Team Effort Helps Nuts Knock off Saints 9-3
July 31, 2014 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
SAINT PAUL, MN - The Wichita Wingnuts had everybody chip in at some point in Thursday night's 9-3 win over the St. Paul Saints at Midway Stadium. Tim Brown was his typical superb self on the hill in garnering his eighth win of the season, while his teammates at the plate poured across six runs in a huge second inning to get off to a great start and never looked back.
After Saints' starter Nick Barnese (5-6) faced the minimum in his first inning, the Wingnuts brought an early end to his evening with a massive assault in the second. With one out, Wichita (47-22) had seven men reach base consecutively without an out being recorded. In the onslaught Chris McMurray knocked an RBI double, Jake Luce cleared the bases with a three-RBI two-bagger, Ryan Khoury scored a teammate with a single, and the man who began the frame, Brent Clevlen, plated a run with an RBI base hit in his second trip to the plate that inning. After the dust had cleared the Wingnuts had mustered six runs on seven hits to take a commanding lead early. Barnese never came out for the third, having given up six runs on eight hits in two innings.
The Wingnuts added to the lead in the third when Khoury came through with another RBI. With runners on the corners he ripped a single to score David Amberson and make it 7-0.
The early cushion was more than enough for the ultra-consistent Tim Brown (8-3). He would shut down the St. Paul (40-29) offense until the fifth inning when they finally cashed in with runners in scoring position. Devin Thaut singled to start the inning and then moved to second on Sam Maus's fielder's choice. A single by Willie Cabrera put runners on the corners for clean-up hitter Henry Wrigley, who beat out a potential double play to drive in a run. Brown would not allow another run as he scattered eight hits over six innings, while striking out three.
Both teams would score a pair of runs in the eighth inning. Jake Kahaulelio, who was moved back to the two spot in the batting order, hit his fifth home run of the season, a blast to left center that scored a pair and advanced the lead to 9-1. In the bottom half, Daniel Bennett gave up two runs, although just one of them was earned. In a four hit inning that featured one Wingnut error, Joey Becker and Thaut each drove in a run. Mike Zouzalik came on for the ninth and mowed down the first two batters he faced with strikeouts before allowing a single to Songco that preceded a game-ending fly ball by Keith Brachold.
Jared Gaynor worked another scoreless inning out of the bullpen in the seventh inning. Five different Wingnuts managed multi-hit games with the group being paced by McMurray's 4-4 day. With their total of 15 hits in the contest, Wichita increased the number of games in which they have tallied 15 or more hits to nine in 2014.
Game two in the three-game series is set for Friday night at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Jon Link (9-2) will throw for the Wingnuts opposite right-hander Jeff Shields (5-5) of the Saints. 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.
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