News

WICHITA, KS (JUNE 20, 2014) – Much to the pleasure of the 3,943 fans in attendance for Friday night fireworks, designated hitter J.T. Wise decided to begin the explosives earlier than planned. The former Johnny Bench Award winner launched two home runs and finished with three RBI and paired with Jon Link and the bullpen to a Wichita victory over the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 5-1.

The Wingnuts (24-11) jumped on Fargo starting pitcher Danny Gutierrez (2-3) in the second inning to take the first lead. Chris McMurray walked with one out and then raced around the bases to score when Chris McClendon laced a two-out double toward the right-center gap. McClendon advanced to third on a throwing error by Brandon Newton, but was stranded there when Colt Loehrs bounced out.

Wise struck with his first long ball of the evening in the fifth to double the lead. He drove a Gutierrez fastball out to deep center and off of the video board for his fourth home run of the season.

Link (4-2) had held Fargo-Moorhead (20-14) to just a lone hit through the first five innings of the ballgame. He also retired the first two hitters of the sixth inning, before allowing a ground-rule double to Ronnie Bourquin and a follow-up RBI single by Sawyer Carroll that trimmed the advantage to 2-1. Link would end up working into the eighth, having allowed the lone run on four hits, while striking out seven. The right-hander’s solid outing moved the starting rotation’s total of quality starts to 23. Link allowed one run or less for the fourth time this season in eight starts.

The Wingnuts added big insurance runs in both the seventh and eighth frames. Taylor Oldham scored McClendon with a fielder’s ground out to third base in the seventh inning, before Wise plated two with his fifth home run of the year in the next stanza. Those runs pushed the lead to 5-1.

Relievers Patrick Mincey and Alex Hinshaw finished off the RedHawks with a scoreless inning each, moving the Nuts record to 21-1 when holding a lead after seven innings.

Aside from Wise, Ryan Khoury, David Amberson, Carlo Testa, and McClendon each ended the night with a pair of base knocks. The RedHawks had pitchers commit throwing errors on attempted pickoffs at first base in three consecutive innings that allowed a Wichita runner to go from first to third.

The same two foes will meet again on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. The pitching match-up will feature Wichita LHP Anthony Capra (4-2) against RedHawks’ RHP Brian Ernst (2-3).