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Mittelstaedt's Home Run Propels Wingnuts to Walk-Off Win

July 20, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release


WICHITA, KS (July 20, 2015) - Offense did not come easy for the Wichita Wingnuts during the first nine innings of Monday night's match-up with the Sioux Falls Canaries at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. The club had to scratch and claw their way back from a 3-0 deficit just to force the game into extra innings with the score knotted at three. That all changed in the 10th when T.J. Mittelstaedt's home run to dead center field ended the game in sudden fashion with the score 5-3.

Sioux Falls (23-33) went to work right from the first pitch against Wingnuts hurler Omar Bencomo. Chris Grayson started the game with a triple and quickly scored on an ensuing single from Jerome Pena.  Two batters into the contest the visitors had a one advantage.

The lead was extended in the top of the fourth. After striking out the first two hitters in the inning, Bencomo surrendered a double to Tyler Shover. Michael Broad drove in his teammate with a triple and then scored a run of his own on Jake Luce's RBI single to make it 3-0. Bencomo would allow nothing else, departing after 8.0 strong innings with nine strikeouts and eight hits allowed. The right-hander has whiffed nine in each of his last two outings.

The Wingnuts (33-23) did their first damage against the Canaries Miguel Pena in the fifth. John Nester ripped a double to begin the frame and hustled to third on Luis Hernandez's single into left. Harrison Kain brought in Nester with a fielder's choice bouncer to third, trimming the deficit to 3-1.

Wichita pulled even closer in the next inning off of Pena after he allowed back-to-back singles off the bats of Starlin Rodriguez and Matt Padgett. The next hitter, Joash Brodin, grounded into a 4-3 double play to score Rodriguez and clear the bases. Pena worked one more inning to finish with two runs allowed on seven hits.

The Wingnuts entered the ninth inning needing a run off of closer Chase Johnson to extend the game. Brodin singled through the right side to kick the inning off.  He stole second and moved to third on a bouncer to the left side from Nester. Luis Hernandez also rolled a ball to an infielder, but his was placed well enough to score the tying run and extend the game.

Dakota Watts (4-0) worked a quick top of the tenth inning to get the home team back to the plate with the score tied. David Espinosa singled with one out and was on first base when Mittelstaedt hammered the 2-1 pitch from Will Rankin (1-1) that decided the outcome. The home run was the ninth of the year for the third baseman, which leads the team.

Scott Kuzminsky worked a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in the ninth. Of the 18 hitters in the lineups for both teams, 16 of them recorded at least one hit. Espinosa and Hernandez each had two for the Wingnuts, while Shover was the only Canary with multiple hits.

One team will take the lead in the all-time series, which is currently even at 41-41, tomorrow night in game three. The 7:05 p.m. game will feature RHP Jon Link (3-0) of the Wingnuts against RHP Stephen Bougher (2-1) of Sioux Falls. For information on season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Wingnuts' main office at (316) 264-NUTS, or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com.



American Association Stories from July 20, 2015


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