year.
Justin Lavey led off the bottom of the first with his third home run of the season, putting Lake Country on top by a run. Chicago loaded the bases in the second but came away empty. That would not be the case in the third, as the team scored three runs off just one hit. A walk, a hit by pitch, and a fielder’s choice tied the score at one. After two more walks loaded the bases, Payton Eeles delivered a two-run single. In the seventh, Bottcher drilled a 1-2 pitch for a two-run homer to close the scoring.
Johnni Turbo had three hits for Chicago. Lavey finished with two of the four hits for Lake Country.
Six-Run Sixth Propels Goldeyes
The Winnipeg Goldeyes scored six runs in the sixth inning, propelling the team to a 7-5 victory over the Sioux Falls Canaries. The rally made a winner of Luis Ramirez, who earned his seventh victory of the season. Samuel Adames put two on in the ninth but got out of the inning unscathed for his 13th save of the season.
Sioux Falls jumped on top in the first as Ozzie Martinez led off with a single and Jordan Barth followed with a two-run homer, his 11th of the season. Winnipeg got one of those runs back in the bottom half of the frame, but Sioux Falls restored the two-run advantage in the third on a passed ball. Mitchell Walters had been very good through the first five, but the wheels came off in the sixth as the Goldeyes scored six runs on three hits. A single, hit by pitch, and walk loaded the bases with two outs. Brynn Martinez then singled to tie the score, chasing Walters. A walk by Cole LaLonde reloaded the bases for Dayson Croes, who cleared the bags with a triple down the right field line. He scored on a wild pitch. Sioux Falls scored a run in the seventh and eighth innings, but got no closer.
Croes finished with two hits, two runs scored, and three RBI for the Goldeyes. Barth had two hits and two RBI for Sioux Falls.
Three Stars of the Night
No. 3 – Dayson Croes (Winnipeg Goldeyes) 2-5, 2 R, 3 RBI, Triple
No. 2 – Micker Adolfo (Kansas City Monarchs) 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, Double, HR
No. 1 – Austin Drury (Sioux City Explorers) 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 4 K
American Association Daily Notes
The Kansas City Monarchs became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when they defeated the Lincoln Saltdogs on Thursday. The magic number to clinch the division title is five… Monarchs second baseman Justin Wylie extended his consecutive on-base streak to 32 straight games. That is the fifth longest streak in the American Association this season.
Transactions
Kane County: Placed RHP Jack Fox on the Inactive List retroactive to August 16
Kansas City: Signed RHP Jean Correa
Lincoln: Activated LHP John Bezdicek from the Injured List
Milwaukee: Signed RHP Osiris German
American Association Articles on Minor League Sports Report
Sioux Falls Canaries RHP Seth Miller American Association Pitcher of the Week
Sioux Falls Canaries 1B Mike Hart Named American Association Player of the Week
By Robert Pannier
