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

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Record[/B] 27-18, 1st, 4 GA Kansas City
St. Louis scored six runs in the top of the first and never looked back, rolling to a 13-6 win over Peoria at Global Life Park to complete a three-game sweep of the Rivermen.
The River Walkers put two of their first three batters on base, the third being a two-run triple by Jordan Groshans off Peoria starting pitcher Drew Rom.
Groshans later scored on a Jared Thomas fly ball.
Rick Scott drove in the inning's other three-runs with a two-out home run, the first of his two homers in the game.
Peoria scored a pair of runs in the third off Walkers starter Jesse McNaboe, but St. Louis responded with another six-spot in the top of the fourth.
Jared Thomas drove in the first three runs with a homer off Noah Murdock.
Thairo Estrada made it 10-3 with an RBI double.
Scott again capped the outburst with a homer, this one a two-run shot off Murdock.
McNadoe (2-0) wasn't great allowing six runs on 10 hits, but still came out of it with the win.
Andres Hernandez pitched a scoreless seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth.
Yeison Santos finished off the eighth inning.
Zach Evers worked a scoreless ninth.

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MBL news: Week 7 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 27-19, 1st, 3.5 GA Kansas City
Austin Hendrick hit a two-run home run off St. Louis reliever Elian Acosta with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, to help give Green Bay a 3-2 win at War Memorial Stadium.
Trailing 2-1, the Mallards saw reliever Cory Tiller retire their first two hitters in the eighth before giving up a single to Ozzie Albies.
Acosta then replaced Tiller, and on his third pitch, and with a 1-2 count, Hendrick launched a 388-foot shot over the wall in right-center to put his team in front.
St. Louis jumped out to a 2-0 lead with runs in the third - Jose Ramirez with an RBI single off Mallards starter Ryan Agnew -- and fourth -- solo homer by Jordan Groshans -- and Green Bay got on the board in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a lead-off homer from pinch-hitter Nick Hunt off Walkers starter Angel Tiburcio.
Agnew took care of the first five innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He also struck out nine and walked one.
After that it was an inning apiece, from Luca Daltari, Chris Rodriguez, Justin Doughtie and Armando Cintron.
Doughtie (4-0) earned the win.
Cintron collected his 11th save.
Walkers catcher Jared Thomas suffered an injury while running the bases and had to leave the game. No diagnosis of the injury has been made.

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Record: 28-19, 1st, 4.5 GA Kansas City
St. Louis blasted four home runs -- highlighted by a four-run top of the third inning -- and rode that to a 7-5 win over Green Bay at War Memorial Stadium
Down 1-0, the River Walkers took command with back-to-back homers in the top of the third.
Daniel Becerra struck first with a three-run shot off Mallards starter Trevor Criswell.
The next batter, Jose Segura, followed up with a solo shot to make it 4-1.
Green Bay climbed back to within 4-2, when Austin Hendrick homered off St. Louis starter Izzy San Juan.
The Walkers got that run back in the seventh, thanks to a Steve Rossi homer off Kirby McIntyre.
Pinch-hitter Joshua Rivera made it 7-2 with a two-run homer off Ryan Rolison.
The Mallards made it interesting with three runs in the ninth, but closer Ernesto Barbosa, although two runs scored while he was on the mound, got Jack Sigrist to hit into a fielder's choice to end it.
San Juan (4-4) lasted four innings, allowing two runs on three hits.
Elian Acosta pitched two scoreless innings.
Ricky Cisneros worked a scoreless eighth, and got the first out of the ninth before exiting.
Barbosa got two outs, but allowed one hit, and earned his ninth save.

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Record: 29-19, 1st, 5 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis launched a pair of first-inning home runs -- a lead-off homer from Jose Ramirez and a three-run shot by Jose Segura -- and the River Walkers rode that to a 7-5 win over Green Bay at War Memorial Stadium.
The win gave St. Louis' victories in the final two games of the three-game series.
Both of the first-inning homers came off Mallards starter Ben Hughes.
In the bottom of the first, Austin Hendrick hit a two-run homer off Walkers starter Zack Hunsicker to make it 4-2.
Ramirez homered for a second time -- this one a two-run homer off Chris Rodriguez -- in the sixth as the St. Louis lead grew to 6-2.
The Mallards, however, roared back with three runs in the sixth.
Yeison Santos replaced Hunsickers after he allowed three hitters to reach with one out -- one on an error by third baseman Jordan Groshans and a pair of walks -- proceeded to walk in a run and give up an RBI single to Pavin Smith as the Mallards drew to within 6-5.
But Green Bay would not score again -- and Groshans would add some insurance with solo homer off Steve Nilsen in the seventh -- as the Walkers escaped with the victory.
Hunsickers allowed five runs on three hits in 5.2 innings. He walked five and struck out the same number.
Santos finished the sixth and recorded the first out of the seventh.
Andres Santos got the final two outs of the seventh.
Argenis Batista pitched a scoreless eighth.
Ernesto Barbosa did the same in the ninth, striking out three batters on nine pitches, for his 10th save.

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St. Louis River Walkers catcher Jared Thomas is expected to miss at least six weeks after suffering a torn abdominal muscle during a 3-2 loss to Green Bay on May 26.
In 37 games this season, the 30-year-old Thomas has hit .301 with three homers and 22 RBIs.
For now, it looks like backup catcher Ricky Liriano will serves as the Walkers' primary catcher.
The 27-year-old has played in 19 games/13 starts and batted .218 with two homers and four RBIs.
Getting the callup from AAA Memphis is 31-year-old Kevin Melendez.
Melendez played in 33 games for the Redbirds, hitting just .177 with five homers and 15 RBIs.

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Record: 29-19, 1st, 4.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Kaneo Kawamoto turned in his best outing of the season with eight-shutout innings and St. Louis bashed five home runs, as the River Walkers downed Louisville 6-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
Kawamoto (4-4) scattered four hits over the eighth innings. He struck out nine and walked none. He exited after throwing more than 100 pitches.
Argenis Batista completed the game with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Offensively, the Walkers seized control when they hit three home runs in the second inning off Sluggers reliever Owen White.
Zachary Fuller started the game for Louisville, but left at the start of the second inning with an undisclosed injury.
White was greetred by Jose Segura, who hit a lead-off homer.
Two batters later,. Thairo Estrada smacked his first home run of the season, a solo shot.
Daniel Becerra completed the onslaught with a two-out, two-run shot.
St. Louis got its final two runs in the eighth, also via the long ball as Jordan Groshans and Segura went back-to-back off Matt Ray.

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Record: 31-19, 1st, 4.5 GA Cedar Rapids
St. Louis scored two runs in each of the first three innings - and later blew it open with a five-run bottom of the eighth -- as the River Walkers routed Louisville 11-2 at Busch Stadium (1997).
A homer from Jonathan Vaughns in the top of the first inning off St. Louis starter Jesse McNaboe staked the Sluggers to a brief 1-0 lead.
Vaughns would hit another solo shot in the , accounting for both of his team's runs.
That's because in the bottom of the inning, Jordan Groshans hit the first of his two homers, this one a two-run job off Louisville starter Joe Wahl.
An inning later, it was Jean Carmona going deep, his also a two-run homer off Wahl to make it 4-1.
In the third, Groshans bashed his second two-run bomb, again off Wahl, as St. Louis went up 6-1.
The Walkers' five-run eighth featured a solo homer from Jean Segura (off Owen White), a pair of bases-loaded walks issued by Brian Baker, and a two-run single from Steve Rossi off Josh Forgy.
McNaBoe (3-0) allowed two runs on six hits over 6.1 innings. He struck out fouc and walked none.
Yeison Santos finished the seventh and worked a scoreless eighth.
Argenis Batista struck out the side in the ninth.

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MBL news: Players and Pitchers of the Month for May 2031

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MBL news: Rookies of the Month for 2031 and standings

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MBL news: American League leaders on June 1, 2031

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MBL news: National League leaders on June 1, 2031

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Walkers news: June 1 -- Team statistics for June

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Player of the Month: Jose Ramirez -- The 27-year-old outfielder hit .282 with 10 homers, 23 RBIs and 21 runs scored on 26 games. He got on base at a .353 clip and slugged .631.
Starting Pitcher of the Month: Izzy San Juan -- The 32-year-old left-hander went 3-1 in five starts with a 1.55 ERA. He pitched a total of 29.0 innings, during which he struck out 13 and posted a 0.86 WHIP.
Relief Pitcher of the Month: Ernesto Barbosa -- The 29-year-old closer got into 11 games going 2-0 with seven saves and a 1.69 ERA. He pitched a total of 10.2 innings, during which he struck out 21 and had a 1.22 WHIP.

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Walkers news: June 1 -- Team statistics for 2031 season

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Walkers news: June 1 -- Player Development Report

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MBL news: June 1 -- All-Star fan voting update

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Record: 31-20, 1st, 3.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Louisville bludgeoned St. Louis ace Angel Tiburcio for five runs in the top of the third inning, and Jim Martin tossed six-innings of shutout ball, as Louisville downed the River Walkers 6-0 at Busch Stadium (1997).
The loss prevented the Sluggers from dropping a three-game series to St. Louis for the second straight weekend.
After a good first two innings, Tiburcio didn't look the same from the start of the third.
He allowed a lead-off single to Jacob Campbell, and he moved to second on a wild pitch while Vinny Figueroa was at the plate.
Figueroa eventually drew a walk, and a bunt from Martin moved the runner to second and third.
Joakin Osuna drove in the game's first run with a single.
After a strikeout of Jonathan Vaughns, Matt Bryant drove in anothere run with a double.
Brandon Clement then landed the big blow with a three-run homer.
Martin (3-4) allowed just two hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked the same.
Jose Hernandez pitched two scoreless innings.
Heriberto Ayala did the same in the ninth.

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MBL news: Week 8 -- Awards and standings

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Record: 31-21, 1st, 2.5 GA Cedar Rapids
Pinch-hitter Nolan Jones singled off reliever Elian Acosta with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to scored Ruben Villanueva and give Springfield a 5-4 win over St. Louis at Oracle Park.
Villanueva had led off the inning with a double off Andres Hernandez.
A ground ball by Matthew Lugo moved Villanueva to third, before Ben Breazale was issued an intentional walk.
Acosta came on and on his third pitch, Jones lined it left to bring Villaneauva home with the game-winning run.
The River Walkers had evened it at 4-4 in the top of the seventh on a pinch-hit single from Heston Kjerstad off Jaden Foster.
Railers starting pitcher Brian McIlmoyle handled the first five innings, allowing three runs on five hits.
After that, it was an inning apiece for Alex Claudio, Jaden Foster, Mike Fagan and Mario Reyes.
Fagan (2-0) earned the win.
Reyes now has nine saves.