Wind Surge return to Wichita on four-game win streak powered by league-best pitching
It was a slow start to the season, but the Wind Surge are headed back to Wichita on a four-game winning streak.
After losing five games to start the 2022 season, the Wind Surge won their fourth game in a row on Sunday with a 5-1 victory over Northwest Arkansas to steal the series on the road. It was a rematch from the 2021 league championship series that Wichita lost after winning the regular-season title over the Naturals.
Wichita (4-5) returns home to play the Midland RockHounds (6-3), the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland A’s, in a six-game series at Riverfront Stadium beginning with Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game. Tickets to the Wind Surge’s home games this week can be purchased through the team’s website.
It’s been a peculiar first 11 games of the season for Wichita, which ranks next-to-last in the Texas League in team batting average (.220) but first in team earned run average (3.11). Wichita’s batting average was sub-.200 before the team belted out 16 singles in Saturday’s win over Northwest Arkansas.
Wichita’s bullpen has been lights out to start the season, as 11 different pitchers have combined to allow just seven total earned runs in 49 2/3 innings for an impressive 1.27 ERA. The combination of Tyler Viza, Bryan Sammons, Steven Cruz, Evan Sisk, Austin Schulfer and Steven Klimek have allowed no earned runs in 30 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts and only eight walks.
Sunday’s game was another brilliant performance from the bullpen, as Viza, Alex Scherff and Sammons combined to hold Northwest Arkansas scoreless for the final 5 1/3 innings. Viza rescued starter Brandon Lawson in the fourth inning, then struck out six batters to last through the seventh inning. Scherff recorded the next four outs before Sammons shut the door for the game’s final two outs.
One starter who hasn’t needed any help this season has been Simeon Woods-Richardson, a highly touted prospect for the Minnesota Twins, who has a 1-0 record and has not allowed a single earned run in his first two starts of the season. In 10 2/3 innings, he has only allowed three hits and walked four compared to eight strikeouts.
While the offense has been off to a slow start, the scoring did pick up during Wichita’s four-game winning streak where it averaged 5.5 runs per game. Spencer Steer leads the team hitting .270 with six RBIs, although his eight-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, while Michael Helman and Matt Wallner each hit their first home runs of the season on Sunday.
This story was originally published April 18, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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