Medina Stays Unbeaten as Nuts Shutout Lemurs

August 16, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


LAREDO, TX (August 16, 2015) - The Wichita Wingnuts signed Eddie Medina out of the upstart North Country Baseball League unsure of what to expect from the former St. John's University pitcher. The decision to sign him has paid off in a way that even manager Kevin Hooper could not have forecast. Medina moved to 4-0 on the season by tossing 7.0 shutout innings in the Wingnuts 6-0 victory on Sunday evening in Laredo. Wichita won the series by taking two of the three games.

Medina had to work out of trouble in each of the first three innings on the hill.  Laredo (42-38) loaded the bases in the first inning only to watch Dustin Geiger fly out to right field. They would load the bases again in the second inning. This time it was 5-3 double play off the bat of Juan Silverio that brought an end to the threat. Finally, in the third frame, Jeudy Valdez lined out to left field with runners on the corners to leave another runner at third base. Medina faced the minimum in each of his next three innings before stranding a pair of Lemurs in his final stanza. When the right-hander departed from the field for a final time he had scattered six hits and not allowed a run over 7.0 innings. He worked around five walks and struck out three.

Offensively, the Wingnuts (48-32) went to work in the second inning against Cody Kendall. Matt Padgett lined a one out single into center to become the team's first base runner. John Nester and Harrison Kain each followed with singles of their own to load the bases. Shortstop Taylor Smart knocked in the first run of the game by grounding a fielder's choice to short.

The lead was bumped to 2-0 in the very next inning when Kendall (1-1) allowed a leadoff single by Jayce Ray. David Espinosa followed by drawing a walk and then Ray advanced to third on a wild pitch. T.J. Mittelstaedt crushed a fly ball into the wind to right which was caught at the wall and earned him a sacrifice fly.

In the fifth, Smart opened the inning with a single. Leo Vargas executed a perfect hit-and-run with a ground ball into right field. When Denis Phipps bobbled the ball away, Smart scored and Vargas raced to third. Ray quickly singled home another run to push the margin to 4-0. Before the inning ended, Andy LaRoche tallied his ninth RBI in six games with a sharp single to make it 5-0.

A final run was added to the lead in the seventh inning courtesy of a triple off of the left field wall by Espinosa. The veteran scored on a wild pitch that squirmed past Brian Peterson and to the backstop.

Iden Nazario worked around an error to strikeout a pair in a scoreless eighth inning.  Pitching for a second straight night, Alex Boshers retired the side in order in the bottom of the ninth to close the series.

The Wingnuts will hit the road and head to Grand Prairie, Texas for a three-game set with the Grand Prairie AirHogs. Game one is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. on Monday night. The Wingnuts will have RHP Jon Link (5-0) on the mound.



American Association Stories from August 16, 2015


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