2032 St. Louis River Walkers -- Growing weary of just coming close

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Record: 80-56, 2nd, 5.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 3-3, Cris Rosario and Bradley Mondesir hit solo homer off St. Louis relief pitcher Josh Grissom in the bottom of the seventh inning, to lift Louisville to a 5-3 win at Dodger Stadium.
A former River Walker, Rosario hit a 2-1 pitch from Grissom 388 feet over the left-field wall to lead off the inning.
After a pair of strikeouts, Mondesir powered a 1-1 pitch 368 feet over the left-field wall.
Five Sluggers pitchers combined to strike out 17 batters in the game.
Starter Jim Martin did most of the damage, whiffing 10 batters in his five innings. He also just allowed one hit and walked two.
After that, it was an inning apiece for Brian Baker, Elian Acosta, Rafael Espinoza and Matt Ray.
Acosta (4-2), another former Walker, earned the win
Ray now has 26 saves.

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Record: 81-56, 2nd, 5.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis scored four runs in the top of the first inning to take a quick lead, and never trailed en route to a 7-5 win over Louisville at Dodger Stadium.
The win gave the River Walkers victories in two of the three games in their series with the Sluggers.
St. Louis opened the game with four consecutive doubles -- from Daniel Becerra, Jose Segura, Jae-hong Chang and Jared Thomas -- off Louisville starting pitcher Myles Wilson.
Those doubles resulted in three runs. Jovan Gill drove in the inning's fourth run with a one-out fly ball.
While the Sluggers would make it close -- at one time closing to within 4-2 and later 5-4 following a two-run homer from Hisanori Yasuda off St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe -- St. Louis never lost the lead.
The Walkers scored a pair of runs in the seventh - one on a wild pitch and the other on a throwing error by right fielder Jerrion Early -- to go up 7-4.
Kevin Yanwinkle hit a solo homer off Ricky Cisneros in the bottom of the eighth, making it 7-5.
It was not one of the best outings for McNaboe, but he still came out of the game with his MBL leading 17th win.
The right-hander allowed four runs on nine hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked two.
Cisneros worked 1.1 innings, giving up the Yanwinkle homer.
Rookie Kevin Baker faced just one batter, striking him out, before leaving with an undisclosed injury.
Nick Ruffalo finished off the eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa set the Sluggers down in order in the ninth for his 32nd save.

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Record: 81-57, 2nd, 6 GB Des Moines
Columbus pounded St. Louis rookie starting pitcher Jerry Tate for eight runs in just over five innings, as the Golden Bears routed the River Walkers 12-3 at Forbes Field (1959).
The Bears' Chris Hery did a good amount of the early damage.
He went to work in the bottom of the second with a two-out three-run homer to make it 3-0.
In the fourth, his two-out double off Tate made it 4-0.
After that, it was Nolan Gorman who piled up the numbers.
He chased Tate from the mound in the fifth with a grand slam as Columbus went up 8-0.
Kevin Kendrall cranked a two-run bomb later in the inning off Andres Hernandez to make it 10-0.
Gorman hit his second homer of the game, this one off Yeison Santos, in the bottom of the sixth.
That blast put the Bears ahead 12-2.
A strong outing by Agustin Perdomo (5-4) was overshadowed by the Bears' offense.
He worked 5.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out four and walked a pair.
Former Walker reliever Luis Palomo finished the game, going all 3.1 innings during which he allowed one run on two hits and earned his first save.

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Record: 81-58, 2nd, 7 GB Des Moines
Nolan Gorman hit a pair of two-run homers to highlight three-run first and third innings to help power Columbus to a 9-2 win over St. Louis at Forbes Field (1959).
For the second straight game, the Golden Bears took a young River Walkers starter to the woodshed.
A day after Jerry Tate was bludgeoned for eight runs in 4.1 innings, rookie Xavier Wigfall surrendered six runs in just 2.2 innings.
Four of those runs were driven in by Gorman, whose two-run homers capped the three-run outbursts in the first and third.
Wigfall, who also allowed a one-out homer to Dan Reeves in the third, exited the game after Gorman's 33rd home run of the season.
The rest of the Columbus' scoring came against the St. Louis reliever Josh Grissom.
Jonathon Boyle drove in a run in the fifth with a single to make it 7-1..
Carlos Callado connected on a two-run single in the seventh as the Bears went up 9-1.
Columbus starting pitcher Adam Becker (10-6) allowed one run on six hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
Fernando Fernando finished the sixth and worked a scoreless seventh.
Matt Frisbee took came of the eighth and ninth, giving up a solo homer to Jose Segura in the ninth.

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Record:82-58, 2nd, 7 GB Des Moines
St. Louis charged in front with a four-run top of the second inning, and then added three runs in the fourth and fifth to pave the way for a 10-7 win over Columbus at Forbes Field (1959).
Rookie Nick Shaw put the River Walkers in front with a two-run homer off Golden Bears starting pitcher Casey Mize in the top of the second inning.
Later in the inning, pitcher Kaneo Kawamoto got down a sac bunt to score Jovan Gill and make it 3-0.
Gill had followed Shaw's homer with a walk and moved to third on a one-out double by Jean Carmona.
A single from Nathaniel Dixon scored Carmona to make it 4-0.
It's lead down to 4-2, the Walkers put together their first three-run inning in the fourth.
Dixon collected the first RBI with a sac fly off Fernando Fernando.
It scored Jared Thomas, who had led off the inning with a double off Mize.
Back-to-back doubles from Daniel Becerra and Jose Ramirez plated the inning's other two runs.
An inning later, the Walkers used the long ball.
Fernando surrendered two homers, the first a two-run shot to Jovan Gill.
Thomas followed with a solo shot as the Walkers' lead grew to 10-2.
Kawamoto (7-8) lasted 6.1 innings, allowing six runs on 10 hits.
Four of those runs came in the seventh.
Josh Forgy finished off the seventh for St. Louis.
Yeison Santos retired the side in order in the eighth.
Alex Pazos, making his first appearance since being calledup from AAA, allowed a solo homer to Kevin Kendall in the ninth, but nothing else.

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Record: 82-59, 2nd, 8 GB Des Moines
Columbus scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, and that's all the Golden Bears needed to defeat St. Loiuis 3-1 at Forbes Field (1959).
The win gave Columbus victories in three of four games in the series.
An error by River Walkers starting pitcher Zack Hunsicker on a ball hit by Pat McNeill opened the bottom of the first inning for Columbus.
Two batters later, McNeill scored when Jonathon Boyle hit a two-run homer.
It wasn't over, however, as Nolan Gorman followed with a triple.
He scored on a Mike Stone single.
Bears starting pitcher Damon Casetta-Stubbs (10-6) allowed one run on three hits over six innings. He struck out four and walked one.
Michele Vassalotti worked a pair of scoreless innings.
Mike LaFramboise handled the ninth to earn his 31st save.

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MBL news: Week 20 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 82-60, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Tied 4-4, Grand Rapids scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and went on to defeat St. Louis 6-4 at the Polo Ground (1923).
Both teams had scored four times in the fourth inning.
The River Walkers got two-run homers from Jared Thomas and Ben Thompson off Grand Rapids starting pitcher Jason Dexheimer.
In the bottom half, Marcos Francis connected on a two-run double off St. Louis starter Jesse McNaboe, while Jim Wilson (double) and Drew Bowser (single) also drove in runs.
In the fifth, Jarrod Twomey got things rolling for the Traders with a lead-off double off McNaboe.
He later scored on a two-out triple by Marcos Francis.
Wilson then collected his second RBI of the game with a single off McNaboe.
Dexheimer (5-5) collected the win after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings.
Bill Van Gieson (1.1 IP), Trey Benton (1.0) and Cristian Sanchez (1.0) combined to shutout St. Louis the rest of the way.
Sanchez earned his first save of the season.

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Record: 83-60, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
Jae-hong Chang singled to score Jovan Gill in the bottom of the 12th inning and give St. Louis a 3-2 win over Chicago at Busch Stadium (1997).
G-Men reliever Jimmy DaPra failed to retire any of the batters he faced in the bottom of the 12th.
Jovan Gill opened the inning by drawing a walk.
Jean Carmona moved Gill to third with a single.
Chang then connected on a 3-1 pitch for another single to give the River Walkers the victory.
Chicago starting pitcher Jose Betances took a no-hitter into the sixth when Nathaniel Dixon doubled with two outs.
The shutout carried into the ninth, when Jose Segura tied it with his 42nd homer of the season, a two-run shot off Stephen Von Lehmden with one out.
St. Louis rookie starter Jerry Tate allowed two runs on four hits over six innings.
The Walkers used six relievers to finish off the game.
Andres Hernandez (1.1 IP) started the parade of relievers.
He was followed by Nick Ruffalo (0.2 IP), Ricky Cisneroes (0.2), Cory Tiller (1.1), Yeison Santos (1.0) and Jason Grissom (1.0).
Grissom (3-7) earned the win.

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Record: 84-60, 2nd, 8.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis scored four times in the bottom of the first inning, and added two more in the second, and held on for a 6-5 win over Chicago at Busch Stadium (1997).
The River Walkers needed just two hits to score their four runs in the bottom of the first off G-Men starting pitcher Jesus Mercano.
The outburst was added by three walks and two wild pitches.
Jovan Gill did drive in two runs with a single.
Runs also scored on a wild pitch, and a bases-loaded walk to Jared Thomas.
George Phelps hit a two-run homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall in the top of the second, making it 4-2.
St. Louis quickly got those runs back, when Nathaniel Dixon and Jean Carmona opened the bottom of the inning with back-to-back homers off Mercano.
Chicago's Aaron Nixon hit a two-run homer off reliever Andres Hernandez in the top of the eighth, pulling the G-Men to within 6-5.
Wigfall (4-3) allowed two runs on five hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked three.
It took six relievers to cover the final three innings for St. Louis.
Kevin Baker (0.1 IP) and Nick Ruffalo (0.2) combined on a scoreless seventh.
Andres Hernandez failed to retie and of the three batters he faced in the eighth, when the G-Men pulled to within a run.
It took Cory Tiller (0.2) and Josh Forgy (0.1) to combine and get out of the eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa handled the ninth for his 33rd save.

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Record: 85-60, 2nd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Trailing 2-0, St. Louis busted loose for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and rode that to a 7-2 win over Chicago at Busch Stadium (1997).
The victory gave the River Walkers a sweep of the three-game series.
A Jean Carmona three-run homer off G-Men starting pitcher Ben Harris highlighted the sixth-inning outburst.
Ben Thompson later plated two runs with a pinch-hit double off Zane Almy.
The Walkers added two more runs in the eighth.
Daniel Becerra scored the first with a single off James Carney.
A bases-loaded walk to Jae-hong Chang plated the other.
St. Louis starting pitcher Kaneo Kawamoto allowed two runs on 10 hits over six innings.
Josh Grissom didn't give up a run in the seventh or eighth.
Rookie Kevin Baker did the same in the ninth.

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Record: 86-60, 2nd, 6.5 GB Des Moines
Zack Hunsicker allowed one run over seven innings, and St. Louis downed Milwaukee 5-1 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Hunsicker (10-8) allowed one run on five hits in his seven innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Ricky Cisneros pitched a silent eighth inning.
Nick Ruffalo got the first two outs of the ninth.
Andres Hernandez struck out Jose Nieto to end it.
Back-to-back doubles from Jean Carmona and Nick Shaw off Crushers starting pitcher Justin Wrobelski to open the bottom of the second put St. Louis in front 1-0.
An inning later, Ben Thompson hit a two-run homer off Wrobelski to push the lead to 3-0.
A lead-off homer from Nomar Mazara in the sixth provided Milwaukee with its only run of the game.
Jose Segura led off the eighth with a homer off Scott Mueller to make it 4-1 Walkers.
Daniel Becerra connected on a RBI single to score what would be the game's final run.
Ricky Cisneros worked a scoreless eighth for St. Louis.
Nick Ruffalo got the first two outs of the ninth.
Andres Hernandez finished it off with a strike out of Jose Nieto.

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Record: 85-61, 2nd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Training 2-1, Milwaukee roughed up St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe for four runs in the top of the sixth inning, and the Crushers went on to a 5-3 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Nomar Mazara got things going for Milwaukee with a one-out single.
McNaboe then struck out Andrew Foley for the second out, but as his been his biggest issue all season McNaboe again struggled to close out an inning.
Brett Baty was the first of four straight Crushers' batters to collect hits with a single.
Cayden Wallace followed with a double, scoring Mazara to tie the score.
Rogelio Mercado knocked another double, this time scoring a pair to make it 4-2.
Jose Nieto made it 5-2 with the fifth hit of the inning.
The River Walkers did get a run in the bottom of the seventh, when they loaded the bases -- Nathaniel Dixon collected an RBI on a bases-loaded walk from Ed Sutherland -- but that was the game's final run.
Milwaukee starting pitcher George McCardel (8-9) lasted six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Sutherland got the first two outs of the seventh, before giving way to Jeff Munn, who finished it off and then also worked a scoreless eighth.
Bill Webb set the side down in order in the ninth for his 31st save.

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Record: 87-61, 2nd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Jose Ramirez doubled off Milwaukee reliever Mike Goldblatt with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring Daniel Becerra, to snap a 2-2 tie and give St. Louis a 3-2 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Becerra had singled just in front of Ramirez.
Ramirez was thrown at third trying to stretch his hit into a triple.
A two-run homer from Brett Baty off River Walkers starting pitcher Jerry Tate in the top of the first inning had staked the Crushers to an early 2-0 lead.
Jared Thomas matched that two-run homer for the Walkers in the bottom of the second when he went deep off Crushers starter Adam George.
Tate went six innings, allowing the two runs on four hits.
Nick Ruffalo pitched a scoreless seventh and recorded the first two outs in the eighth.
Cory Tiller failed to retire any of the three batters he faced, yet avoided giving up a run.
Yeison Santos came on and got Jose Flores to fly out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
Ernesto Barbosa worked around a one-out single in the ninth for his career-high 34th save.

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MBL news: Week 21 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 87-62, 2nd, 7.5 GB Des Moines
Rodolfo Cervantez shut out St. Louis into the sixth inning -- by which time Cedar Rapids led 3-0 -- and the Grapplers held on for a 3-2 win at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
Ryan Rickard broke up a scoreless game with a two-run, two-out double off River Walkers starting pitcher Xavier Wigfall in the bottom of the fourth inning.
An inning later, Jose Morillo belted his 26th home run of the season off Wigfall to make it 3-0.
St. Louis finally got to Cervantes in the sixth, Javon Gill with a two-run single to make it 3-2.
But Ivan Alonzo came on with the bases loaded an got Jae-hong Chang to fly out to end the inning.
Cervantez (9-12) allowed two runs on three hit over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight and walked two.
Alonzo finished the sixth and worked a scoreless seventh.
The eighth belonged to Keith Kirby, who set the Walkers down in order.
Daniel Johnson did the same in the ninth, striking out the side for his first save.

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Record: 88-62, 2nd, 6.5 GB Des Moines
St. Louis got a big lift from its bullpen after Kaneo Kawamoto left with an injury in the bottom of the second inning, as the River Walkers won 7-3 over Cedar Rapids at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
An injury-plagued season continued for the veteran Kawamoto
With St. Louis already ahead, he got through scoreless first, but allowed a lead-off single to Jose Morillo followed by a double to Eric Gebhardt to open the second before leaving with an undisclosed injury.
Ricky Cisneros took over and walked Phillip Dull to load the bases.
A Steven Williams fly ball scored a run to make it 2-1.
But Cisneros retired the next two to keep his team in front.
The Walkers had gone in front in the top of the first with a pair of runs off Grapplers starting pitcher Joey Ross.
Daniel Becerra led off the game with a single, and he moved to third on a Jose Ramirez double.
A wild pitch scored Becerra.
Ramirez later scored on a Nick Shaw ground out.
Cisneros would hold the Grapplers scoreless in the third and fourth innings.
Andres Hernandez (2-0) allowed a run in the fifth while working the fifth and sixth and recording the first out of the seventh.
Hernandez would earn the win.
Josh Grissom finished off the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth.
Kevin Baker allowed Cedar Rapids to load the bases in the ninth, but it didn't score.
Tied at 2-2, St. Louis took the lead for good on a two-run homer from Jose Segura off reliever Tim Lockhart in the sixth.
Ramirez cranked a three-run homer off Keith Kirby in the eighth to complete the scoring.
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Record: 89-62, 2nd, 6.5 GB Des Moines
Zack Hunsicker took a shut out into the eighth inning and St. Louis hit a pair of late-game home runs to defeat Cedar Rapids 3-0 at Connie Mack Stadium (1960).
The victory gave the River Walkers victories in the final two games of the three-game series.
Hunsicker (11-8) exited after allowing a two-out single to Mark Hill in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Yeison Santos took over and got Jose Servin to fly out to end the inning and keep it 1-0 in favor of the Walkers.
St. Louis, which had gone up 1-0 in the top of the seventh when Nick Shaw hit a two-out homer off Dave Schaeffer, expanded its lead in the top of the ninth when Nathaniel Dixon hit a two-out, two-run homer off Daniel Johnson.
Ernesto Barbosa set the Grapplers down in order in the ninth for his 35th save.
Hunsicker (11-8) owned a line of no runs on four hits over 7.2 innings. He struck out four and walked three.

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Record: 89-63, 2nd, 6.5 GB Des Moines
The late-season struggles of St. Louis starting pitcher Jesse McNaboe continued, as Fort Worth got to him for four runs in the five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, to lift the Mad Men to a 6-4 win at Ebbets Field (1948).
The loss was the fourth in the last five decisions for McNaboe (17-10), whose 17 victories lead the MBL.
Leading 2-1, it didn't take long for McNaboe to fritter that advantage away as he allowed six consecutive batters to reach base, including a walk and two wild pitches.
An Ian Happ drove in the inning's first run with a single.
The next two were plated by a single from Mike Reese.
Doran Gonzalez made it 6-2 with a two-run double.
Mad Men starting pitcher Terry Lesnau lasted just five innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out 10 and walked three.
Shinji Koizmi and Ross Keefe followed with scoreless innings.
Jesus Cervantez allowed a run while pitching the eighth.
So did Eric Warren in the ninth, but he still posted his 27th save.

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Record: 89-64, 2nd, 6.5 GB Des Moines
Fort Worth rocked St.Louis rookie starting pitcher Jerry Tate for six runs in less than five innings, and the Mad Men rolled to an 8-2 win at Ebbets Field (1948).
Fort Worth jumped to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Dorian Gonzalez led off with a triple and scored on a Jorge Goto fly ball.
Goto collected another RBI in the third, this one with a two-out solo homer off Tate.
The lead swelled to 5-0 in the fourth.
The Mad Men opened the inning with three consecutive hits, including an RBI single from Zach Ebert.
Gonzalez later collected an RBI with a single.
The inning's third run scored on a wild pitch.
Fort Worth finally chased Tate in the fifth.
Goto once again was in on the fun.
He led off the inning with a double and scored on an Ian Happ single.
With the score 6-1, Rrustemi made it a blowout with a two-run homer off reliever Andres Hernandez in the bottom of the seventh.
Once again, the Mad Men pitching staff piled up double-digit strikeouts.
After whiffing 15 in the series opener, this time led by 10-K effort from starter Roman Diaz they sent down 11 with three strikes.
Diaz (15-9) pitched 6.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out 10 and didn't walk a batter.
Antonio Gonzalez handled the rest of the game, allowing a meaningless run in the top of the ninth.
The Walkers suffered another injury in the loss, left-handed reliever Yeison Santos having to exit the game after facing three batters with a back injury.
He is expected to miss six days. The team is uncertain if it will make a roster move.