WICHITA, Kan. — For the second straight night, the Saltdogs bats heated up too late as the Wichita Wingnuts downed Lincoln 6-4 in front of 3,458 fans at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium Friday night.
Wichita scored three in the fourth and two more in the fifth to build a 5-0 lead, capitalizing on several infield singles.
The Saltdogs struck for four runs in the top of the seventh to climb back to within a run. John Alonso stroked an RBI single up the middle and C.J. Beatty doubled in a run off the wall in left center.
Lincoln also took advantage of some sloppy defense from the Wingnuts, but stranded the potential tying run on third base in the seventh.
Ryan Hinson (1-0) was fantastic, twirling 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball, striking out four and walking zero to earn the win. Tommy Palica (0-1) worked 4 1/3 frames, giving up five runs on nine hits to absorb the loss. For the second straight night, Josh Dew closed out the ninth to notch his second save.
Beatty ended the night 2-for-3 with a run, RBI and stolen base. Leivi Ventura provided another multi-hit night.
Wade Mackey and Pete Parise looked very sharp out of the bullpen, providing 3 2/3 innings of relief without an earned run, allowing just two hits.
The teams meet again Saturday night at 7:05 pm for game three of the four-game series. Kearney native Ryan Sheldon is slated to pitch against Wichita right-handed Josh Lowey. Radio coverage begins at 6:35 pm on KFOR 1240.
The Saltdogs’ home opener at Haymarket Park is May 23 against Sioux City. Get your Saltdogs Five Pack (five behind-the-plate tickets for just $50!) now by calling 402-474-BALL or by visiting www.saltdogs.com.