Jennings Gives AirHogs Series Win
Jason Jennings celebrated his 33rd birthday in style, pitching seven shutout innings to help the Grand Prairie AirHogs defeat the Wichita Wingnuts 4-0 in front of 2,508 fans at QuikTrip Park, avenging an earlier loss to Wichita starter Derek Blacksher.
Blacksher (4-7), who defeated the AirHogs (41-19) with a one-run, eight-inning, 10-strikeout performance in June as a member of the Fort Worth Cats, ran into trouble immediately in the first. He threw seven straight balls to start his night and walked two of the first three hitters. Cesar Nicolas made Blacksher pay with a long two-run double to right-center to give Grand Prairie the lead, and Chris McMurray's two-out RBI single made it 3-0.
In the third, Nicolas struck with another RBI double to give the AirHogs a 4-0 lead, but Blacksher got through the next three innings unscathed to keep the Wingnuts (32-29) within striking distance.
But Jennings (7-1) did not let them get anything on the board in his seven frames, stranding all eight baserunners he let aboard (six hits and two walks). The righty allowed only one extra-base hit and struck out seven, allowing the Wingnuts two hits in 17 at-bats with runners on base.
Righty reliever Kyle Gunderson struggled with his command in his AirHogs debut, walking two of the three hitters he faced around a pop-up. Jon Fulton then came in and got a flyout from Peter Barrows and a strikeout of Josh Horn to end the inning, before Jon Hunton finished things off with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The AirHogs have Monday off before embarking on a nine-game, 10-day, three-city road trip, beginning at Cohen Stadium against the El Paso Diablos on Tuesday, July 19. The next home game at QuikTrip Park is Friday, July 29, against the Lincoln Saltdogs at 7:05 p.m.
