Rainwater Ties League Record In Another AirHogs Win
Grand Prairie AirHogs pitcher Josh Rainwater tied two other pitchers for a league record in wins in a season, virtually clinching the league wins crown for 2011 with seven innings of two-run ball, helping the AirHogs to a 5-2 win over the Amarillo Sox in front of 2,695 at QuikTrip Park.
Rainwater (14-6) retired eight of the first nine and finished the first three innings by facing the minimum. He worked around two hits in the fourth before another perfect frame in the fifth.
Meanwhile, the Airhogs (64-35) got a run in the first on a leadoff double by Stephen Douglas and a two-out single by Greg Porter against Austin Chambliss (1-6). The game remained 1-0 until Grand Prairie struck for four in the fifth, getting another RBI from Porter along with run-scoring hits by Douglas, Danny Figueroa and Greg Porter.
The Sox (43-56) struck back for two in the sixth on back-to-back RBI hits with two outs by Lee Cruz and Tim Alberts, but Rainwater got out of that frame as well as a two-runner jam in the seventh, ending his night with eight strikeouts, no walks and seven hits allowed.
Jon Fulton worked a 1-2-3 eighth, while Jon Hunton escaped a hit and a walk in the ninth by inducing a grounder to short to pick up his league-best 25th save of the season.
