Wingnuts move within one win of American Association title

Eight pitches, four runs.

The Wingnuts couldn’t have started better in Thursday’s 9-2 win Over Lincoln in Game 2 of the American Association Championship Series. The Wingnuts return home with a 2-0 lead and needing one more win for the league title.

The Wingnuts used numerous well-placed hits in Wednesday’s 11-7 win in Game 1 of the series, but Thursday the bats were cracking from the opening pitch. Ryan Khoury, Chris McClendon – who finished with four singles – and David Espinosa each had solid singles to load the bases and then, on the eighth pitch of the game, league Most Valuable Player Brent Clevlen hit a shot that sailed well over the fence in right-center field.

“We came out ready to roll,” Wichita manager Kevin Hooper said.

The Wingnuts scored twice more in the first in entirely different forms. Carlo Testa appeared picked-off of first base, but while he ran to second Lincoln first baseman Ian Gac’s throw sailed into left field. Lincoln’s outfielders were slow to retrieve the ball and Testa never stopped running until after he’d scored. Moments later, Chris McMurray hit a home run onto the grass berm behind the left field fence, capping a six-run inning.

“That first inning was the difference in the game,” Espinosa said.

Saltdogs starter Kevin McGovern retired one batter; he has allowed 25 earned runs in his last 19 innings. Wichita starter Anthony Capra earned the win, allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts in five innings. He’s won three of his past four starts.

“It was a grind for him, but he battled it out,” Hooper said.

The start game was in question after rain fell in an already soggy Lincoln much of the afternoon. At first pitch, there were light showers and a temperature of 52 degrees.

“We took batting practice, and it was raining,” Espinosa said. “This field drains really well and it was in great condition.”

Wichita scored all of its runs in the first three innings, managing two hits in the final six innings.

“Their bullpen came in and threw really well,” Espinosa said. “From the start of it we thought we were going to score 20 runs.”

Four Wichita relievers combined for four shutout innings on two hits.

The Wingnuts have won four straight division championships, and are in their third consecutive championship series, but the big prize has eluded them. Wichita, which set a league record with 73 wins this summer, was 1-6 in championship series games the past two seasons. This season they’re one win away from the title.

Espinosa, though, provided a cautionary tale from the 2011 championship series when he was with Grand Prairie.

“We lost the first two games and came back and won it,” he said.

Jason Van Skike is scheduled to start when Wichita returns home for Saturday’s Game 3 at 7:05 p.m.

This story was originally published September 11, 2014 at 10:26 PM with the headline "Wingnuts move within one win of American Association title."