Wingnuts Game Notes: May 20 vs. Lincoln
May 20, 2016 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
After having a six-game home opener winning streak snapped in last night's loss to Lincoln, the Wingnuts will try and even up their series with the Saltdogs tonight at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
WINGNUTS DROP OPENER
A four-run second proved to be the undoing for Wichita last night as they fell 6-1 to Lincoln in their 2016 opener. With the bases loaded and one out in the frame, Pat McKenna lined a single to center. After an error allowed the ball to roll all the way to the wall, all four Saltdogs came around on the play to make it 4-0. The visitors added a fifth in the next inning before Wichita got on the board in the fourth. After a pair of walks, Harrison Kain picked up his second of his four hits on the night, singling home Brent Clevlen to get Wichita their first run of the new campaign. The Wingnuts had several chances to score more runs as they banged out 10 hits, but were unable to cash in, stranding 11 runners on the base paths for the contest. The final run of the night came in the fifth. After retiring the first two batters in the inning, Wichita starter Jon Link allowed back-to-back two-out knocks, the latter of which was an RBI double by Jon Smith that restored the Saltdogs five-run cushion. The loss drops Wichita to 7-2 all-time in home openers and ends a streak of six straight home opening victories.
DEBUT DUO
After six innings of work from starter Jon Link, Wichita turned things over to a pair of relievers who made their Wingnuts debuts. First out of the pen was rookie righty Jesse Pratt, who was also making his pro debut. The Independence, Ore., native struck out the first hitter he ever faced as a pro, Christian Ibarra, and totaled two strikeouts while working two scoreless innings. Following Pratt was fellow right-hander Carson Goldsmith, who was signed earlier in the day to replace the injured Andrew Taylor on the roster. A draftee of the Minnesota Twins back in 2012, Goldsmith worked a scoreless ninth inning in his first outing as a Wingnut.
HOT START FOR KAIN
Of Wichita's 10 hits last night, four of them came from outfielder Harrison Kain, whose four singles tied his career-high. The second of those four knocks came in the fourth, driving in Brent Clevlen for Wichita's lone run. Joining Kain with multiple hits were a couple of new faces to this year's team as Zack Cox and Christian Stringer each had two hits in their team debuts.
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