Sixth Inning Sinks AirHogs vs. Fargo
May 20, 2018 - American Association (AA) - Texas AirHogs News Release
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The Texas AirHogs dropped the second of a three-game set vs. Fargo-Moorhead Saturday night by a final of 7-3. Stuart Ijames finished with three hits, and Texas starter Meng Weiqiang twirled 5.1 innings of two-run ball, but the AirHogs could not overcome a five-run sixth by the Fargo bats.
Fargo struck first in the top of the third after Meng Weiqiang left two in scoring position in the second. He left men on the corners to limit the damage in the top of the third, and the AirHog bats quickly evened the score. Second baseman Chen Chen led the Texas turn off with a single and scored later in the frame on a Fargo error.
With the score tied at 1-1 in the sixth, Keury De La Cruz took a one-out offering from Meng Weiqiang for a solo home run to right. Charlie Valerio followed with a solo home run off Sun Jianzeng to make it 3-1 RedHawks lead. An AirHog error on a potential force at the plate with the bases loaded later in the frame helped Fargo add to what would become a five-run inning.
In the seventh, the AirHogs rallied, cutting the RedHawks lead to 6-3 on RBIs by Li Ning and Casio Grider. Zheng Chaoquin helped to keep the AirHogs in it by throwing three innings of relief without surrendering an earned run. But a late unearned run on a second AirHogs error in the ninth helped Fargo to put it away 7-3.
DJ Brown, who allowed three runs (none earned) over seven innings, moved to 1-0 on the season with the win. Meng Weiqiang suffered his first loss of the season. Ijames led the AirHogs with three hits, and Chen Chen finished with two. Fargo outhit Texas 10-8.
The RedHawks (2-0) and AirHogs (0-2) close the series with a 2:05 p.m. contest tomorrow. Former Colorado Rockies lefty Tyler Matzek (0-0, 0.00 ERA) gets the start vs. fellow southpaw Will Solomon (0-0, 0.00 ERA).
The AirHogs - powered by Beijing Shougang Eagles, open the 2018 season with a six-game homestand May 18-23 vs. Fargo-Moorhead and Winnipeg. Individual tickets for the 2018 season are on sale now. Visit AirHogsBaseball.com for more information.
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