Wingnuts Fall in Battle of Former Big Leaguers
Published on May 21, 2014 under American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
WICHITA, KS (May 20, 2014) - With a pair of former Major League right-handers throwing in Tuesday night's battle between the Wichita Wingnuts and Kansas City T-Bones at Lawrence-Dumont stadium, it was safe to assume that a pitcher's duel was at hand. Neither the Wingnuts' Jon Link nor the T-Bones' Daniel Barone disappointed in Kansas City's 4-2 triumph.
Things started out on a sour note for Link when leadoff hitter Byron Wiley hit an opposite field home run in the first at bat of the night. However, after that pitch, Link was nearly unhittable for much of his start. The 30-year old ended up striking out a career-high 10 batters in the game over 7.1 innings of work.
His opposite, Daniel Barone, was equal to the gauntlet that Link had thrown down. Barone, a former Florida Marlin, was perfect through the first 11 Wingnuts' hitters he faced before a Brent Clevlen double in the fourth. Barone wound up with seven strikeouts and one walk in 6.2 innings pitched.
It took some time, but the Wingnuts' bats got to Barone in the fifth. J.T. Wise led off the inning with a single. After a fly out to center, Chris McMurray, Carlo Testa, and David Amberson singled in order. Testa's and Amberson's were good for RBI as they scored Wise and McMurray respectively to establish a 2-1 lead.
Link came out to pitch the top of the eighth inning and allowed back-to-back hits to start it off. David Espinosa lined out to second for the first out of the inning, but Bryan Sabatella singled home the tying run one batter later. Patrick Mincey was selected to enter from the bullpen and replace the Wingnuts' starter with runners on the corner and one out. Mincey allowed a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced, Nick Giarraputo, before retiring the rest of the side.
After a quiet eighth inning for the Wingnuts offense, Mike Zouzalik allowed an RBI triple to Wiley which extended the T-Bones advantage to 4-2. That would be the final score as Kris Regas was nearly untouchable in striking out the side in the ninth and earning the 1.1 inning save.
Byron Wiley was a thorn in Wichita's side all night, going 3-5 with a double, triple, home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. He and David Amberson were the only two hitters in either lineup to record multiple hits. Every T-Bone in the order reached base at least once in the game.
Wednesday's 7:05 p.m. start between the same two teams features a match-up of lefties in Anthony Capra of the Wingnuts and Rick Zagone of Kansas City. It is the first Way-Back Wednesday of the year and will be dedicated to the 1940's, with music, trivia, and games from that decade taking place all night. General admission tickets and select concession items will also reflect the pricing from that era. 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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