Lots of homers in St. Paul. Kody Funderburk shines in his AA debut. Alex Isola has a big game. Rain wins in Fort Myers.
ST. PAUL 9, COLUMBUS 8 IN ST. PAUL
The Saints led 3-1 after three but trailed 7-4 after six. Seventh-inning solo homers by Keon Broxton, Jose Miranda, and Brent Rooker tied it, and a two-run homer by Drew Maggi in the eighth put St. Paul in the lead to stay.
Batting stars: Maggi was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (his eighth), a walk, and two runs. Broxton was 2-for-3 with a home run (his fifth), a walk, two runs, and two RBIs. Rooker was 1-for-3 with a home run, his eighteenth. Jimmy Kerrigan was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his eighth. Miranda was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.
Pitching stars: Ian Hamilton struck out four in three innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk.
Opposition stars: Gabriel Arias was 3-for-5 with a home run (his seventh) and two runs. Tyler Krieger was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and three RBIs. Yu Chang was 1-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a walk.
Good stats: Miranda is batting .327. Hamilton has an ERA of 1.29.
Bad stats: Mitch Garver was 1-for-4 and is batting .143. Broxton is batting .188. Nick Vincent gave up a run in two innings and has an ERA of 6.48. Ian Gibaut gave up three runs in one inning and has an ERA of 9.23.
Record: The Saints are 29-31, in fifth place in the AAA East/Midwest, nine games behind Omaha.
WICHITA 9, TULSA 3 IN WICHITA
The Wind Surge scored four in the second and five in the third to build a 9-1 lead. Chris Williams hit a three-run homer in the third.
Batting stars: Andrew Bechtold was 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and two RBIs. Wilbis Santiago was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Williams was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a double, and two runs. Jermaine Palacios was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-5.
Pitching stars: Cole Sands struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two hits. Kody Funderburk struck out five in his AA debut, giving up an unearned run on four hits and two walks. Jordan Gore pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in his AA debut, giving up a wlak and striking out one.
Opposition stars: Miguel Vargas was 3-for-5. Michael Busch was 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk. Bryan Warzek struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.
Good stats: Williams is batting .308. Funderburk has an ERA of zero. Gore has an ERA of zero. Sands has an ERA of 2.67.
Bad stats: None.
Record: The Wind Surge is 34-28, in first place in the AA Central/North, a half game ahead of Arkansas and Tulsa.
SOUTH BEND 8, CEDAR RAPIDS 7 IN SOUTH BEND (10 INNINGS)
Alex Isola's two-run double in the eighth gave the Kernels a 7-6 lead, but a sacrifice fly in the ninth scored the tying run and a single-plus-error in the ten brought home the deciding run.
Batting stars: Isola was 4-for-5 with a home run (his eighth), a double, and three RBIs. Jair Camargo was 2-for-4 with a triple and a walk.
Pitching star: Tyler Beck struck out six in five innings, giving up two runs on three hits and one walk.
Opposition stars: Ryan Reynolds was 3-for-5. Tyler Durna was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Grayson Byrd was 2-for-5.
Good stats: Erik Manoah, Jr. gave up an unearned run in a third of an inning and has an ERA of zero. Beck has an ERA of 2.13.
Bad stats: DaShawn Keirsey was 1-for-5 and is batting .196.
Record: The Kernels are 35-27, in second place in the High-A Central/West, five games behind Quad Cities.
JUPITER AT FORT MYERS
Rained out. Will be made up as part of a doubleheader today. The Mighty Mussels are 35-26, in third place in the Low-A Southeast/West, seven games behind Tampa.
TODAY'S TILTS
3:30 Jupiter at Fort Myers (Aaron Rozek, no record, and Sawyer Gipson-Long, 4-2, 5.89)
6:05 Cedar Rapids (Louie Varland, no record) at South Bend
7:05 Columbus at St. Paul (Chandler Shepherd, 3-4, 6.75)
7:05 Tulsa at Wichita (Jordan Balazovic, 1-1, 3.56)