Saltdogs Clinch Final Playoff Spot, Monarchs Grab Top Record, Navarro Ties Mark
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 Monday, including the Lincoln Saltdogs crushing the Sioux City Explorers to earn the final playoff spot, the Kansas City Monarchs earn the American Association’s top record, and Raul Navarro ties a Winnipeg Goldeyes franchise mark. This, plus much more.
Game Recaps for Monday
Saltdogs Crush Explorers to Advance
The Lincoln Saltdogs scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back on their way to a 10-1 victory over the Sioux City Explorers, clinching the final playoff spot in the West Division. A double play grounder put the Saltdogs on top, but the team responded with an incredible two-out rally, scoring three runs on RBI singles by Luke Roskam and Skyler Weber and an RBI double by Josh Altmann.
Lincoln extended the lead to five in the second, then put up two more in the fifth. In the eighth, Hunter Clanin hit a two-run homer and Ryan Long added an RBI single to make it 10-0. Sioux City got on the board in the ninth, but it was far too little.
John Bezdicek was spectacular, tossing five scoreless innings to earn the victory. Roskam had three hits and scored two runs and Justin Byrd, Clanin, and Altmann each had two hits and scored two runs. Clanin also finished with two RBI. Dylan Kelly had the loan RBI for the Explorers.
Sioux City Explorers Recap by Will Glocker
Monarchs Rally to Take Top Spot
The Kansas City Monarchs scored five runs in the seventh inning to earn an 8-5 victory over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. The victory gave Kansas City the top record in the American Association, finishing one game ahead of the RedHawks.
The Monarchs took the lead in the bottom the second and held a 3-1 lead after Ryan Grotjohn delivered a two run double in the fifth. However, Fargo-Moorhead got a two-run homer from John Silviano in the sixth that tied the score, then put up two more in the seventh to take their first lead of the contest. The RedHawks led 5-3 adding to the bottom of the seventh, but a two-run homer by Jacob Robson tied the score. Mallex Smith then drew a bases-loaded walk to put his team ahead and Darnell Sweeney delivered a two-run single to make it 8-5.
Brandon Koch earned the victory and Alex Valdez recorded the final six outs for his third save. Sweeney, Grotjohn, and Robson each had two RBI. Silviano had two RBI for the RedHawks.
Milkmen Rally to Down RailCats
The Milwaukee Milkmen scored a run in the eighth and three in the ninth to rally to defeat the Gary SouthShore RailCats, 6-4. Milwaukee took the lead in the top of the third when Aaron Hill drove home Bryan Torres with a triple and he scored on a Will Kengor single. The RailCats tied the score in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run homer by Thomas Walraven, his third homer in two games.
LG Castillo gave his team the lead with an RBI single in the fifth and the RailCats extended their lead to two on a Daniel Lingua sacrifice fly in the seventh. Milwaukee cut the deficit in half in the top of the eighth when Christ Conley drove home Hector Sanchez with a sacrifice fly. That set up the dramatic ninth inning. Keon Barnum tied the score with an RBI double and he came home when Miguel Gomez followed with an RBI double. Gomez scored on a single by Sanchez to give the Milkmen a two run lead.
Rodrigo Benoit earned the victory and Kyle Huckaby came on in the ninth to record his first save of the season. Hill finished with three hits, scored two runs, and had an RBI. Woodworth and Jesus Marriaga each had three hits for the RailCats.
Gary SouthShore RailCats Recap by Ryan Zimmerman
Navarro Ties Mark in Goldeyes Victory
Raul Navarro tied a franchise record, scoring five runs as the Winnipeg Goldeyes defeated the Sioux Falls Canaries, 9-1. The score was tied at one heading into the bottom of the third, but the Goldeyes took the lead for good when Navarro scored on an RBI single. An inning later, the team added three more runs, then scored one more in the sixth and three in the seventh.
Navarro and Ian Sagdal each finished with three hits. Max Murphy and David Washington each had two hits and drove in two runs. Jhon Vargas earned the victory, allowing one run in five innings. Aaron Takacs had four hits for the Canaries.
Winnipeg Goldeyes Recap by Steve Schuster
Seven-Run Sixth Propels Cougars Past Dogs
The Kane County Cougars held a 3-2 lead after five, but blew this game open, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Chicago Dogs, 10-5. Kane County took a two-run lead in the bottom of the second. The teams exchanged runs in the third and the Dogs cut the deficit to one in the fourth on an RBI single by Grant Kay.
In the sixth, the Cougars sent 10 men to the plate, scoring seven runs on six hits. Ernie De La Trinidad and Galli Cribbs delivered back-to-back RBI singles and Jimmy Kerrigan added an RBI single to make it a 6-2 game. Josh Rolette followed with a two-run single and Mitch Nay closed out the scoring with a two-run shot, his second of the season.
Jack Fox earned the victory, allowing one earned run in five innings. Kerrigan finished with two hits and scored two runs. Rolette had two hits and drove in three, and Nay scored two runs and drove in two. Eric Rivera had four hits for the Dogs and K. C. Hobson had three. Each player scored a run.
Three Stars of the Night
No. 3 – Aaron Hill (Milwaukee Milkmen) 3-5, Triple, 2 R, RBI
No. 2 – Raul Navarro (Winnipeg Goldeyes) 3-4, 5 R, Double, Triple
No. 1 – John Bezdicek (Lincoln Saltdogs) 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 5 K
American Association Daily Notes
The Lincoln Saltdogs clinched the final playoff spot in the West Division. They will welcome the Kansas City Monarchs to begin their three-game series on Wednesday. The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks will take on the Winnipeg Goldeyes… The Chicago Dogs chose to face the Milwaukee Milkmen in the first round of the East Division playoffs. That means the Kane County Cougars will take on the Cleburne Railroaders in Texas on Wednesday to begin their series… Winnipeg Goldeyes left-hander Travis Seabrooke tied an American Association record by appearing in his 60th game. That tied the mark set by former Goldeyes reliever Jack Charleston in 2018… Winnipeg Goldeyes infielder Raul Navarro tied the franchise record with five runs scored… Gary SouthShore RailCats infielder Thomas Walraven homered five times over the final five games of the season.
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By Robert Pannier