Week Eight: May 19th – 25th
Game 45 vs Mexico City Aztecs
5/19 vs Mexico City W 8-0 (28,383)
After losing the five previous 2043 meetings to Aztecs, the Aviators finally came good in one. They scored seven runs in the first three innings and the game was as good as over. Jim Gouzzie went 3-4, scoring twice and driving a run in while Takanori Goto posted his third win in Wichita colours, he pitched into the ninth innings allowing five hits while walking two and striking out two. Sergio Rojas got the last two outs to complete the shut-out. The win also lifted Wichita off the bottom of the Frontier Division for the first time in living memory.
Games 46, 47 & 48 @ San Antonio Outlaws
5/20 @ San Antonio W 1-8
5/21 @ San Antonio L 1-8
5/22 @ San Antonio W 5-4
After the high of a shutout against Mexico it was a downer at San Antonio. In game one Hector Garza’s eighth innings RBI double produced Aviators only run when 8-0 down already and in game two they left it later as Clive Timberlake’s ninth innings single drove in Duane Whitley Jr for Aviators only run, again Wichita were 8-0 down at the time. In the final game of the series Aviators finally showed a bit of fight. Scoring in the second, third and fourth innings Wichita found themselves 3-0 up. Outlaws came back to 3-3 by the end of the fifth, but for once Aviators fought back, runs in the sixth & the eighth finally got us a win.
Games 49,50 & 51 @ Boise Spuds
5/23 @ Boise L 4-5
5/24 @ Boise L 2-6
5/25 vs Boise L 2-5
Moving on to the Turds Spuds it was another fruitless series. Boise snapped a 2-2 tie with three runs in the seventh and that was enough despite Aviators scoring a run in the eighth & ninth innings. Jose Montoya kept his walk rate up, walking another five batters while Juan Hernandez went 2-4, driving two runs in and scoring once. Aviators scored first & last in the second game but unfortunately allowed Spuds six runs in between. Jason Bowen getting two of Aviators five hits and scoring one of their two runs. Four runs in the fifth innings of the series final game extended Boise’s lead to 5-0, Aviators only reply was back to back solo shots from Duane Whitley Jr & Luis Maldonado in the seventh innings.
Regular Season Standings (May 25th)
2043 Record v Johnson League
| Frontier | HW | HL | AW | AL | Atlantic | HW | HL | AW | AL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | Atlantic City | - | - | - | - |
| Calgary | - | - | 2 | 1 | Brooklyn | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| Edmonton | - | - | 2 | 2 | Charlotte | - | - | - | - |
| Las Vegas | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Charm City | - | - | - | - |
| Mexico City | 1 | 5 | - | - | Jacksonville | 2 | 1 | - | - |
| Phoenix | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Montreal | 0 | 3 | - | - |
| San Antonio | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | New Orleans | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| Wichita | X | X | X | X | Rockville | - | - | - | - |
| TOTALS | 4 | 15 | 10 | 11 | TOTALS | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
Pitcher of the Week: 26-yr-old Takanori Goto has been one of the better pitchers since being claimed off waivers from Brooklyn. This week he posted a 1-1 record from two starts. Pitching 13.1 innings, he allowed 13 hits, five walks and four hits while striking out two batters.
Batter of the Week: 24-yr-old Clive Timberlake in six games hit .333/.360/.500 with a homer and four RBI. He also walked once and scored four times.