Blasters Lose to Wichita on Walk-Off
July 15, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Joplin Blasters News Release
Wichita, KS-The Blasters lead in the South Division shrank to one with a 4-3 extra-inning loss to Wichita Tuesday night at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Joplin (27-19) now holds a 5-4 record in the season series with the Wingnuts. The Blasters started the scoring with a single run in the first. A two-out single by Jake Taylor plated Oscar Mesa from third. Mesa had drawn a one-out walk earlier in the inning.
Wichita (28-22) had a rapid response in the bottom of the first. Jayce Ray led off the inning with an infield single. David Espinosa then singled to right. With two outs, Starlin Rodriguez tied the game on a base hit. Matt Padgett made it 3-1 with a two-run scoring double up the right field line and into the corner.
Joplin tied it the very next inning. Mitch Glasser led off with a walk. One out later, Jesus Solorzano clubbed a towering, two-run home run to deep left field for a 3-3 tie. It was Solorzano's fifth homer of the season.
Following seven straight scoreless innings for both sides, the game went into extra innings. Wichita put the lead-off man on with a hit by pitch to start the bottom of the tenth. Starlin Rodriguez managed to advance all the way to third on a pick-off attempt error at first base. With one out, John Nester received an intentional walk. Pinch hitting, Luis Hernandez then chopped a bouncer high into the air over the third baseman's head and into left for the game winner. Rodriguez touched home for the 4-3 walk-off win.
On the mound, Dakota Watts posted the win in relief for Wichita. Watts (3-0) worked two innings with two strikeouts and one walk. Sam Agnew-Wieland suffered the loss for Joplin. Agnew-Wieland (3-1) pitched one-and-two-thirds and gave up one unearned run on one hit with two strikeouts and one walk.
The Wingnuts outhit the Blasters 8-to-3. Joplin's last hit in the game was in the third inning. Prior to the game-winning single, Wichita's last hit was in the fourth inning. The Blasters record in extra-inning games is now 4-2, while Wichita improved to 3-1 in extras this season.
First-place Joplin returns home for four straight days against Amarillo Wednesday through Saturday. Tomorrow features a suspended game starting at 5:05 followed by a full, nine-inning game. For 2015 ticket information and promotion specials at Joe Becker Stadium, call 417-622-4838 or visit the Blasters website at www.joplinblasters.com.
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