Week 9: May 26th-June 1st
Wichita has a habit of producing a better May than April and this year was no exception. Four series wins in the month led to 13 wins, two more than Aviators had produced the last two Mays. The crowd is holding up too, an average of almost 34,000 which is nearly a couple of thousand up on last year
Game 53 @ Edmonton Jackrabbits
5/26 @ Edmonton W 1-0
Wichita finally came through and won their fourth series of the month and their first 4-game series win. The only run of the game came in the third innings when newly promoted rookie Elmer Lomond hit a double and picked up his first 2044 BBA RBI driving in Jorge Reyes. The win was taken by another rookie, Ramon Guerrero, improving his record to 3-5 after pitching into the eighth allowing just four hits and a walk. Tony Alomar got the last five outs and collected his sixth save. It was their second shutout of Jackrabbits in the series.
Games 54, 55 & 56 @ Jacksonville Hurricanes
5/27 @ Jacksonville L 2-6
5/28 @ Jacksonville W 8-2
5/29 @ Jacksonville L 5-8
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The final series of May didn’t go as well as Wichita hoped, but at least they were able to put a few runs on the board. In the first game Aviators had thrown their bats away again, recording just four hits. The game was gone before Wichita scored a run in the eighth and the ninth innings. Determined to do better in game two Aviators opened up with three runs in the top of the first innings thanks to Elmer Lomond’s first BBA homer of 2044 and a 2-run shot by Luis Maldonado. They added three more in the third innings and the game was as good as won. Jason Bowen went 2-4 with a walk, scoring twice and driving two in. Chet Dickinson went the distance and picked up a complete game win, allowing five hits & two runs over the nine innings while striking out six. Trying for their fifth series win of the month it looked as though they might do it for a fleeting moment. Trailing 0-1 from the first innings Wichita scored three in the seventh and two in the eighth to make the win look possible. Hurricanes though put the game to bed in the bottom of the eighth, two 2-run homers helped them tally six runs in the innings and steal the win. Tony Alomar picked up his second blown save and third loss as he allowed five of those six eighth innings runs without getting an out.
Games 57 & 58 @ Montreal Blazers
5/31 @ Montreal L 0-6
6/1 @ Montreal L 4-6
The final game of the month was another of those no-bat days for Wichita, just three hits and shutout again. Four runs given up the fourth innings got Damon Tipping the early hook as his record fell to 1-8. The second game was a bit better in Montreal, but the outcome was the same. Down 4-0 early on, Aviators closed to 4-3, but that was as good as it got. A 3-run homer by Juan Hernandez was his only hit from three AB’s and Duane Whitley Jr got on base through a hit and a hit-by-pitch and scored both times. Ramon Guerrero gave up eight hits and four walks to become the second successive starter to be hooked early in this series.
Regular Season Standings (June 1st)
2044 Record v Johnson League
| Frontier | HW | HL | AW | AL | Atlantic | HW | HL | AW | AL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | Atlantic City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calgary | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Brooklyn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Edmonton | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Charlotte | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Las Vegas | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | Charm City | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Mexico City | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Jacksonville | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Phoenix | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | Montreal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| San Antonio | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | New Orleans | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wichita | X | X | X | X | Rockville | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 6 | 13 | 7 | 15 | TOTALS | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 |