2039 and beyond -- St. Louis River Walkers thread

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Record: 37-48, 5th/(Tied/w. Los Angeles, 8 GB Cedar Rapids
Rockford scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning off St. Louis closer Tom Floria paving the way for a 9-7 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
The Lightning took the first and third games in the three-game series.
A pinch-hit single with one out from Jon Walters got the Lightning going in the top of the ninth.
Floria then allowed the next four batters to reach base -- Manny Little drew a walk, Wade Martin singled to load the bases and David Blanton scored two single -- before exiting the game with the score now 9-7.
The ninth wasn't the only big inning for Rockford.
The Lighting scored three times in the top of the eighth -- turning a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 lead -- only to have the River Walkers score a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
Eric Stowe did the bulk of the damage for the Lightning in the top of the eighth hitting a three-run homer off Juan Munoz.
Munoz had put the first two hitters on via walk.
Manuel Coke homered off Jerry Krajancic in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game.
Lightning starting pitcher Danny Munos lasted just 3.2 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Scott Mueller followed him with 2.1 innings of work. He allowed two runs on four hits.
After that, Tony Arroyo pitched a scoreless seventh.
Krajancic (4-2) handled the eighth, gave up the tying run, but came out of it with the win.
Matt Whitmore set down the Walkers in the bottom of the ninth for his 15th save.

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MBL news: July 2 -- Week 15 - Awards and standings

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Record: 38-48, 5th/(Tied/w. Los Angeles), 7 GB Cedar Rapids and Des Moines
Kevin Hrdlicka limited Peoria to one run on three hits over the first six innings to lead St. Louis to a 2-1 win at Globe Life Field.
The lone run Hrdlicka (7-5) allowed came in the bottom of the first as the Rivermen took a 1-0 lead.
Danny Camargo singled to lead off the inning.
Jeff Neiderer and Bobby Dotson then sandwiched walks around a strike out of Tony Gamez to load the bases.
Camargo scored on a Josiah Redwine deep fly ball to center.
Ethan Rives then reached on a bunt to reload the bases.
But Hrdlicka got Roberto Guerra to fly out to keep it 1-0.
Hrdlicka allowed just one more hit -- a Tony Gamez double in the third -- the rest of the way.
He finished with 10 strike outs and four walks.
Nick Shaw provided both the River Walkers' runs with solo homers.
He tied the game with a 425-monster blast off Peoria starter Brad Monroe leading off the top of the second inning.
Shaw later took reliever Francisco Perez deep, this one came in the seventh and landed 378 feet carrying over the fence in left.
Three relievers all pitched an inning to close the game for the Walkers.
Chris Willett handled the seventh. Leo Hermosillo took care of the eighth.
The ninth belonged to closer Tom Floria, who notched his 14th save.

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Record: 38-49, 5th/(Tied/w. Los Angeles and Quad City), 8 GB Cedar Rapids
Tied 4-4, Peoria's Josiah Redwine scored on a wild pitch by St. Louis' Leo Hermosillo to score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Rivermen went on to defeat the River Walkers 5-4 at Globe Life Field.
One-out singles from Redwine and Roberto Guerra off St. Louis reliever Curt Donaldson had put Redwine at third.
Hermosillo took over and got Ronny Mauricio to fly out to shallow center for the second out.
But Hermosillo's first pitch for Jose Padilla eluded catcher Carlos Longoria allowing Redwine to cross the plate.
Peoria jumped on Walkers starter Juan Farias for three runs in the bottom of the first to go up 3-0.
Farias walked two of the first three batters he faced to set things in motion.
Bobby Dotson drove in the first run with a double.
Redwine made it 2-0 with a single.
Tony Gamez, who had walked, scored when Guerra hit into a force play.
St. Louis immediately climbed back into it with two runs in the top of the second.
Tommy Gardner provided the initial run with the first of his two homers off Rivermen starting pitcher Seth Sipple.
Ryan Wibbenmeyer later scored Quiang Chang with a single.
Guerra collected his second RBI of the game with a two-out single of reliever Kyle Smarr.
Smarr relieved Farias with a runner on first and two outs.
He proceeded to give up back-to-back singles to Redwine and Guerra to set up the Rivermen for the fourth run.
St. Louis, however, utilized the long ball to tie it.
Nick Shaw led off the sixth with his third homer in as many games, this one coming off Zach Stone who had just replaced Sipple.
Two batters later, Gardner tied it as he also put a Stone offering over the wall.
Sipple went five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits. He struck out three and didn't walk a batter.
Peoria used four relievers for an inning apiece -- Stone, Francisco Perez, Ryan Ganey and Mike German -- to close out the game.
The win went to Perez (7-4).
German earned his 15th save.

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Record: 39-49, 5th/ (Tied/w. Quad City), 8 GB Cedar Rapids
Brent Autin held Peoria scoreless into sixth inning and six relievers combined to do the rest of the job as St. Louis shut out the Rivermen 4-0 at Globe Life Park.
The win was the second of the three-game series for the River Walkers.
Autin (10-6) allowed three hits -- two singles and a double -- in his time on the mound. He struck out eight and walked four.
The right-hander exited the game after issuing his second walk of the sixth inning.
He had thrown 95 pitches.
Kyle Smarr came on and retired pinch-hitter Angel Solis for the inning's third out.
St. Louis scored single runs in the top of the fourth -- Nick Shaw with a two-out RBI double off Peoria starting pitcher Hans Aguiar -- and fifth -- Joe Allen drew a lead-off walk and scored on an Aguiar wild pitch -- to go up 2-0.
Rookie Josh Hurley later hit his first career homer at the major league level, a two-run shot off Mike German in the ninth, making it 4-0.
After Smarr finished the sixth inning, the Walkers went through most of their bullpen to finish the game.
Carlos Hernandez (0.2 IP) and Evan Palmer (0.1) combined on a scoreless seventh.
The eighth was handled by Tom Floria (0.2) and Juan Munoz (0.1).
Chris Willett got all three outs in the ninth.

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Record: 39-50, 6th, 8 GB Cedar Rapids
Tied 5-5, former River Walker Bob Saavedra connected for a pinch-hit single with one out in the top of the inning and later scored on a two-out single by Shenouda Sokina as Evansville edged the River Walkers 6-5 at Busch Stadium (2006).
Juan Munoz was on the mound for the entire ninth for the River Walkers.
After Saavedra's single, he walked Chris Cassidy before striking out Jeff Waldron for the second out.
Sokoine, however, singled past the first baseman on a 1-0 pitch to bring home the winning run.
Earlier, Sokoine had hit the first of a pair of two-run homers off St. Louis starter Augustin Perdomo in the third inning as the Bosses seized a 4-0 lead.
After Sokonine's homer, his third of the season, Larry Doherty two batters later cranked his third long ball of the campaign.
Evansville went up 5-1 in the fifth on a two-out RBI double from Danny McCauley off Perdomo.
But the Walkers rallied to even it by scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth.
Adam Stewart provided the big blow with a three-run double off Bosses starting pitcher Ben Wilson.
Wilson went five innings, allowing five runs on eight hits. He struck out four and walked two.
After that it was nothing but scoreless inning from the Evansville bullpen.
Rich Grisdale handled two innings.
Kevin Curlyo (2-0) earned the win after a scoreless eighth.
A silent ninth earned Matt Clark his 21st save.

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Record: 39-51, 6th/(Tied/w. Los Angeles), 9 GB Cedar Rapids
Tied 3-3, Evansville's Sam Muszynski connected on a two-out, two-run single off St. Louis reliever Leo Hermosillo to help lift the Bosses to a 5-3 win at Busch Stadium (2006).
Emilo Delgado and Danny McCauley had both singled off River Walkers starting pitcher Ming Xiang earlier in the inning.
Hermosillo took over with runners at the corners with one out and got Bob Saavedra to ground out, McCauley moving to second.
After an intentional walk to Jeff Waldron, who had homered off Xiang in the first inning for the game's opening run, Muszynski burned St. Louis lining a 2-2 pitch into left field to score a pair.
Both teams had scored twice in the top of the fifth to forge the 3-3 tie.
Ellis Straub hit a two-run homer with two outs to put the Bosses ahead 3-1.
In the bottom of the inning, Manuel Coke connected on a two-out, two-run single off Evansville starter Ed Cobb to even it at 3-3.
Cobb worked the first five innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out three and walked two.
Michael Bowen worked a scoreless sixth for the Bosses.
After that, Kevin Curylo (1.2 IP), Ricardo Fuentes (0.1) and Matt Clark (1.0) combined to finish the game.
Bowen (1-1) earned his first win.
Clark now has 22 saves.

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Record: 40-51, 6th, 8 GB Cedar Rapids
Kevin Hrdlicka took a shutout into the eighth inning and the St. Louis bullpen did the rest in a 4-0 win over Evansville at Busch Stadium (2006).
Hrdlicka (8-5) won for the fifth time in his last six starts -- the other being a no decision -- in a contest where he allowed three hits over 7.1 innings.
The right-hander struck out six and didn't walk a batter. He exited the game after allowing one-out single to Emilio Delgado with one out in the eighth. Hrdlicka threw 101 pitches.
The River Walkers got the only run they would need in the bottom of the second.
Tommy Gardner and Quang Chiang both singled with one out off Bosses starting pitcher Travis Rinker.
A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third.
Gardner scored on a deep fly ball to right hit by Alex Stewart.
Stewart scored St. Louis' second run after he was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the fifth.
A bunt by Hrdlicka moved him to second.
Stewart scored on a single by rookie Josh Hurley.
The Walkers final two runs came in the seventh
Ryan Wibbenmeyer led off with a single off Rinker.
Michael Bowen then replaced Rinker and surrendered a one-out double to Manuel Coke, scoring Wibbenmeyer.
Coke would score on a Mark Herman single.
Kyle Smarr got the final two outs of the eighth.
Closer Tom Floria handled the ninth despite it being a non-save situation.

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MBL news: July 8 -- All-Star game fan voting final results

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MBL news: July 8 -- All-Star game rosters

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The St. Louis River Walkers will be represented by third baseman/outfielder Mark Herman and closer Tom Floria at the All-Star game.
In his first year with the Walkers, the 27-year-old Floria is now a three-time All-Star having made it the previous two seasons while with the Louisville Sluggers.
This season, Floria has appeared in 26 games going 2-3 with 14 saves and a 2.93 ERA. He has pitched 27.2 innings, during which he has struck out 36 and posted a 1.37 WHIP.
Floria has one blown save.
This will be the second All-Star game for the 27-year-old Herman, who also made it in 2038.
In 2040, Herman has hit .300 with eight homers and 37 RBIs in 90 games/82 starts. He has scored 47 runs while getting on base at a .382 clip and slugging .454.

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MBL news: July 8 -- Prospects game rosters are set

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The St. Louis River Walkers have had two players -- starting pitcher Dirk Sobolik and second baseman Josh Skinner -- named to the National League roster for the annual Prospects Game.
Sobolik, 20, has pitched the entire season at Class A Peoria and has posted a 6-8 record with a 3.99 ERA in 17 starts.
A second-round pick in the 2038 draft, Sobolik has pitched 88.0 innings during which he has struck out 58 and posted a 1.58 ERA.
Skinner, 22, has split time between Peoria and high-A Palm Beach.
He has played in 81 games during which he has batted .252 with four homers and 37 RBIs.
Skinner was a 13th-round selection in the 2039 draft.

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Record: 41-51, 5th, 7 GB Cedar Rapids
Tied 2-2, St. Louis tallied two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and went on to defeat Evansville 4-2 at Busch Stadium (2006).
The victory gave the River Walkers a split of their four-game series with the Bosses.
Evansville pitcher Ricardo Fuentes was his own worst enemy during the St. Louis two-run outburst.
He walked four (two intentional) and also threw a wild pitch which allowed a run to score.
Pinch-hitter Joe Allen opened the inning by drawing the first of those walks.
Allen then stole second leading to an intentional walk of Jose Roman.
Quiang Chang got down a bunt to move the runners to second and third.
Manuel Coke was then given the second intentional walk of the inning.
Mark Herman drew another walk, this one not intentional, bringing home Allen with the tie-breaking run.
With two outs, Fuentes threw a wild pitch on a 0-1 count to Tommy Gardner as Ramon crossed the plate.
The game had been scoreless into the fifth when the Bosses tallied their only two runs of the game off St. Louis starter Juan Farias.
Jeff Waldron drove in both runs with a double.
St. Louis got on the board in the bottom of the fifth when Tom Blevins led off with a homer off Evansville starting pitcher Jeremy Kriech.
The Walkers tied it an inning later when Herman led off with a single off Kriech.
A Tommy Gardner one out single moved Herman to second.
Blevins then collected his second RBI of the game with a single to left.
Farias went 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out six and walked three.
Kyle Smarr got the final out of the seventh.
Curt Donaldson worked a scoreless eighth inning.
Closer Tom Floria gave up a run in the ninth, but not two, as he earned his 15th save.

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MBL news: July 8 -- American League Prospects cruise to 8-1 win

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MBL news: July 9 -- Week 16 -- Awards and standings

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MBL news: July 9 -- Rockford's Wade Martin wins Home Run Derby

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MBL news: July 10 -- American League wins All-Star game 5-4

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MBL news: July 15 -- American League leaders

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Walkers news: July 15 -- National League leaders