Wingnuts Fly by AirHogs 7-4 to Win Fourth Straight
July 18, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
GRAND PRAIRIE, TX (July 17, 2015) - On a Friday night in Grand Prairie, the AirHogs tried to throw a haymaker at Wichita Wingnuts starter Tim Brown in the first inning. After they scored three runs on three doubles and four total hits in that frame to take a 3-1 lead, Brown kept them under wraps for most of his remaining five innings. Meanwhile, the Wingnuts offense was going to work with a consistent attack that saw them score in five of the nine innings to emerge with a 7-4 victory.
The Wichita (31-22) offense got to work immediately in the first inning as both Jayce Ray and David Espinosa singled to open the game. With one out, Joash Brodin lifted a shallow double down the right field line in front of a sliding Ronnie Richardson to score Ray and take a 1-0 lead. The Wingnuts were unable to further capitalize despite having two in scoring position with one out.
In the bottom of the same frame, Grand Prairie (18-36) quickly erased the deficit just three batters into their first turn at the plate. Jamodrick McGruder, Zane Chavez, and Willie Cabrera all doubled around a single from Richardson to make it 3-1 before an out had been recorded. Brown (6-1) used a double play to avoid further damage.
The Wingnuts came back to tie the score in their half of the second. Luis Hernandez and Harrison Kain reached with one out and both scored on Ray's two-RBI single. Another single by Espinosa put two on with one out, but T.J. Mittelstaedt lined into a double play to end that threat.
Wichita made it three straight innings with a run when they took the lead against Brett Wallach (0-6) in the third. Starlin Rodriguez reached base first with a single through the left side and then advanced to third on Matt Padgett's double. John Nester put the Wingnuts in front by a 4-3 score with a run-scoring single.
In the fifth, the Wingnuts extended their lead and chased Wallach from the game. Padgett walked with one out and moved to second on Nester's fielder's choice grounder. A Hernandez single pushed the margin to 5-3. Wallach lasted 4.2 innings and gave up five runs on 11 hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Reliever Jason Jarvis struck out the first two batters in the sixth, but the Wingnuts did not roll over. Mittelstaedt worked a walk and Brodin singled to put two on base for Rodriguez. The second baseman knocked a base hit to plate both runs and make it 7-3.
Brown allowed one final run in his last frame, the sixth. Cabrera began the inning with a single and advanced 90 feet on another single from Michael Pair. Ridge Hoopii-Haslam knocked Cabrera in with one final single to center field to pull the AirHogs within 7-4. Brown picked up the win by going 6.0 innings and allowing three runs on nine hits.
The bullpen of the Wingnuts continued their late-game dominance by combining to throw 3.0 scoreless innings. Al Yevoli stranded runners on the corners in the seventh, Frankie Reed quickly shut down Grand Prairie in the eighth, and Dakota Watts picked up his fourth save by striking out the side in the ninth. The bullpen has not allowed a run in their last 24.1 innings of work.
Eight of the nine Wingnuts starters tallied at least one hit, paced by Ray's three. Five different hitters drove in at least one run.
The Wingnuts will be looking for a sweep in the series finale on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. RHP Jason Van Skike (4-2) will lock horns with fellow RHP Blake Oliver (4-4) of the AirHogs on the mound. 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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