2031 St. Louis River Walkers: The ring is the thing

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Record: 13-6, 1st, 3 GA Kansas City
Jose Segura connected on an RBI single with two outs in the top of the 16th inning to snap a 1-1 tie which had stood since the second inning, as St. Louis squeaked out a 2-1 win over Kansas City at Royals Stadium (1973).
The win was the second in a row for the River Walkers, who won the three-game series.
Joshua Rivera had led off the top of the 16th with a single off Monarchs reliever Javier Assad.
Thairo Estrada reached on an one-out error by KC second baseman Cory Acton.
A walk to Steve Rossi then loaded the bases, and brought Travis Rinker into the game.
On a 3-1 pitch, Segura grounded a single into left-center bringing home Rivera with the long-awaited winning run.
Both of the game's other runs had come in the second inning.
Jordan Groshans had led off the St. Louis second with a single off KC starter Anderson Parra and scored on a Jean Carmona fly ball.
Darren Miller led off the bottom of the second with a homer off Kaneo Kawamoto.
Kawamoto pitched seven innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out five and didn't walk a batter.
Five relievers combined to pitch the next nine innings for St. Louis without allowing a run.
Cory Tiller, Yeison Santos and closer Ernesto Barbosa all pitched two innings.
Zach Evers recorded four outs, and Ricky Cisneros registered five.
Cisneroes (1-1) came out of the marathon with the win.

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MBL news: Week 3 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 13-7, 1st, 2 GA Kansas City
St. Louis jumped out to a 6-0 lead after just 1.5 innings, but watched it vanish as Rockford scored 13 runs between the third through sixth innings and rolled to a 13-7 win at RFK Stadium (2005).
The River Walkers batted around in the first inning.
Ricky Liriano contributing the biggest hit with a two-run single off Lightning starter Rob Dobzanski.
An inning later, Steve Rossi cracked a two-run homer off Dobzanski to make it 6-0.
Rockford's comeback started in the third, when Javy Monjaraz connected for a two-out, two-run triple off St. Louis starter Lenyn Crisp.
In the fourth, Jake Holland hit the first of Rockford's five homers in the game, also off Crisp.
After he retired the first two batters in the fifth, the wheels completely fell off for Crisp.
He gave up two straight hits -- a double to Alex Freeland, followed by Drew Mendoza single -- before Scott Baron put the Lightning in front with a three-run homer.
Rookie left Ron Peterson recorded the final out of the fifth, and with the Walkers short-handed in the bullpen because of a 16-inning game the day before, St. Louis was hoping to get some pitches out of him.
But once again, Peterson was plagued by his control.
After retiring the lead-off hitter, Peterson walked the next two before seeing Mike Clay reach on an error by Rossi in right field to load the bases.
He then walked Javy Monjaraz to drive in a run.
Still, with a pair of left-handers slated to hit they stuck with Peterson.
It didn't work out.
Alex Freeland hit a grand slam.
The next batter, Drew Mendoza, also powered the first pitch he saw over the wall for a 13-6 lead.
Dobzanski lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing six runs on six hits.
Rick Sessions took over of the final out of the second and got the game to the sixth.
Yuki Matsui and Chris Clarke pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings, respectively.
Bill Singer did the same in the eighth, but could not finish it off allowing the Walkers to load the bases in the ninth.
Luis Palomo did walk in a batter, but still was able to seal the deal.

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The St. Louis River Walkers have sent 25-year-old left-handed reliever Ron Peterson to AAA Memphis, and recalled 30-year-old lefty Argenis Batista from the Redbirds.
Among the top pitching prospects in the Midwest Baseball League, the Walkers were hoping to use Peterson in the bullpen this season after missing much of 2030 with an elbow injury.
It could not have gone much worse.
In eight outings covering 10.2 innings, Peterson has gone 1-1 with a 10.13 ERA. He has allowed seven home runs and a 1.97 WHIP.
It is likely Peterson will be inserted into the rotation of the Redbirds.
Batista is a familiar face in St. Louis having started his career with the Walkers, and playing in the majors for them -- primarily as a starting pitcher from 2022 through 2026 before leaving via free agency.
He spent the last four seasons with Green Bay, mainly working out of the bullpen, before agreeing to a minor-league contract with St. Louis in the offseason.
In 2031, he has pitched in six games for Memphis posting no record, a pair of savces and a 0.00 ERA.

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Record: 13-8, 1st, 1 GA Kansas City
Tied 1-1, St. Louis starting pitcher Angel Tiburcio ran into a bout of wildness in the bottom of the sixth inning -- issuing four walks and a wild pitch -- opening the door for a three-run inning for Rockford, and the Lightning went on to win 4-1 at RFK Stadium (2005).
Dominating by pitching into the fifth inning, the Lightning broke on top in the bottom of that inning.
Again, Tiburcio's wildness played into it.
Christian Moore doubled with one out. He went to third on a Jason Dugger single, and scored on one of Tiburcio's three wild pitches.
A solo homer from Jordan Groshans off Rockford starter Melvin Chavez with two outs in the top of the sixth tied it.
However, in the bottom of the frame, Tiburcio walked three of the first four batters to load the bases.
Drew Mendoza untied it with a sacrifice fly, before another wild pitch allowed a run to score.
Zach Evers replaced Tiburcio, but he got burned when a throw by catcher Jared Thomas got away on a nubber hit in front of the plate by Dugger as another run scored to make it 4-1.
Chavez was impressive in his five innings, allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking two.
After that, it was one inning apiece for Chris Clarke, Matt Fako, Luis Palomo and Luke Dunkin.
Fako (2-1) earned the win. Dunkin earned his sixth save.

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Record: 13-9, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 1.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Travis Gettemy allowed just one run over 5.1 innings, and Rockford expanded a 1-0 lead to 4-0 with three-run bottom of the fifth, and the Lightning held on to defeat St. Louis 4-3 at RFK Stadium (2005).
The win gave Rockford a sweep of the three-game series.
The Lightning went up 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth on a homer from Wade Martin off River Walkers starter Izzy San Juan.
In the fifth, Freeland opened the inning with a single off San Juan, and a walk to Javy Monjaraz put two runners aboard.
Raynel Delgada made them pay with a three-run homer.
Gettemy (2-1) allowed one run on two hits over 5.1 innings. He struck out eight and walked two.
Bill Singer finished the sixth inning, and also got the first two outs of the seventh before exiting with a runner on base.
That's why he was charged with one of the two runs when Jean Carmona hit a two-run homer off Yuki Matsui.
But Rick Sessions pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
Luke Dunkin did the same in the ninth for his seventh save.

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Walkers news: May 1 -- Player Development Report

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MBL news: May 1 -- Player and Pitchers of the Month for April 2031

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MBL news: May 1 -- Rookies of the Month and standings

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MBL news: May 1 -- American League leaders

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MBL news: May 1 -- National League leaders

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Walkers news: May 1 -- Team statistics for April

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Player of the Month: Jean Segura -- The 26-year-old center fielder batted .346 with nine homers, 23 RBIs and 16 runs scored in 22 games. He got on base at a .421 clip and slugged .728.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Zack Hunsicker -- The 31-year-old right-hander went 3-0 in four starts with a 2.05 ERA. He pitched a total of 26.1 innings, during which he struck out 18 and had a 0.87 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher of the Month -- Elian Acosta -- A newcomer, the 31-year-old lefty got into eight games during which he went didn't have a record or save but boasted 0.00 ERA over nine innings. He struck out 15 and had a 1.22 WHIP.

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Record: 14-9, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 1.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Down 1-0, St. Louis scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning, and pretty much rolled from there on the way to a 11-4 win over Grand Rapids at Busch Stadium (1997).
2030 American League MVP Matt Crawl singled home a run off River Walkers starter Zack Hunsicker in the top of the first to put the Traders on top.
However, St. Louis was quick to go to work against Grand Rapids starter Gerrado Guerra in the bottom of the inning.
Nathaniel Dixon led off the inning with a single, and Jean Carmona did the same thing.
Jose Ramirez scored Dixon with a fly ball.
Two more singles, from Steve Rossi and Jordan Groshans loaded the bases.
Rick Scott unloaded them, scoring two with a two-out double.
The Walkers doubled their lead in the third.
Jared Thomas plated two with a double off Guerra.
After a Crawl solo shot off Hunsicker in the sixth made it 6-2, St. Louis responded with two runs in the bottom half.
The runs came easy with a bases-loaded walk to Thomas (by Victor Castaneda) and a hit-by-pitch against Scott (by Dan Bouwman).
Ramirez put the cherry on top with a three-run homer off Bouwman in the seventh.
Hunsicker (4-0) allowed two runs on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Argenis Batista made his first appearance since being called up from Memphis, giving up two pretty-much-meaningless runs in the ninth.

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Record: 14-10, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 0.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Grand Rapids scored five runs over the first four innings off St. Louis starting pitcher Kaneo Kawamoto, and then held on for a 5-4 win at Busch Stadium (1997).
Kawamoto got himself into trouble in the first walking one batter and hitting another, which opened the door for Rece Hinds to plate two with a double.
Hinds was part of the mix again in the third, connecting on the first of three consecutive doubles off Kawamoto.
Bill Taylor and Sean Nettles collected the other, along with the RBIs which went with them, to make it 4-1.
Leonardo Rodriguez led off the fourth with a single off Kawamoto.
He moved to third when Marcos Francis also single.
And when Kawamoto unleashed a pitch catcher Jared Thomas could not handle, Rodriguez crossed the plate to make it 5-1.
The Walkers used the long ball to make it close with solo homers from Rick Scott (fifth), Jose Segura (sixth) and Ricky Liriano (ninth), but it left them one run short.
Traders starting pitcher Francisco Justo (2-2) allowed three runs on five hits over 5.1 innings.
Jose Tapia finished the sixth and worked the seventh.
Zachary Stella and Oscar Martinez both pitched an inning apiece.
Martinez collected his seventh save.

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Record: 15-10, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 0.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Down 3-1, St. Louis tied it with two runs in the bottom of the third and took the lead for good with another run in the fourth, as the River Walkers went on to defeat Grand Rapids 6-3 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Marcos Francis' two-run homer off St. Louis starting pitcher Lenyn Crisp in the top of the third had put the Traders up 3-1.
The Walkers answered with a pair of solo shots in the bottom of the inning -- Jose Ramirez and Jose Segura both connecting off Grand Rapids starter Jason Dexheimer -- to tie it.
An inning later, Ramirez took reliever Victor Castaneda deep to put St. Louis in the lead for good.
The Walkers added single runs in the sixth -- Joshua Rivera doubled off Dan Bouwman and scored on a Jean Carmona single -- and seventh -- Steve Rossi tripled off Zachary Stella and scored on a Jared Thomas single -- to pad their advantage.
Crisp pitched 4.1 innings allowing three runs on four hits, before being pulled when he got into trouble in the sixth.
Ricky Cisneros (2-1) got out of that fifth inning jam and also worked a scoreless sixth to earn the win.
Andres Hernandez (1.1 IP) and Zach Evers (0.2) combined to pitch the seventh and eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa worked around a lead-off hit in the ninth to earn his fourth save.

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Record: 16-10, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 1.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Angel Tiburcio tossed a gem limiting Grand Rapids to a single run over eight innings -- he also struck out 13 while walking none -- and St. Louis scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth as it downed Grand Rapids 2-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
With the win, the River Walkers took three of four games in their series with the Traders.
Grand Rapids starter Yefri Del Rosario was almost as impressive as Tiburcio, he allowed one run on two hits over seven innings, while striking out seven and walking one.
The lone score he allowed came on a homer from Steve Rossi in the sixth inning.
Tiburcio (3-2) scattered four hits over his eight frames. The lone Grand Rapids run came on a homer from Jarrod Twoney in the top of the fourth.
St. Louis won it in the eighth against Traders reliever Bill Van Gieson.
Rick Scott led off the inning with a single, before being replaced by pinch-runner Armando Morales.
A one-out bunt by Joshua Rivera moved Morales to second.
He scored on a pinch-hit single by Nathaniel Dixon.
Walkers closer Ernesto Barbosa allowed Grand Rapids' first two hitters in the ninth to reach base, but he retired the next three to register his fifth save.

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MBL news: Week 4 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 16-11, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 1.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Justin Wrobleski shut out St. Louis over the first six innings, and a trio of relievers all handled an inning apiece, as Milwaukee downed the River Walkers 1-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium (1976).
Wrobleski (5-0) allowed just two hits -- both singles -- while striking out seven and walking two.
Dan McLoughlin fronted the bullpen effort with a scoreless seventh.
Omar Garcia and Bill Webb followed suit in the final two frames.
Webb posted his seventh save.
The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the against Walkers starter Izzy San Juan.
Andres Gimenez led off the inning with a single.
A wild pitch moved him to second, and a Noah Naylor ground out planted him on third.
Another ground out, this one by Nomar Mazara, sent Gimenez across the plate.

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Record: 16-12, 1st (Tied/w. Kansas City), 0.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Milwaukee strung together three straight singles to open the bottom of the 12th inning to squeak out a 3-2 win over St. Louis at Milwaukee County Stadium (1976).
Erik Rivera got things going with a lead-off single off River Walkers reliever Argenis Batista.
Zach Evers took over for St. Louis, but he allowed a single to Jose Flores which moved Rivera to second.
Cayden Wallace finished it with a single on a 0-1 pitch past the second baseman.
Grant McCray put Milwaukee in front 2-0 in the bottom of the first with a two-run homer off St. Louis starter Zach Hunsicker.
The Walkers fought their way back to tie it.
Jared Thomas singled with two outs off Crushers starter Ryan Wimbush in the top of the second, and ended up scoring on a throwing error by Wimbush on a ball hit by Hunsicker.
St. Louis didn't tie it until the ninth.
Thomas again scored the run, this time he led off with a single off reliever Omar Garcia.
Armondo Morales ran for Thomas and stole second base, and ended up on third when catcher Jose Flores' throw ended up in the outfield.
Thairo Estrada scored Morales with a single.
Wimbush worked 5.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits.
Mike Goldblatt finished the sixth and worked a scoreless seventh,
Mike Goodkin handled the eighth, before Garcia blew the save in the ninth.
Andrew Stephany was on the mound for 2.1 innings, before Jhoan Duran came on to get the final two outs of the 12th.
That set Duran (1-0) to earn his first win of the season.