Grand Prairie Reporter

The Kansas City T-Bones had already taken the lead on an RBI triple by Brandon Jones in the top of the eighth, and had runners at first and third with one out, and Justin Bass at the plate against lefty Ronnie Morales. Bass lined a one-hopper to second, and Bridger Hunt flipped the ball to Yasutsugu Nishimoto, who relayed to first for an apparent inning-ending double play. But third-base umpire Dan Kily ruled that Nishimoto did not touch the base, allowing Jones’ run to count as the T-Bones went up 4-2. AirHogs manager Ricky VanAsselberg was ejected for the second time in a week following an argument with Kily, but that run loomed large as the AirHogs got one back in the eighth and lost 4-3 in front of a big crowd of 5,981 at QuikTrip Park.

Grand Prairie (5-4) took the lead on a Chris McMurray single in the second, but then T-Bones starter Matt Mitchell (1-1) retired 11 straight AirHogs as Kansas City (4-5) continued to threaten against AirHogs starter Josh Strawn and eventually took the lead.

Continue reading "T-Bones Nip AirHogs After Controversial Eighth" »

Posted by Editor at 06:53 AM | Permalink

For the second time in as many starts, Grand Prairie AirHogs starter Lance Janke was a victim of zero run support, as lefty Devin Anderson and three Kansas City T-Bones relievers shut out the AirHogs 8-0 to start their series at QuikTrip Park on Thursday.

The AirHogs (5-3) had a threat in the bottom of the first, but Anderson (1-1) struck out Andres Rodriguez and Greg Porter with runners at the corners.

Kansas City (3-5) then took the lead in the second, getting a pair each of triples and singles to score two. Janke (0-2) held them off the scoreboard again until an unearned run in the sixth, but Grand Prairie never mounted much of a threat after the first.

The AirHogs’ two best chances came after a leadoff double in the fifth and with two on and one out in the seventh against reliever Steve Kent, but in each instance Grand Prairie could not find the big hit.

While the T-Bones bullpen threw three shutout innings, the AirHogs’ pen struggled in the eighth, allowing three walks, a hit batter and three singles as Kansas City scored five times to put the game to bed.

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Grand Prairie AirHogs righty Nick DeBarr dominated the El Paso Diablos lineup Wednesday morning, facing just three over the minimum in a four-hit shutout as the AirHogs swept El Paso with a 6-0 win in front of a Grand Bank of Texas Education Day crowd of 3,848.

After DeBarr (2-0) tossed a perfect first, he took care of a pair of singles in the second and third with ground-ball double plays. He allowed a two-out single in the fourth and a two-out walk in the seventh and a one-out error in the eighth, while the AirHogs (5-2) built up a big lead in the second, third and fourth innings against Osvaldo Rodriguez (1-1).

Greg Porter and Brian Myrow began the second with singles, and after a David Thomas fielder’s choice, Zane Chavez sliced a double to left to score Porter. Yasutsugu Nishimoto picked up his first RBI with a groundout to short to make it 2-0, and Andres Rodriguez made it three an inning later with an RBI single to left.

Myrow tripled to right to start the bottom of the fourth, and after Thomas was hit in the foot, Chavez hit a long fly to left-center for another double, driving in two more to knock out Rodriguez. Bridger Hunt finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly to center later that inning off reliever Colin Allen.

Having thrown just 85 pitches through eight innings, DeBarr came back out for the ninth and allowed a single to Maikol Gonzalez. But Bryan Frichter bounced into a 5-4-3 double play started by rookie Kenny Held, who had just replaced Myrow at third in his first professional inning, and Uriak Marquez grounded to second to give DeBarr the first complete game or shutout in the American Association this season.

Posted by Editor at 05:32 PM | Permalink

All nine Grand Prairie AirHogs hitters had at least one hit and eight scored one run as the balanced AirHogs offense used a six-run fourth inning to beat the El Paso Diablos 8-4 in front of a Grand Bank of Texas GPISD Education Day crowd of 4,319 at QuikTrip Park on Tuesday morning.

Maikol Gonzalez homered on the third pitch of the game to give El Paso (1-5) an early lead off John Brownell (1-1), but the AirHogs starter retired nine of the next 10 hitters with five strikeouts to stop any momentum from the homer.

The AirHogs (4-2) tied the game in the second, getting a leadoff triple from Andres Rodriguez when Kory Drew and Brian Joynt survived a scary mid-air collision in left-center when they both tried to dive for the ball. Greg Porter followed with an RBI groundout to tie the game, but the Diablos got that run back in the fourth on a Patrick Arlis RBI double.

El Paso starter Eric Blackwell (0-2) could not hold the lead for long, as the AirHogs used four short hits and one long one to take control in the bottom of that inning.

Bridger Hunt started it with a swinging bunt single to third, and Trent Lockwood singled to right to put two on with no out, with both runners moving up on the throw. Rodriguez grounded out to tie the game and move Lockwood to third, and Porter mimicked Hunt with a swinging bunt single to third as well. After Brian Myrow struck out, David Thomas laid down a perfect bunt single with two outs to score Lockwood, and Chris McMurray followed with a long three-run homer to left-center to make it 6-2.

Yasutsugu Nishimoto had the fourth AirHogs’ infield hit of the frame when he lined one off the glove of a diving Bryan Frichter at short, and when JJ Muse’s throw in from right on Keanon Simon’s double got away from the infielders, Nishimoto scampered home with the final run of the inning.

Brownell got around a two-out single in the fifth, but allowed two hits to start the sixth. After Palmer Karr grounded out to move the runners up, Muse hit a sacrifice fly to make it 7-3, and Joynt singled to cut the AirHogs’ lead to three. But Brownell got Drew to foul out on a nice play by McMurray, and finished his day with a quick 1-2-3 seventh, finishing with seven hits, four runs, two walks and eight strikeouts to his name.

Griffin Bailey allowed a pair of one-out hits in the eighth, but got Muse on a groundout and struck out Joynt to end the threat, while Myrow hit his first AirHogs homer on a drive down the rightfield line leading off the bottom of the eighth to give the AirHogs a four-run cushion. Derrick Miramontes then came in for Grand Prairie and finished things off with a hitless, scoreless ninth.

Posted by Editor at 09:04 PM | Permalink

By Josh Hirsch/Grand Prairie AirHogs

In front of the largest crowd in franchise history, the Grand Prairie AirHogs provided their fans with their money’s worth on Monday night, as they followed up their championship ring ceremony with a dramatic, come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the El Paso Diablos in the AirHogs’ home opener in front of 7,101 at QuikTrip Park.

The winning run scored on a passed ball by Patrick Arlis with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, allowing Yasutsugu Nishimoto to trot home, after former AirHogs closer Geivy Garcia had intentionally walked Trent Lockwood with one out.

Continue reading "AirHogs Win in Front of Record Crowd" »

Posted by Editor at 08:56 AM | Permalink

It might have taken a little spark from their manager’s ejection, but the Grand Prairie AirHogs’ offense finally came to life on Sunday night, as they scored 10 runs in the middle innings en route to a 12-4 win over the Laredo Lemurs at Uni-Trade Stadium on Sunday night.

The win earned the AirHogs (2-2) a split of the season-opening four-game series, and a measure of satisfaction before returning to Grand Prairie for Monday’s home opener.

Although the margin was large at the end, with two outs in the top of the fourth it was 1-0 Laredo and the AirHogs had already lost Ricky VanAsselberg arguing a controversial call in the first. But the momentum changed on a grounder up the middle by Greg Porter, that Anthony Scelfo threw away. Trent Lockwood and David Thomas followed with singles to load the bases, and Zane Chavez knocked in a pair with a single to give Grand Prairie a 2-1 lead.

Laredo (2-2) tied it off Josh Strawn (1-0) with a Luis Uribe triple in the bottom half of the fourth, but Grand Prairie seized the lead for good in the fifth. Lefty Edwin Walker (0-1) came in for starter Stephen Kahn and gave up a bunt single to Keanon Simon. After Bridger Hunt sacrificed him to second, Brian Myrow looped a double to right to make it 3-2 and the AirHogs never looked back. Andres Rodriguez doubled to left for another run and Greg Porter tripled to right to give Grand Prairie a 5-2 edge, before Chavez’s RBI single finished off the inning.

Grand Prairie added four more in the sixth, with two scoring on a Lockwood double to make it 10-2, and the rout was on.

Strawn went six innings, with eight hits and two runs allowed, walking no one while striking out four. Derrick Miramontes allowed a pair of unearned runs in the seventh, but Grand Prairie got them both back on a long home run by Chris McMurray in the ninth off former AirHogs closer Jon Hunton.

Mike Hart struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth and got a double play to erase a leadoff single in the ninth to finish things off for the AirHogs.

Posted by Editor at 11:35 PM | Permalink

Just like in Thursday night’s season-opener, the Grand Prairie AirHogs wasted runners on base throughout the game, as the Laredo Lemurs stranded seven baserunners and shut the AirHogs out 6-0 at Uni-Trade Stadium on Saturday night.

It did not take long for the Lemurs (2-1) to jump on top in the game, with Anthony Scelfo taking Lance Janke’s fifth pitch over the left field wall for the first home run in Lemurs history.

In the third, Scelfo started more trouble for Janke (0-1) when he lined a ball to left-center that Keanon Simon ran down but then saw pop out of his glove. Simon’s throw then skipped out of play and Scelfo was awarded home plate to make it 2-0. Yunesky Sanchez then crushed a solo home run to left to give the Lemurs a three-run lead, and they added one more in the inning on an RBI single by Ernie Banks, Jr. to go up by four.

Continue reading "Lemurs Silence AirHogs’ Bats Again" »

Posted by Editor at 07:16 AM | Permalink

As was the case in the majority of their 39 losses in 2011, the Grand Prairie AirHogs had their chances in the 2012 season opener at Uni-Trade Stadium. But Thursday night the big hits never came, as the AirHogs stranded 10 men on base in a 5-1 defeat to the Laredo Lemurs in that franchise's and stadium's first game.

Grand Prairie (0-1) actually got on the board first, with a long solo home run by Trent Lockwood to right-center in the second inning. But that was all the AirHogs would get against Lemurs starter Todd Privett (1-0) and a trio of relievers.

John Brownell (0-1) held Laredo (1-0) off the scoreboard in the first two innings, but ran into immediate trouble in the third. Ninth-place hitter Jeff Vincent lined a double to left to start the inning, before a bunt single by Jimmy Mojica put runners on the corners with no outs. Anthony Scelfo then punched a single to right to tie the game and Yunesky Sanchez followed with another hit to right to make it 2-1.

Continue reading "Big Hits Elude AirHogs in Season Opener" »

Posted by Editor at 06:51 AM | Permalink

The tryout will be conducted by AirHogs manager Ricky VanAsselberg along with coaches and players. At least one tryout participant will receive an invitation to spring training with the club that begins on May 7.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. The fee for the tryout is $50 in advance and $65 the day of the tryout. Call 972-504-9383 to reserve your location today. All participants will receive an AirHogs T-shirt but otherwise must bring all of their own gear.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie opened its 53 day 2012 Spring Thoroughbred Season Thursday night.

The Class I racetrack operated by Global Gaming Solutions LLC, will have live racing four days a week through July 8.

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Featuring instruction in all areas of the game, the campers will get eight hours of learning across two days. 6-12-year-olds will be in the morning session, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., while 13-18-year-olds will take part during the afternoons, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

All camp participants will also receive a family pass good for four tickets to any 2012 AirHogs regular season home game at QuikTrip Park.

Players need to provide their own gloves and bats. For more information read the camp’s flyer. To sign up, call the AirHogs at (972) 504-9383.

Source: Grand Prairie AirHogs

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

The defending American Association champions begin their 50-game home schedule on May 21, against the El Paso Diablos and conclude it on Monday, September 3, against the Amarillo Sox.

The AirHogs have lowered the top two ticket prices from last season, with box seats (the first eight rows) down from $13 to $12 per ticket, and reserved seats (everything else) are down to $8 from $9 in 2011.

A new seating option at QuikTrip Park for 2012 is the revamped Officers’ Club, located indoors on the suite level. With air-conditioned comfort, outdoor seating and a private bar, the Officers’ Club offers the best of both worlds for just $15 per ticket.

Continue reading "AirHogs Single Game Tickets go on Sale Friday at Annual St. Patty O’Party" »

Posted by Editor at 12:07 AM | Permalink

Customers can reserve individual counter, terrace, and outdoor apron seats for live racing and Concert VIP packages online at LoneStarPark.com, or all live racing reserved seat options by phone at (972) 263-PONY (7669) for credit card orders only, or in person at Lone Star Park’s East Gate Will Call on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reserved seating options range from $8 to $27 per person (includes admission), except on big event days, which have separate pricing plans.

Source: Lone Star Park

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

During the Job Fairs, Lone Star Park will be accepting applications and conducting interviews for employment during the 2012 Spring Thoroughbred season, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 12 through Sunday, July 8.

This on-the-spot hiring opportunity will include positions in the following departments (subject to change):

Admissions
Security
Building Maintenance
Mutuels
Food & Beverage
Parking
Track Maintenance

Applicants must be at least 18 years of age for most positions, 16 years of age minimum. Applicants should be aware that a criminal background and reference check will be conducted. Lone Star Park is an equal opportunity employer committed to a drug-free workplace.

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, one of the nation’s most exciting major league sports and entertainment venues, offers a fun atmosphere, competitive wages, flexible schedules, company-sponsored benefits, and employee discounts.

Source: Lone Star Park

Posted by Editor at 10:58 PM | Permalink

The series also includes the Casey Donahew Band on Friday, April 20, Ted Nugent on Saturday, April 21, Stoney LaRue on Friday, May 11, the Eli Young Band on Friday, June 8, Pat Green on Tuesday, July 3, plus closing weekend performances by the Josh Abbott Band on Friday, July 6 and a to-be-announced act on Saturday, July 7.

The stage for each concert will be situated outdoors, just outside the racing surface, in front of the sun-shaded Courtyard of Champions. The lawn area is standing room only and there is limited patio table seating in the Courtyard.

The concerts will be free with the regular $5 general admission charge before 9 p.m. on Friday nights and 5 p.m. on Saturday nights. Admission is $20 after 9 p.m. on Friday nights and 5 p.m. on Saturday nights. Gates open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday nights and the first live race is at 6:35 p.m. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays and first live race is at 1:35 p.m.

The Pat Green concert will be part of a two-day special twilight racing program for the July 4th holiday. The concert will be free will the regular $5 general admission charge before 7 p.m., $20 after 7 p.m. Gates will open at 3 p.m. and the first live race will be at 5 p.m.

New this year, Lone Star Park will enforce an 18 years of age and older policy for all concerts. Persons under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

Lone Star Park’s 53-day 2012 Spring Thoroughbred Season opens Thursday, April 12 and concludes Sunday, July 8.

For more information on Lone Star Park visit LoneStarPark.com

Source: Lone Star Park

Posted by Editor at 04:33 PM | Permalink

In a presentation to the council, Scott Barry, Grand Prairie Baseball Club President, said the installation of synthetic turf would eliminate the drainage problem that currently plague the field. He said this would make QuikTrip more attractive to colleges and high schools for baseball tournaments.

Barry said the turf would make QuikTrip attractive to concert and event promoters because they would not have to make wet field contingency plans.

Additional baseball games, events and concerts at the park could generate more income, Barry said.

Continue reading "City Council Defeats $1.6 Million Proposal for Improvements to QuikTrip" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The Louisiana native guided the AirHogs to a league-best 64-36 record, four games better than anyone else in the American Association and good enough to win the South Division by 16 games. In the postseason, VanAsselberg's troops took care of Wichita three games to one, before a thrilling comeback from two games to none down to defeat St. Paul in five games in the American Association Championship Series.

2011 marked the second consecutive American Association crown for VanAsselberg, who won with the Shreveport-Bossier Captains in 2010.

Continue reading "VanAsselberg Back as Airhogs' Skipper, Gets Two-Year Extension" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie announced the track’s 2012 Spring Thoroughbred Season features 12 stakes, down from 19 in 2011, including two graded stakes, with purses totaling $1.3 million.

The two premiere events on the 2012 Lone Star Park stakes calendar are the Grade 3, $200,000 Texas Mile for 3-year-olds and up to be run Saturday, April 28 and the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap for 3-year-olds and up at 1-1/16 miles to be run Monday, May 28 (Memorial Day). In 2011 there were three Grade 3 races run at Lone Star Park, including the Ouija Board at a mile over turf for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up.

"We took a long hard look at our purse structure and felt the best way to support local horseman was to make some difficult cuts to our stakes program," said Lone Star Park President and General Manager Drew Shubeck. “Eliminating stakes from our calendar was a difficult but necessary decision in order to preserve overnight purses as we attempt to remain competitive with tracks in neighboring states that have purses supplemented by gaming.”

Continue reading " Lone Star Park Thoroughbred Season to Feature 12 Stakes Worth $1.3 Million" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Photo courtesy Lone Star Park

Global Gaming Solutions, LLC, the owner of Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, has unveiled the multi-million dollar renovation of the 15-year old Post Time Pavilion and renamed the facility “Bar & Book.”

As part of the renovation, free admission has been introduced at Bar & Book. The building will continue its operating schedule of 363 days a year.

The 36,000 square foot Las Vegas-style simulcast Racebook, sports bar and casual dining restaurant has been renovated, upgraded and redesigned with the goal to improve the visual experience for each and every customer.

Continue reading "Lone Star Park Renovates Simulcast Building, Unveils New “Bar & Book”" »

Posted by Editor at 12:04 AM | Permalink

Gopher wide receiver Devante Lacy was named District 5-5A Offensive Player of the Year as six Grand Prairie ISD football players, four from Grand Prairie High and two from South Grand Prairie High, were selected to the 2011 All-District team.

Grand Prairie High School players:

Devante Lacy – Wide Receiver
Ardarius Singleton – Wide Receiver
Jaylen Fails – Wide Receiver/Quarterback
Alex Rostro – Punter

Louis Dailey – Wide Receiver
McQuintin Grant – Cornerback

Posted by Editor at 11:31 AM | Permalink

The 2011 American Association Champion Grand Prairie AirHogs will begin the defense of their title on Thursday, May 17, against former manager Pete Incaviglia and the Laredo Lemurs, before returning to QuikTrip Park to raise the championship banner and get their rings on Monday, May 21, against the El Paso Diablos.

That is the first of the 50-game home schedule unveiled today as the AirHogs look to make it back-to-back crowns. Aside from facing the new Lemurs team (re-located from Shreveport-Bossier), the AirHogs will also welcome in the Can-Am League's Newark Bears for a three-game interleague series June 14-16 and the Kansas City T-Bones and Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks for each of those teams' first visit to QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "AirHogs Announce 2012 Home Schedule" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Miles Wolff, Commissioner of the American Association and the Can-Am League, announced on Wednesday that the two leagues will play an interlocking schedule for the 2012 season.

The Can-Am League will adopt the AA’s 100-game schedule, with play starting May 17 and ending September 3. Five Can-Am teams will make one 10-game road trip to AA cities, and five AA teams will play 10 games each at Can-Am ballparks, for a total of 100 interleague games.

“We are excited to be able to bring both leagues together. It will provide new competition, and fans will be able to see a variety of teams from both the U.S. and Canada,” Wolff said.

Continue reading "American Association, Can-Am League to Join Forces for 2012 Season" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Posted by Editor at 10:30 PM | Permalink

The game will be played November 16, at the Dalworth Recreation Center, 2012 Spikes St. Game time is 7 p.m. For more information, contact Detective Lyle Gensler, 972-237-8851, or lgensler@gptx.org.

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The South Grand Prairie Warriors beat the Grand Prairie Gophers 43 – 25 in the football season finale Friday night at the Gopher Warrior Bowl.

For the season, the Gophers had a 0-10 record while the Warriors posted a 4-6 season.

Scoring in Friday night’s game:

Continue reading "Warriors Beat Gophers in Season’s Finale" »

Posted by Editor at 12:42 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie Gophers scored only once Friday night when Jaylen Fail returned a blocked extra point to the end zone for two points in the Gophers 45-2 loss to the Mansfield Tigers at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

The Warrior also lost Friday night, getting beat 45-16 in Cedar Hill.

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The South Grand Prairie Warriors beat Mansfield Legacy 42-25 Friday night at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

Scoring for the Warriors:

Leonard Aikens 11-yard run (Johnny Armijo kick)
Tomorris Hamilton 45-yard punt return (Johnny Armijo kick)
Jared Johnson 2-yard run (Johnny Armijo kick)
Louis Dailey 39-yard pass from Jared Johnson (Johnny Armijo kick)
Bryan Ajumobi 3-yard pass from Jared Johnson (Johnny Armijo kick)
Leonard Aikens 15-yard run (Johnny Armijo kick)

Continue reading "Warriors Score 42 Points in Win Over Mansfield Legacy" »

Posted by Editor at 12:58 AM | Permalink

By Josh Hirsch

Season tickets are now on sale for the Grand Prairie AirHogs' 2012 season, as the club looks to defend its first-ever American Association championship.

Deposits for season tickets cost $100, with three options available - club seats (the first 8 rows behind home plate) for $500 per seat, reserved seats (all other outdoor seats) for $350 and the Officers' Club for $750.

The Officers' Club will be open to all with the comfort of air-conditioned seating and the terrace outside for just $15 per game! Sign up today to book your seat before it fills up!

Continue reading "Season Tickets for AirHogs 2012 Season on Sale" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

The best high school baseball players from 4 states will compete for bragging rights and the attention of collegiate and pro scouts at the inaugural Battle of the Borders All-American Game at QuikTrip Park this weekend, September 30-October 2.

The New Balance All-Americans, invited from Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico will play each other in a highly competitive weekend baseball tournament. The tournament will begin with a state against state home run derby Thursday from 5-6:30 pm.

Top baseball prospects - high school juniors and seniors, - will be selected through a nomination process, which includes a vote by a panel of coaches from each state. The event will attract collegiate and professional scouts from across the country. Many of the players have already committed to Division I schools including Arkansas, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and TCU. Many are expected to be drafted in the 2012 Major League Draft as well.

The Battle of the Borders will give baseball fans, scouts and the news media an opportunity to see the college and professional baseball stars of tomorrow, all together in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico produce an enormous amount of baseball talent. The Battle of the Borders promises to bring the very best talent from each state together for a western shoot-out and some good old fashioned hardball.

Friday night's schedule features:

Team Louisiana vs. Team New Mexico, 4:30
Team Oklahoma vs. Team Texas, 7:30 pm

Sunday's schedule at QuikTrip Park will culminate with the Consolation Game at 10:00 a.m. and the first Border War All-America Championship Game at 12:30 p.m.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

David Espinosa launches the second of his two home runs Sunday as the AirHogs beat the St. Paul Saints 10-3 to force a game five in the championship series. Photo by Brad Barton

After struggling offensively for their last four playoff games, the Grand Prairie AirHogs bats broke out on Sunday afternoon, with David Espinosa leading the charge with a pair of home runs, one from each side of the plate, as the Grand Prairie AirHogs beat the St. Paul Saints 10-3 in front of 428 fans at QuikTrip Park, tying the American Association Championship Series at two games apiece, setting up a decisive Game 5 on Monday night.

Continue reading "Espinosa Homers Twice as AirHogs Force Game 5" »

Posted by Editor at 07:31 PM | Permalink

Apparently lightning can strike three times, as for the third time in as many home playoff games for the Grand Prairie AirHogs, John Alonso was the final batter and David Espinosa scored the winning, run, this time on an 11th inning single to beat the St. Paul Saints 3-2 and force a fourth game in the best-of-five American Association Championship Series in front of 1,059 fans at QuikTrip Park.

St. Paul, which still leads the series two games to one, scored first on Saturday night when Shane Costa hit a home run with one out in the first off Josh Rainwater, the first homer of the playoffs and second in 53 games this season for Costa. .

Continue reading "Alonso's 11th-inning Hit Keeps AirHogs Alive" »

Posted by Editor at 12:28 AM | Permalink

North Mesquite proved to be too much for South Grand Prairie Friday night at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl ruining the Warriors Homecoming.

The Warriors managed to score only twice, a 41-yard Johnny Armijo field goal in the first quarter and a 2-yard Jared Jackson touchdown pass to Kelvin Brigham in the second quarter.

The North Mesquite offense was too potent for the Warriors’ defense, scoring 29 points in the game.

Continue reading "Warriors Lose Homecoming 29-9 to North Mesquite" »

Posted by Editor at 12:47 AM | Permalink

Light-hitting Jake Krause drove in the eventual winning run with a seventh-inning single, and the St. Paul Saints got a pair of two-out insurance runs in the ninth inning, as they beat the Grand Prairie AirHogs 5-2 at Midway Stadium on Thursday, taking a commanding two games to none lead in the best-of-five American Association Championship Series.

Grand Prairie got ahead with runs in the first and third, but did not score again against four St. Paul pitchers. Danny Figueroa led off the game with a triple and scored on Stephen Douglas's infield single. Cesar Nicolas drove an RBI double to right-center off Alberto Rolon in the fourth to give Grand Prairie a two-run cushion, but Rolon held the AirHogs off the board until he departed with two outs in the seventh.

AirHogs starter Tim Brown (0-1) was brilliant the first three innings, facing the minimum nine hitters while getting nine ground balls and a caught stealing. But after getting the first out of the fourth, Adam Frost singled, and Ryan Patterson lined a sinking shot to right. Douglas dove for it and it hit off his glove, allowing Frost to score from first and Patterson to go to second. Ole Sheldon came up and lined the first pitch he saw into center to score Patterson and tie the game.

The game remained tied into the late innings, and Rolon departed with runners at the corners and two outs in the seventh. Julio DePaula (2-1) came on and got Chris McMurray on a groundout to third to end that inning, and the Saints got the lead for good in the bottom half.

Jason Cooper led off with a double and went to third on Aharon Eggleston's sacrifice bunt. Krause came in to the at-bat with two hits in his first 26 playoff tries, but lined a single up the middle to make it 3-2. St. Paul got two more with two outs in the eighth, on a base hit by Richard Mercado and an error, and Tyler Walker closed things out with a scoreless ninth to get his first save of the playoffs.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs will go for their first championship in franchise history this week, taking on the St. Paul Saints in the 2011 American Association Championship Series. After dispatching the Wichita Wingnuts three games to one in the first round, the AirHogs will face St. Paul, who beat Winnipeg three games to two in their Division Series.

The two teams met once during the season, with St. Paul sweeping Grand Prairie at QuikTrip Park in June, winning 6-3 in 11 innings, before taking the next two games 5-4 and 7-0. The AirHogs are in their second Championship Series in franchise history, losing to Sioux Falls in 2008, while St. Paul is in their third American Association Championship Series, losing to Fort Worth in 2006 and 2007, having last won a championship in the Northern League in 2004.

Continue reading "AirHogs Set to Open Championship Series" »

Posted by Editor at 06:27 AM | Permalink

After scoring the tying and winning runs off the Wichita Wingnuts bullpen in the first two games of their best-of-five American Association Division Series, the Grand Prairie AirHogs found themselves in a familiar situation on Saturday night with a chance to advance to the league's Championship Series. But down by a run heading to the eighth, the AirHogs did not get a baserunner against a pair of Wingnuts relievers, as Wichita forced Game 4 of the series with a 5-3 win at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Continue reading "Wingnuts Force Game 4 with 5-3 Win" »

Posted by Editor at 07:26 AM | Permalink

The Bishop Lynch defense stopped two Gopher drives in the closing minutes of Friday night’s football game to preserve a 16-13 victory at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

Bishop Lynch started the scoring in the first quarter with a 37-yard field goal, but the Gophers came right back, taking the lead on a 70-yard Brandon Fichter touchdown pass to Devante Lacy.

Continue reading "Gophers Lose Close Game" »

Posted by Editor at 12:57 AM | Permalink

Moments after their closer, the 2011 American Association relief pitcher of the year, Jon Hunton, gave up two runs to the Wichita Wingnuts, breaking a 1-1 tie in Game 1 of the American Association Division Series on Thursday night, the Grand Prairie AirHogs were staring down the barrel of Josh Dew's gun. The Wichita closer had a miniscule 1.13 ERA with 20 saves this season, and he made short work of Chris McMurray and Danny Figueroa for the first two outs.

But Stephen Douglas roped a double to right to extend the inning, and German Duran's two-strike bloop just got over Jimmy Mojica at second base to put Grand Prairie to within one. Up came David Espinosa, who fell behind 0-2, took a ball and fouled the next pitch off before drilling a fly ball to deep right just over the outstretched glove of Josh Workman for a game-tying triple.

Dew then intentionally walked Greg Porter and unintentionally walked Cesar Nicolas, before throwing the first pitch in the dirt to John Alonso. After talking to manager Kevin Hooper and Wingnuts trainer Jeremy Langer, Dew left the game, and Kendy Batista was left with the bases-loaded, two-out jam and a 1-0count to Alonso.

It did not take long for Batista to end the contest, missing with all three of his pitches to issue the game-ending free pass to give the AirHogs a dramatic 4-3 win in front of 672 fans at QuikTrip Park, earning the AirHogs the 1-0 edge in the best-of-five series.

The problems for Hunton (1-0) and Dew (0-1) came after a great pitchers' duel between Jason Jennings of Grand Prairie and Junior Guerra for Wichita. Jennings pitched eight innings of one-run ball, allowing a run on an RBI grounder by Juan Richardson in the third inning and pitching out of jams in the first, second, seventh and eighth. Jennings struck out six and walked two, allowing seven hits.

Guerra went 6 2/3 innings, and worked around baserunners in every one of his frames - with the lone run he gave up being a solo home run to Alonso in the fourth inning. Guerra struck out four and walked three, and also allowed seven hits. His bullpen backed him up in the seventh and eighth, as Jared Simon, Eric Gilliland and Matt Nevarez stranded four AirHogs baserunners by picking up the next four outs, including a first-and-third, one-out jam in the eighth.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Former Texas Ranger Manager Frank Lucchesi meets with the umpires at home plate prior to Monday's ballgame between the AirHogs and the Amarillo Sox. Lucchesi was the AirHogs honorary manager for the game. © 2011 - Bob Fitch/Grand Prairie Reporter

By Josh Hirsch

John Brownell set a Grand Prairie AirHogs' season-high in the regular season finale, striking out 12 Amarillo Sox hitters, but his offense failed to find a big hit against five Amarillo pitchers, as the Sox shut out the AirHogs 3-0 in front of 2,278 at QuikTrip Park.

Brownell (11-5) worked eight innings, gave up six hits and two walks, and was charged with one run on a second-inning RBI hit by Josh Banda. The AirHogs' righty struck out every batter in the Amarillo lineup at least once, and threw 129 pitches in his final playoff tuneup.

Matt Elliott started for Amarillo (44-56) and went two innings, giving up a leadoff hit in the first and a leadoff walk in the second, but stranded both runners.

Justin Garcia (9-5) was up next, and gave up two hits and a walk in his two innings, but also struck out four AirHogs hitters. Ryan Mitchell hit a batter and also gave up two hits, but he survived the sixth and seventh innings. Chad Povich worked a scoreless eighth, working around one hit, while the Sox got two more runs off Bo Schultz in the ninth, on another Banda RBI hit.

In the ninth, Povich got the first two men out before walking Danny Figueroa and allowing a hit to Stephen Douglas. But German Duran flied out to Banda in left as the Sox finished off their 2011 campaign on a high note.

Posted by Editor at 06:30 AM | Permalink

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.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

By Josh Hirsch/Bob Fitch

On Saturday, the Grand Prairie AirHogs held a special tribute to honor the many thousands that played during the Negro League Baseball period.

Eighty-nine year old former Negro League pitcher William Blair, Jr. who played with the Indianapolis Clowns from 1946-51 threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Continue reading "Five-run Eighth Helps AirHogs Clinch Best Record" »

Posted by Editor at 01:22 AM | Permalink

AirHogs Manager Ricky VanAsselberg and Annie Malott married Saturday evening at home plate at QuikTrip Park prior to the game between the AirHogs and the Amarillo Dillas.

Posted by Editor at 12:49 AM | Permalink

South Grand Prairie’s new head football coach Brent Whitson made his coaching debut in a dramatic fashion Friday night with a come from behind, fourth quarter field goal for a 26-24 win over Arlington Lamar at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

Continue reading "Fourth Quarter Field Goal Gives Warriors Win" »

Posted by Editor at 01:48 AM | Permalink

Thanks to their playoff sponsors, Texas Trust, the City of Grand Prairie, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Grand Bank of Texas and UT Southwestern Sports Medicine, all tickets at QuikTrip Park during the playoffs will be just $7.

Continue reading "AirHogs Playoff Tickets Now on Sale" »

Posted by Editor at 11:20 PM | Permalink

Two batters into the game on Tuesday, Stephen Douglas had already extended his on-base streak to 50 straight games, one away from tying the American Association record, and German Duran's two-run home run gave the Grand Prairie AirHogs a 2-0 lead. Righty John Brownell allowed an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, but the AirHogs got three more in the top of the second. Brownell gave up one more in the bottom of the second but then allowed three more baserunners the rest of the night, pitching his first complete game to give the AirHogs an 8-2 win over the Shreveport-Bossier Captains at Fair Grounds Field.

Continue reading "Brownell Makes Early Runs Stand Up" »

Posted by Editor at 12:05 AM | Permalink

Grand Prairie AirHogs catcher Zane Chavez had his first two triples of the season, scoring three times on a 4-for-4 night with a walk, while his pitcher Lance Janke pitched eight innings of one-run baseball as Grand Prairie won the rubber match of their three-game series with the El Paso Diablos at Cohen Stadium on Sunday night, taking the game 10-1.

Continue reading "Chavez and Janke Lead AirHogs to Series Win" »

Posted by Editor at 12:38 AM | Permalink

Righty Tim Brown had perhaps the most efficient start of any pitcher in the American Association this season, throwing 80 pitches in eight innings to get his first win as a Grand Prairie AirHog, as his club beat the El Paso Diablos 4-2 on Saturday night at Cohen Stadium to set a new franchise record for wins in a season.

Brown (9-6), allowed six hits and no walks, struck out two, went to a total of six two-ball counts and just one three-ball count (on his last hitter). He faced 28 batters, threw 56 strikes, and had six three-batter innings.

However, Brown did fall behind early, as the AirHogs (57-35) gave up the game's first run for the ninth straight time - all in the first or second inning - when Nelson Teilon hit an RBI double in the first, followed up by Uriak Marquez's two-out RBI single to make it 2-0 El Paso.

Reymond Cruz (4-7) held Grand Prairie off the scoreboard though the first three frames, facing just one over the minimum. But he walked Guillermo Martinez leading off the fourth, and after a David Espinosa single and a passed ball, John Alonso's two-run double to right-center tied the game.

It was another leadoff walk that gave the AirHogs the lead in the sixth, this time to Espinosa. The Grand Prairie second baseman went to second on a wild pitch and to third on another passed ball, and after Alonso grounded out, Joey Gomes's hot smash off the glove of third baseman Martin Parra brought in Espinosa with the go-ahead run.

Espinosa touched home for the third time on an RBI single by David Thomas in the eighth, and Brown departed after getting Maikol Gonzalez on a comebacker to end the eighth.

Jon Hunton allowed a leadoff single in the ninth before striking out the dangerous Teilon. Javier Brito then singled to put the possible tying runs aboard, but Hunton induced a 4-6-3 double play from Marquez to end it and pick up his 22nd save of the year.

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs broke out of their recent slump, crushing three home runs and batting around in each of the first two innings en route to a 12-5 win over the Fort Worth Cats, salvaging the final game of their four-game series in front of a big crowd of 5,248 at QuikTrip Park.

The Cats (41-47) did score first, as they did in all four games of the series, getting an RBI fielder's choice by Marcos Rodriguez in the first off Josh Rainwater (13-6). But Grand Prairie (56-34) answered with four in the bottom of the inning against Aaron Cunningham (4-9).

After Stephen Douglas struck out to start the inning, German Duran hit his first homer in a Grand Prairie uniform to tie the game. David Espinosa walked and Joey Gomes then singled, before John Alonso's RBI double gave the AirHogs the lead. A two-run single by David Thomas capped that inning, before the AirHogs went right back to work in the second.

Douglas led off with a triple this time, and scored on Duran's pop-fly single over the drawn-in infield. A single and an error put runners at second and third, before Cunningham was lifted for James Brandhorst, who promptly walked Joey Gomes to load the bases. Up stepped John Alonso, and he unloaded them with a grand slam to left-center, his team-leading 12th home run of the season.

Rainwater allowed three runs in the third but only one baserunner after that, as the righty working on three day's rest finished six frames, allowing six hits, four runs (three earned) and a walk with four strikeouts.

Grand Prairie got one more run on an Espinosa sacrifice fly in the third and their final two on Thomas's 11th homer of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth.

Posted by Editor at 08:18 AM | Permalink

After losing his first three starts of 2011 to the Grand Prairie AirHogs (pitching very well in two of them), Fort Worth Cats righty Wade Mackey finally solved the AirHogs on Tuesday, as he shut them out through seven innings at LaGrave Field in a 10-3 Cats win.

Mackey (7-4) allowed the leadoff runner to reach in each of the first two innings, and pitched around two hits in the fifth in his only real jam of the night. Other than the first-and-third situation in the fifth, the righty did not allow any other AirHogs runners to get to third base. In seven innings, he gave up four hits and a walk with three strikeouts.

James Brandhorst relieved Mackey in the eighth and held the AirHogs (55-33) to a leadoff walk, while lefty Greg Denton gave up three runs in the ninth to break up the shutout - walking five in the process - before closer Nick DeBarr was summoned to get the final out.

Will Calhoun's double over leftfielder Joey Gomes's head started things for the Cats (40-46) in the first against Lance Janke (4-3). After a wild pitch and a lineout, Marcos Rodriguez beat out an infield single as Calhoun scored the first run of the game. Kelly Gulledge followed with his 13th home run of the season to make it 3-0, before a walk, double and Aljay Davis single gave Fort Worth a 4-0 lead.

Janke was able to keep the Cats off the scoreboard for the next four innings, but he allowed a sac fly and an RBI single before being chased with one out in the sixth, and another sac fly by Gulledge made it 7-0.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

When Sunday dawned, a possibility existed that the Grand Prairie AirHogs could have clinched a playoff spot before finishing the first game of their twinbill against the El Paso Diablos. But the Shreveport-Bossier Captains took the first game of their doubleheader against the Gary SouthShore Railcats, before losing the nightcap 5-2 to reduce the AirHogs' magic number to one. That meant Grand Prairie needed one win against El Paso to clinch the South Division championship.

Continue reading "AirHogs Split Doubleheader, Clinch Playoff Berth" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

In the first inning on Friday, the hottest team of late in the American Association played like it, as the El Paso Diablos, winners of 10 of 11 coming into play, got three straight hits with one out to grab a 2-0 lead. But the team with the best record in the league all year turned things around from the third inning on, as the Grand Prairie AirHogs scored the final 12 runs to win 12-2 in front of 2,538 at QuikTrip Park.

With the win and the Gary SouthShore RailCats' victory over the Shreveport-Bossier Captains, the AirHogs (54-30) reduced their magic number to clinch the South Division to two - meaning the playoff berth can be clinched as early as Saturday.

John Brownell (10-3) rebounded from the rough first to pitch into the eighth, and did not allow another run, scattering 10 hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Diablos starter Luis Montaño (1-4) allowed two hits and faced one over the minimum through two, the AirHogs (54-30) took the lead for good in the third. With one out in the inning, German Duran hit the first pitch of his Grand Prairie tenure for a double down the leftfield line.

Danny Figueroa then hit a fly ball to center, and centerfielder Kory Drew slipped trying to get it, turning it into an RBI double. Stephen Douglas and David Espinosa followed with walks, before Montaño balked in the tying run. Cesar Nicolas then hit a sacrifice fly to give Grand Prairie the lead.

In the fifth, Joey Gomes singled with two outs and two on to bring in a run, and Drew bobbled the ball to let another run score. A walk to David Thomas chased Montaño, but reliever Gilbert Tussey walked Chris McMurray and Duran to force in the AirHogs' sixth run.

John Alonso hit his first home run at home this season and his 10th of the year overall leading off the seventh, and after a pair of hits, McMurray and Duran hit sacrifice flies to make it 9-2. Gomes capped the scoring an inning later with a long three-run homer, his first of the year with the AirHogs.

After Brownell left with one on and two outs in the eighth, Matt Sartor retired the final four Diablos hitters to finish the game off.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs continued their success in 2011 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and against the Central Division of the American Association, as Stephen Douglas, David Espinosa and John Alonso all homered to lead the AirHogs to an 8-3 win over the Kansas City T-Bones on Thursday, taking three of four in the series.

After Trent Lare (3-4) retired the first 10 AirHogs hitters, Douglas pulled a 1-0 pitch down the rightfield line, just over the wall and just inside the foul pole, for his second home run of the year and his first with Grand Prairie (53-30) to break the scoreless tie.

Six pitches later, Espinosa pulled a full-count offering over the leftfield wall to make it 2-0, and after a Kala Ka'aihue solo homer in the bottom of the fourth, Espinosa's two-run single with the bases loaded in the next inning gave the AirHogs a 4-0 advantage.

Professional debutant Frank Abbl worked around a first-and-third, no-out jam in the first inning, and two walks in the second, before Ka'aihue's homer in the fourth became his first professional run allowed and snapped the AirHogs' 22-inning shutout streak.

The rookie from Northwood (Texas) University then walked two more in the fifth and was pulled with one out for Bo Schultz (3-3). The righty threw 80 pitches and finished with one run allowed on three hits and five walks with no strikeouts.

Schultz worked 2 2/3 innings and allowed one more run, but Grand Prairie got four more runs in the sixth to put things away.

Alonso homered after Cesar Nicolas reached on an error starting that frame to make it 6-1, and Douglas had a two-run infield single on the 11th pitch of his at-bat with new reliever Drew Graham.

Kyle Gunderson went the final two innings as Kansas City (39-44) got its final run on Aharon Eggleston's two-out, eighth-inning solo shot. But Gunderson came back to strike out three of the final four batters to end things.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

After going down in order in the first inning, the Grand Prairie AirHogs began the second inning with a double by Cesar Nicolas to left. John Alonso then singled up the middle to bring in Nicolas and the floodgates opened after that, as the AirHogs scored seven times in the frame to take a commanding lead and cruised to a 8-0 win at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Tuesday.

Continue reading "Big Second Inning Sends AirHogs by T-Bones" »

Posted by Editor at 06:55 AM | Permalink

Under the brutal Texas sun and the area in the grip of a record heat spell, high school football players took to the field Monday to begin practice for the tradition revered by many Texans, Friday night high school football.

Continue reading "High Schools Begin Football Practice" »

Posted by Editor at 08:30 AM | Permalink

Kansas City T-Bones lefty Kris Johnson shut down the Grand Prairie AirHogs offense and out-dueled Josh Rainwater on Monday night, getting some timely hitting and some great defense to beat the AirHogs 4-1 in the opener of their four-game series at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Rainwater (12-5) had only one blip on his radar, when he allowed three straight two-out hits to Kala Ka'aihue, Jimmy Mojica and Johnny Bowden in the bottom of the second which gave Kansas City (39-41) a 2-0 lead. After that, Rainwater got around a two-runner jam in the third and a two-out single in the fourth, and then retired the T-Bones in order in the fifth, sixth and seventh.

But in the eighth, Keanon Simon led off with a double down the first-base line, and Aharon Eggleston singled, and then went to second when centerfielder Danny Figueroa missed the cutoff man. Matt Sartor then came in and allowed a two-run single to Rico Washington to make it 4-1, before giving up another hit and then getting out of the subsequent jam with three strikeouts.

Johnson (4-2) allowed a leadoff walk in the second (erased on a lineout double play), a two-out double in the third and a leadoff double in the fourth before the AirHogs (50-30) found a way to get on the board. The run came on Jake Taylor's fifth-inning sacrifice fly, but the T-Bones' lefty stranded another leadoff walk in the sixth, and got help from his defense to get out of the eighth.

With two outs, David Espinosa was hit by a pitch in the left leg, before Cesar Nicolas's single to right-center gave the AirHogs runners at the corners. Johnson left in favor of righty Andy Shipman, and John Alonso almost gave the AirHogs the lead with a soft liner to the right side, but second baseman Jeff Hulett snow-coned the ball at the top of his leap and held on to it on the dive to the ground to rob Alonso of a two-run single.

Grand Prairie got two more runners on in the ninth, but Taylor grounded out and Figueroa struck out as Kyle Dahman held on to get his fifth save of the year.

Posted by Editor at 06:32 AM | Permalink

Last Sunday, the Grand Prairie AirHogs got a run off the Lincoln Saltdogs' closer P.J. Zocchi on a bases-loaded walk to help complete a comeback win at QuikTrip Park. This Sunday, it was the Saltdogs doing it to AirHogs closer Jon Hunton, as he walked four in the bottom of the seventh inning, including the game-winning free pass to Rafael Alvarez, as Lincoln came back to beat Grand Prairie 5-4 to avoid a sweep at Haymarket Park.

Continue reading "Wild Seventh Costs AirHogs Sweep" »

Posted by Editor at 10:50 PM | Permalink

Continue reading "Sox Avoid Sweep Beat AirHogs" »

Posted by Editor at 06:44 AM | Permalink

John Brownell got his ninth win of the year as the Grand Prairie AirHogs held the Amarillo Sox to five hits for the second straight night, winning 5-2 in front of 1,195 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Brownell (9-3) was effectively wild, throwing 49 balls and 54 strikes, but he only allowed five hits and two runs through eight innings, walking four and striking out two.

Stephen Douglas extended his league-record hitting streak to 32 with a one-out single through the left side in the bottom of the first, and moved to second on the next pitch when David Espinosa lined a single. Douglas and Espinosa then executed a double steal, and both scored on Joey Gomes's two-out single to center.

Grand Prairie (47-27) added a run in the third on Cesar Nicolas's sacrifice fly, while the Sox (35-40) got their first run off in the top of the fourth when Matthew Tucker knocked in Lee Cruz with a single to right.

In the bottom of the inning, the AirHogs got that run back and one more against starter Matt Elliott (7-4), helped by a big two-out error by third baseman Van Pope that kept the inning alive for Jake Taylor. The Grand Prairie shortstop then made the Sox pay by hitting his fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot to left-center.

Brownell allowed a run in the eighth on a groundout by Adam De La Garza and then allowed a double and a walk, putting the potential tying run at home plate. But the righty got out of his only jam of the night by inducing a Tim Alberts flyout, and Jon Hunton worked around a leadoff error to record his league-leading 18th save of the year.

Posted by Editor at 11:59 PM | Permalink

Stephen Douglas's first hit on Sunday night was an infield single to first base, giving him a 30-game hitting streak, tying him for the all-time American Association record. His second was a base hit up the middle, giving the Grand Prairie AirHogs a come-from-behind 4-3 win over the Lincoln Saltdogs in 11 innings in front of a crowd of 1,864 at QuikTrip Park.

The AirHogs (45-27) forced extra innings with a ninth-inning run against Saltdogs closer P.J. Zocchi, as newcomer Joey Gomes and John Alonso led off with singles, before Zocchi's throw to third on a bunt by David Thomas was too late to get pinch-runner Jake Taylor. With the bases loaded and no outs, Chris McMurray bounced the first pitch to third, and Brandon Jones's throw was up the first-base line, but catcher Jeff Howell dove to make the play and kept a foot on the plate for the first out.

Up came pinch-hitter Tyler Henley, who took ball one before fouling off the next two pitches. Zocchi then filled up the count with his next two deliveries, and Henley fouled off the first 3-2 pitch. Henley took the next one just below the knees to force in the tying run. Zocchi then made a nice recovery to force extras, by striking out Danny Figueroa and getting a groundout from Douglas, who was just barely out on a throw by shortstop Vance Albitz.

Jon Hunton (5-1) threw six pitches to get a 1-2-3 10th inning, and Zocchi worked around a one-out single in the bottom half to keep the game going. The AirHogs closer came back for the 11th and got a double play from Albitz after a one-out walk to Joe Ramos, while Grand Prairie got the winning run off Jordan Stern (1-2) in the bottom of the inning.

Thomas singled to center to start the frame, and McMurray bunted him to second. Pinch hitter Zane Chavez struck out, but Stern hit Figueroa to bring up Douglas, who took ball one before his second hit gave the AirHogs their first win of the year when trailing after eight innings.

The Saltdogs (35-38) got their 3-2 lead when Curt Smith welcomed Jon Fulton with a first-pitch single in the seventh to score Albitz, putting AirHogs starter Lance Janke on the hook despite 6 2/3 strong innings. Janke did fall behind 2-0 on a Smith RBI groundout in the fourth and a Jones double in the sixth, but Grand Prairie tied it with their only runs in six innings against Alex Maestri in the sixth when Gomes singled in a pair of runs.

Posted by Editor at 06:57 AM | Permalink

The short-handed Grand Prairie AirHogs took a run at playing more small ball on Thursday night, but their 11 singles and one double were not enough to get them the runs they needed to avoid a 5-4 loss to the Shreveport-Bossier Captains at Fair Grounds Field, ending their longest road trip of the year at 2-7.

The AirHogs (43-26) did not have a single 1-2-3 inning thrown against them, but they only managed to score in three frames, leaving nine men on base, hitting into three double plays, having one runner caught stealing and one more thrown out at the plate.

Shreveport-Bossier (33-37) scored all their runs in the first two innings against John Brownell (8-3), who was dominant afterwards. But the Captains' 2-3-4 hitters did the damage, with Robert Perry, Bryan Sabatella and Palmer Karr combining for four hits, four RBIs and all five runs scored.

Brownell allowed four more hits the rest of the way, including striking out nine out of 12 hitters (and six in a row at one point) from the fifth until he tired with two outs in the eighth, giving up back-to-back singles. But Bo Schultz bailed him out with a strikeout to give the AirHogs a chance in the ninth down by one.

But like the first eight innings, ultimate success was just out of the AirHogs' reach. They hit into inning-ending double plays in the second and third against Jack Strawn (1-0), and had the first three runners reach in the sixth. But after Tyler Henley's second sacrifice fly of the night made it 5-4, Jeremy Sauceda grounded one to short with the infield in, and John Johnson just got Zane Chavez at home for the third out.

The AirHogs had a one-out walk in the seventh, and two singles in the eighth, but Jameson Maj got a four-out save, getting a double play in the ninth and a lineout from Chris McMurray to end it despite giving up two hits and a hit batter to the six men he faced.

The AirHogs return home to start a three-game series at QuikTrip Park on Friday against the Lincoln Saltdogs at 7:05 p.m.

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs mustered just three hits on Tuesday night, but were issued 10 walks and a hit batter. However, the Shreveport-Bossier Captains pitching staff did enough to hold the AirHogs down, as they beat Grand Prairie 5-4 at Fair Grounds Field in the opener of their three-game series

The AirHogs (42-25) took the lead when Osvaldo Rodriguez was wild in the second inning. The Captains starter walked John Alonso, hit Zane Chavez and walked Guillermo Martinez to load the bases with one out, and Tyler Henley's single gave Grand Prairie a 1-0 advantage. However, the next two batters could not add to the AirHogs' lead, and the Captains 32-36) quickly erased it.

Lance Janke (2-2) walked Brian Peterson to start the second, and after Uriak Marquez singled and Mike Provencher bunted the runners over. Alex Cowart singled one in to tie the game, and after a walk to John Johnson, Robert Perry's two-run single up the middle gave Shreveport-Bossier the lead.

Uriak Marquez added a run with a solo homer in the third, and Brian Peterson's bunt single in the fifth made it 5-1.

Grand Prairie had a great chance to get back into the game in the fifth, with the bases loaded and one out, after Rodriguez was pulled from the game. But Jose Velazquez got Cesar Nicolas to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. The AirHogs did get two back in the bottom of the sixth as Henley greeted Lee Henry with a two-run single to make it 5-3, but Henry got David Thomas to fly out to end the inning.

The Captains threatened with a double and a single sandwiched around a flyout in the sixth, but lefty Jason Moody relieved Janke by striking out Perry and Kyle Gunderson got a pop-out from Bryan Sabatella to end the inning.

In the seventh, Henry walked the first two hitters before a bunt by Jake Taylor and a sacrifice fly by John Alonso brought the AirHogs to within one. But that was the last baserunner Grand Prairie would get, as Jameson Maj (3-3) pitched two innings and Mark Haynes closed out the AirHogs in order for his fourth save.

Posted by Editor at 11:23 PM | Permalink

Once again the Grand Prairie AirHogs could not get the runs they needed late, as the Amarillo Sox got a two-out, two-run single by Kevin Butler in the bottom of the eighth to send the AirHogs to a 3-2 defeat at Sox Stadium on Saturday night.

Butler did not even start the game, but entered as a pinch-runner when Alex Chavez was hit in the chin with a pitch in the fifth inning. Butler went on to score the first Amarillo run on a sacrifice fly by Fehlandt Lentini, before singling in his next at bat in the bottom of the seventh against AirHogs starter John Brownell. After Jason White singled after Butler, Brownell departed for Bo Schultz (2-3), who got a double play from Lentini on the first pitch and a groundout by Adam De La Garza on the second pitch of his at-bat to quickly retire the side.

But Schultz allowed singles to the first two batters of the eighth before Van Pope's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third. After Tim Alberts was intentionally walked, Schultz struck out Benji Johnson before Butler's single to right-center on the first pitch he saw.

Cody Evans came on in the top of the ninth to close the game out, and blew the three AirHogs hitters away on 12 pitches, with 10 strikes and just three balls even fouled off to get his first save of the season.

The AirHogs (42-23) took the lead in the third inning on a long home run by Bryan Frichter, his first with Grand Prairie, well over the centerfield wall. But the Sox (31-35) tied it on Lentini's sac fly in the fifth. Davis Espinosa's RBI single in the top of the seventh off starter Justin Garcia gave the AirHogs the lead again, before Chad Povich (4-2) held the AirHogs off the board in the eighth and the Sox got the winning runs in the ninth.

Posted by Editor at 11:00 PM | Permalink

For the second time in three days, the Grand Prairie AirHogs were beaten on a home run with two outs in the final inning, as they lost their fifth straight series opener on the Amarillo Sox's Jason White's three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to win 7-4 at Sox Stadium.

The AirHogs (42-22) probably would have forced extra innings if not for a critical error earlier in the inning. After Jon Fulton (2-2) walked Van Pope to start the inning, Tim Alberts struck out on a 3-2 pitch with the runner going. Catcher Chris McMurray made a strong throw to second, and Alberts decided to turn back to first and get into a rundown. Shortstop Guillermo Martinez's throw then hit Alberts and went into foul territory, allowing Alberts to go to second.

Fulton then intentionally walked Kevin Butler, and struck out Alex Chavez for the second out. But White turned on the first pitch he saw just past Tyler Henley's leap in right to send the home crowd home happy.

White's hit was the first for Amarillo (30-35) since his triple in the fifth, as Jason Jennings worked eight strong innings after giving up four early runs. The Sox took the lead with a pair of home runs - a two-run homer by Cyle Hankerd in the first and a solo shot by Chavez in the second, along with an RBI groundout by Hankerd in the third.

But Jennings allowed one hit and two walks the rest of the way, as the AirHogs battled back against Matt Elliott with some long balls of their own in the fifth. John Alonso led off with a home run, and with one out, David Thomas tripled, McMurray homered and Tyler Henley made it back-to-back with his second long ball of the year to tie the game.

Elliott settled down after that and allowed one more baserunner in his seven innings. Three Amarillo relievers, LaCurtis Mayes, Jacob Wortham and Austin Chambliss (1-3) held the AirHogs to one hit and three walks the rest of the way as the Sox got their winning runs to end the game.

Posted by Editor at 11:31 PM | Permalink

The last time the Grand Prairie AirHogs faced El Paso Diablos starter Colin Allen, they scored eight runs without recording an out, while Allen still pitched for the Amarillo Sox. In his first start as a Diablo, Allen gave up nine runs to the AirHogs, albeit in 3 1/3 innings, as Grand Prairie jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 14-6 win at Cohen Stadium to salvage the three-game series.

Continue reading "Steady Onslaught Helps AirHogs Salvage Series" »

Posted by Editor at 06:32 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs lost another close game, as Alberto Espinosa's two-out grand slam in the 11th inning gave the El Paso Diablos an 11-7 win at Cohen Stadium on Wednesday night.

Continue reading "Espinosa Slams AirHogs in 11th" »

Posted by Editor at 06:40 AM | Permalink

For the fourth straight series, the Grand Prairie AirHogs were beaten in the first game of a series, as they were defeated 17-8 by the El Paso Diablos at Cohen Stadium on Tuesday.

Diablos starter Alex Kaminsky (3-1) gave up five runs in the first three innings, but one in his last three, as the El Paso offense peppered Josh Rainwater (10-3) for 15 hits and 12 runs (nine earned) to go on top. The onslaught began with three runs in the second, and although Greg Porter's two-run double restored the AirHogs' lead, it was short-lived.

Continue reading "Kaminsky Sends AirHogs to Another Series-Opening Loss" »

Posted by Editor at 06:37 AM | Permalink

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.

Continue reading "Jennings Gives AirHogs Series Win" »

Posted by Editor at 10:42 PM | Permalink

Saturday's game at QuikTrip Park looked just like Friday's, with the team in red scoring early and getting great starting pitching to beat the team wearing black. The only difference is that on Saturday night it was the Grand Prairie AirHogs who were dressed in red, and beat the Wichita Wingnuts 6-3 in front of 3,172 fans.

Continue reading "Brownell, Bullpen Beat Wingnuts" »

Posted by Editor at 07:09 AM | Permalink

After three Wichita Wingnuts combined for a no-hitter in their last game on Wednesday, the Wingnuts continued their hot pitching on Friday night, as three more hurlers led by lefty Ryan Hinson combined to shut out the Grand Prairie AirHogs 5-0 in front of 1,567 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Hinson Shoots Down AirHogs in Series Opener" »

Posted by Editor at 07:01 AM | Permalink

In his last start, Josh Rainwater threw 8 2/3 shutout innings before tiring in the ninth against Amarillo. On Wednesday, he finished what he started, helping the Grand Prairie AirHogs to an 11-4 win over the Fort Worth Cats in front of 2,298 fans at QuikTrip Park with a complete game effort.

Rainwater (10-2), the American Association's first double-digit winner this season, induced a game-ending 6-4-3 double play from Butch Ballez on his 107th pitch of the night as the AirHogs (39-18) scored the game's final nine runs to move a season-high 21 games over .500.

Continue reading "Rainwater Throws Complete Game, Airhogs Win Series" »

Posted by Editor at 06:48 AM | Permalink

The ageless baseball axiom says to never make the first or third out of an inning at third base. With the game tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the 12th inning on Tuesday, the Grand Prairie AirHogs' Chris McMurray took off for third after the Fort Worth Cats rightfielder Ryan Patterson caught the second out of the inning. Patterson's throw looked like it had a good chance to beat a sliding McMurray for the final out of the frame, but it bounced and hit the AirHogs catcher in the leg, caroming by third baseman Butch Ballez and pitcher Nick DeBarr backing up. McMurray sprung to his feet and dashed home, as DeBarr was unable to pick the ball up along the bullpen railing, with McMurray sliding in to score the winning run of a 7-6 thriller at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "AirHogs Win on Error in 12th" »

Posted by Editor at 12:55 AM | Permalink

It took the Grand Prairie AirHogs six innings to get their first hit Monday night, while the Fort Worth Cats had no such trouble, trouncing the AirHogs 14-1 in front of 710 at QuikTrip Park behind a complete game, three-hitter by righty Dwayne Pollok.

Continue reading "Cats Beat AirHogs 14-1 at QuikTrip" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Average daily attendance increased to 7,621 from 6,952 for 60 days in 2010. Overall, 396,281 fans came through the turnstiles for live thoroughbred racing at Lone Star Park in 2011, which was conducted from Thursday, April 14 through Sunday, July 10.

Continue reading "Lone Star Park’s Thoroughbred Season Ends with Record Attendance Increase" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Danny Figueroa tied an American Association record with a six-hit game, going 6-for-6 with four runs scored and an RBI, while the Grand Prairie AirHogs' bullpen bailed out starter Lance Janke by throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings, as the AirHogs scored the final eight runs to come back and beat the Amarillo Sox 12-8 on Sunday, winning the final three games of the four game series at Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium.

Continue reading "Bullpen Gives Airhogs Series Win" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

It did not take long for the Grand Prairie AirHogs to take the lead for good on Saturday night (as was the case in their 14-2 win on Friday), but this time the AirHogs blew the game open right off the bat, getting eight runs before making an out as they thrashed the Amarillo Sox 17-9 at Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium.

Continue reading "Huge First Gives AirHogs Another Blowout Win" »

Posted by Editor at 08:11 AM | Permalink

The struggling Grand Prairie AirHogs did a number on Amarillo Sox ace Ryan Mitchell and three relievers on Friday, while Josh Rainwater came within an out of a shutout, as the AirHgs crushed the Sox 14-2 at Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium.

Continue reading "AirHogs Offense Breaks Out in Rout of Sox" »

Posted by Editor at 12:17 AM | Permalink

For the second game in a row, the Grand Prairie AirHogs had the possible tying runs on base in the ninth inning with one of their two big hitters at the plate. But for the second game in a row, the AirHogs could not find the clutch hit needed for their first ninth-inning comeback of the year, as Greg Porter grounded out with the bases loaded to give the Amarillo Sox a 5-4 win on Thursday night at the Amarillo National Bank Sox Stadium.

Continue reading "Big Hit Eludes AirHogs in Ninth Again" »

Posted by Editor at 11:43 PM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs' bullpen suffered a blow on Thursday, albeit one the team can be proud of, as set-up man Dustin Cameron was sold to the Philadelphia Phillies organization, the third AirHogs pitcher who has signed elsewhere during the 2011 season.

Continue reading "AirHogs Reliever Going to the Phillies" »

Posted by Editor at 01:32 PM | Permalink

Continue reading "Lone Star Park Begins Multi-Million Dollar Renovation" »

Posted by Editor at 04:03 PM | Permalink

After falling to El Paso in front of last Saturday night's big crowd at QuikTrip Park, the Grand Prairie AirHogs did not disappoint the throng of 4,894 on Sunday, beating the Fort Worth Cats 4-2 for their fifth straight win against the Cats overall and the third in a row in their Independence Day weekend series.

Continue reading "AirHogs Edge Cats in Singles-Fest" »

Posted by Editor at 12:53 AM | Permalink

Like Friday's series opener in Grand Prairie, both starting pitchers for the Grand Prairie AirHogs and Fort Worth Cats were very good. Also like Friday, Chris McMurray came through with the eventual game-winning hit, as the AirHogs beat the Cats. After Friday's 3-1 Grand Prairie win, the AirHogs took Saturday's contest 5-3 at LaGrave Field.

Continue reading "AirHogs Battery Combine to Beat Cats Again" »

Posted by Editor at 12:10 AM | Permalink

In an old-fashioned pitcher's duel, Jason Jennings battled through eight innings, while Wade Mackey was often overpowering through 7 1/3. But Jennings, who threw eight fewer pitches despite allowing three more baserunners and getting two more outs than his fellow Baylor grad, held the Fort Worth Cats to one run, while Mackey was charged with two as the Grand Prairie AirHogs came from behind to take a 3-1 win in front of 1,776 fans at QuikTrip Park on Friday.

Continue reading "AirHogs Score Late to Win" »

Posted by Editor at 07:17 AM | Permalink

Shreveport-Bossier Captains catcher Brian Peterson stunned Grand Prairie AirHogs closer Jon Hunton, the AirHogs and the crowd of 1,242 at QuikTrip Park on Wednesday, hitting a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give the Captains a come-from-behind 4-3 win.

Continue reading " Ninth Inning Blast Stuns AirHogs" »

Posted by Editor at 06:55 AM | Permalink

Richard Salazar shut down the Grand Prairie AirHogs for six strong innings on Tuesday, as his Shreveport-Bossier Captains squeaked past the AirHogs 6-1 in front of 1,260 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Salazar (3-3) actually fell behind in the game, allowing an unearned run on a Guillermo Martinez RBI single in the second, but the Captains' lefty got some very good defensive plays behind him for the rest of his outing, allowing just one fly ball out and no more runs in his six innings of work.

Continue reading "Captains Bullpen Shut Down AirHogs" »

Posted by Editor at 12:15 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs got off to a good start in the first inning of the first game of a big mid-season series with the Shreveport-Bossier Captains, scoring five runs in the first before holding on late to win 8-5 in front of 1,162 at QuikTrip Park on Monday.

Continue reading "Early Lead Holds Up as AirHogs Top Captains" »

Posted by Editor at 06:50 AM | Permalink

Sometimes in baseball it is better to take what the opponent gives, and the Grand Prairie AirHogs did that on Sunday night, taking advantage of 15 walks, six hit batters, four wild pitches and two errors to beat the El Paso Diablos 14-7 in front of a crowd of 1,282 at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "AirHogs Walk Over Diablos to Take Series" »

Posted by Editor at 06:33 AM | Permalink

Unfortunately for the crowd of 4,949 at QuikTrip Night at QuikTrip Park, the Grand Prairie AirHogs were defeated 14-0 by the El Paso Diablos on Saturday night.

El Paso starter Scott Hodsdon (1-2) held the AirHogs (28-13) to just three hits, a walk and two hit batters in seven shutout innings, and Rigoberto Almonte and Scott Vander Weg each threw a scoreless inning to finish off Grand Prairie's worst loss of the year.

Continue reading "Big Crowd Sees Big AirHogs Loss" »

Posted by Editor at 07:04 AM | Permalink

With an ending befitting the wild antics of Friday's guest of honor at QuikTrip Park, the Grand Prairie AirHogs beat the El Paso Diablos 3-2 when Tyler Henley stole home plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, sending the crowd of 3,126 home happy after they were entertained by the Famous S.D. Chicken all night.

Continue reading "Henley Steals Home to Give AirHogs Dramatic Win" »

Posted by Editor at 07:16 AM | Permalink

On Tuesday night, the Shreveport-Bossier Captains snapped the Grand Prairie AirHogs' seven-game winning streak with a 3-0 win. On Wednesday, the Captains halted another streak, beating the AirHogs 4-3 at Fair Grounds field to send the AirHogs to their first road series loss of the year in six tries.

Continue reading "Captains Snap Another AirHogs Streak" »

Posted by Editor at 11:37 PM | Permalink

After scoring 15 runs the night before, the run well went dry for the Grand Prairie AirHogs on Tuesday night, as were unable to score despite nine hits, a walk and two errors, leaving 10 men on base as they were shut out 3-0 by the Shreveport-Bossier Captains at Fair Grounds Field.

Continue reading "AirHogs Waste Chances, Winning Streak Ends" »

Posted by Editor at 11:44 PM | Permalink

Another game away from QuikTrip Park turned into another win for the Grand Prairie AirHogs, as they broke open a tight game late against the second-place Shreveport-Bossier Captains with a nine-run, 15-batter ninth inning to win 15-2 at Fair Grounds Field, the AirHogs' seventh straight win and their 14th in 17 games on the road.

Continue reading "AirHogs Stay Hot Beat Captains" »

Posted by Editor at 03:23 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs completed a four-game sweep of the El Paso Diablos on Sunday, with David Espinosa finishing a triple shy of the cycle, Greg Porter homering and driving in three and Bo Schultz pitching six solid innings for his first win of the year as Grand Prairie won 4-1 in front of a Father's Day crowd of 2,188 at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Espinosa and Porter Lead AirHogs to Sweep" »

Posted by Editor at 10:41 PM | Permalink

With one hit in their first eight at-bats with runners in scoring position on Thursday, the Grand Prairie AirHogs were a frustrated bunch as they trailed the El Paso Diablos 5-1 in the seventh inning on Thursday night. But with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, the AirHogs finally got a big hit by Cesar Nicolas. Then they got another, followed by an error and a hit batter to tie the game. Two more hits gave the AirHogs the lead, and they went on to beat the Diablos 10-6 in front of 2,112 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Nine-run Seventh Gives AirHogs Comeback Win" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

In a rare American Association matchup where both starting pitchers were former Major League Baseball players, the Grand Prairie AirHogs' Jason Jennings out-pitched his counterpart Mike Bacsik of the Fort Worth Cats, as Grand Prairie beat Fort Worth 8-1 to take the three-game series two-out-of-three, the fifth series win in five tries for the AirHogs away from QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "AirHogs Take Series From Cats" »

Posted by Editor at 07:09 AM | Permalink

The normally steady eighth and ninth inning relievers for the Grand Prairie AirHogs, Dustin Cameron and Jon Fulton, were both tasked with protecting a slim lead against the Fort Worth Cats on Tuesday night - a club each of them had played for in the past. It was not the smoothest of nights for the Grand Prairie duo, but they held on to keep the Cats off the board despite allowing a combined five baserunners, as the AirHogs won 4-2 at LaGrave Field to even the three-game series at one apiece.

Continue reading "AirHogs Score Late to Beat The Cats" »

Posted by Editor at 06:30 AM | Permalink

Fort Worth Cats righty Derek Blacksher started his outing on Monday night with strike one to the Grand Prairie AirHogs' David Espinosa. On his next pitch, the AirHogs' second baseman hit his first home run of the year into the rightfield bleachers to put Blacksher in a quick 1-0 hole. After a strikeout of David Thomas, Cesar Nicolas and Greg Porter singled, and the AirHogs looked to have Blacksher on the ropes. But the righty wriggled out of trouble with a pop-up and a groundout, and absolutely dominated the next seven innings as the Cats beat the AirHogs 6-1 at LaGrave Field.

Continue reading "Cats Cut Down AirHogs" »

Posted by Editor at 06:51 AM | Permalink

After another road sweep, the Grand Prairie AirHogs returned to the Metroplex to find good news - and not just a happy populace after the Dallas Mavericks' NBA Championship. First, lefthander Greg Smith became the first AirHog of 2011 to be picked up by a Major League organization, as he was signed by the New York Yankees.

Continue reading "Yankees Sign Smith - Nicolas Named Player of Week" »

Posted by Editor at 02:04 PM | Permalink

After a nine-game winning streak put the Grand Prairie AirHogs at 15-5, they lost four straight games to St. Paul and Amarillo. But the AirHogs have gotten back on the winning side again, with a streak in the right direction that hit four on Saturday night, as Grand Prairie got back to 10 games over .500 with a 10-3 thrashing of the El Paso Diablos at Cohen Stadium.

Continue reading "Rainwater Wins Fifth, AirHogs Win in El Paso" »

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs offense exploded on Friday night as they scored a season-high 18 runs, matched a season-high with 19 hits, as all nine hitters had at least one hit and one run scored and eight had at least RBIs in an 18-2 thrashing of the El Paso Diablos at Cohen Stadium.

After a scoreless first inning, the AirHogs (18-9) got the onslaught going in the second, with two hits and a walk to load the bases. With one out, David Espinosa opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly, and David Thomas tripled to bring in two more, before he scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0.

Continue reading "AirHogs Pound Diablos in Series Opener" »

Posted by Editor at 12:40 AM | Permalink

It's not often that a baseball team can get out-hit by eight but still win by four, but the Grand Prairie AirHogs did it on Wednesday, leaving only two men on base to the Amarillo Sox's nine as they beat the Sox 6-2 in front of a Summer Camp Day crowd of 2,864 at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "AirHogs Get Out-hit by Eight But Win by Four" »

Posted by Editor at 09:26 PM | Permalink

As the fifth starter in the Grand Prairie AirHogs rotation, John Brownell was not one of the big name pitchers with lofty expectations when the season started. But on Tuesday night, the Oklahoman rose to the top of the AirHogs' list with his fifth win in five starts, snapping Grand Prairie's four-game losing streak with eight strong innings, as the AirHogs beat the Amarillo Sox 9-4 in front of 1,874 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Brownell Gets Fifth Win as AirHogs Snap Slide" »

Posted by Editor at 12:04 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs' season-high losing streak hit four games on Monday, as Lee Cruz hit a one-out solo home run in the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and send the Amarillo Sox to a 5-4 victory in front of 1,150 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Slide Hits Four as Sox Get late HR to beat 'Hogs" »

Posted by Editor at 12:49 AM | Permalink

In the first two games of the series against the St. Paul Saints, the Grand Prairie AirHogs had plenty of opportunities to get victories, but could not get the big hit they needed. On Sunday, the AirHogs were simply overwhelmed at the plate by three Saints pitchers, as St. Paul won 7-0 to complete a three-game sweep in front of 1,552 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Rainwater Suffers First Defeat, 'Hogs Shut Out for First Time" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Kevin Thompson only played five games for the Grand Prairie AirHogs this season, but he hurt them on Friday night, homering and scoring the game-winning run in the 11th inning as his new team, the St. Paul Saints, shook off a three-run first to beat the AirHogs 6-3 in front of 1,988 fans at QuikTrip Park to end Grand Prairie's franchise-best winning streak at nine.

Continue reading "Former AirHog Helps Snap Winning Streak" »

Posted by Editor at 01:50 AM | Permalink

On a day where almost everything clicked, the Grand Prairie AirHogs extended their winning streak to nine straight, as they beat the Kansas City T-Bones 10-4 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Thursday afternoon to complete a four-game sweep.

The AirHogs (15-5) got hitting all throughout the order, good pitching and solid defense as they cruised to the victory over the T-Bones (7-13) in a game with an 11 a.m. start - coming after Wednesday's rain-delayed game that ended at 11:48 p.m.

Continue reading "Brownell, Bats Keep AirHogs Rolling" »

Posted by Editor at 04:30 PM | Permalink

The red-hot Grand Prairie AirHogs did not let another early deficit or some rain get in their way on Wednesday, beating the Kansas City T-Bones 9-5 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark to extend their winning streak to eight games.

Grand Prairie (14-5) fell behind for the second day in a row, as Brian Joynt's two-out, two-run double off Jae Jung (2-1) in the first inning gave Kansas City (7-12) an early 2-0 lead. But Jung worked around five more baserunners in the next three innings to avoid further damage.

Continue reading "AirHogs Get Past Rain, T-Bones for Eighth Straight Win" »

Posted by Editor at 06:43 AM | Permalink

For the third day in a row, the Grand Prairie AirHogs scored multiple runs in the first inning, never were tied or behind the rest of the way, and cruised to another win. This time it was a 5-2 win over the Kansas City T-Bones at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, giving Grand Prairie a six-game winning streak.

David Espinosa started the game with a base-hit that hopped over the head of the first baseman Nick Farnsworth, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by David Thomas. Thomas then stole second and scored on Cesar Nicolas's single to give the AirHogs (12-5) the early lead.

Continue reading "Winning Streak Hits Six as Grand Prairie Tops Kansas City" »

Posted by Editor at 07:05 AM | Permalink

Just like Saturday night, the Grand Prairie AirHogs scored in the first, got a good six-inning outing from their starting pitcher and three good bullpen innings and beat the Shreveport-Bossier Captains by two runs, this time winning 3-1 on Sunday in front of 2,826 fans at QuikTrip Park to complete a three-game sweep of the defending American Association champions.

Continue reading "AirHogs Win Fifth Straight, Sweep Captains" »

Posted by Editor at 11:00 PM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs kept rolling Saturday night, beating the Shreveport-Bossier Captains 5-3 for their fourth straight win and a clinch of their fourth straight series win in front of 2,380 fans at QuikTrip Park.

The AirHogs (10-5) began the attack in the first, with David Thomas , Cesar Nicolas and Greg Porter singling with one out in the first to load the bases. Captains starter Aaron Cunningham (1-2) then threw eight of the next nine pitches out of the strike zone to John Alonso and Tyler Henley, giving Grand Prairie the lead. The red-hot Jake Taylor then hit a sac fly to make it 3-0 before Cunningham was able to get out of the inning.

Continue reading "Brownell Goes to 3-0 as AirHogs Roll 5-3" »

Posted by Editor at 10:59 PM | Permalink

It was not to be the eighth home run of the night, but John Alonso's fly ball to left field with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning was just deep enough to allow David Espinosa to tag up and score the 25th and final run on a wild Friday night, as the Grand Prairie AirHogs outlasted the Shreveport-Bossier Captains 13-12 in front of 1,712 fans at QuikTrip Park.

The start of the game belied what was to come, as both starters, Grand Prairie's Jae Jung and Shreveport-Bossier's Osvaldo Rodriguez, retired the side in order in the first.

Continue reading "AirHogs Get Final Word in Slugfest" »

Posted by Editor at 07:54 AM | Permalink

Making his fourth straight start at shortstop, the Grand Prairie AirHogs' Jake Taylor made a pair of errors in the first inning. But neither of those runners scored and Taylor more than made up for it with three RBIs, as the AirHogs scored four seventh-inning runs to erase a 3-1 deficit and beat the Sioux City Explorers 5-3 on Wednesday, winning the series two out of three, and finishing their first road trip of the year at 4-2.

Continue reading "Seventh Inning Rally Clinches Series for 'Hogs" »

Posted by Editor at 07:02 AM | Permalink

When the Grand Prairie AirHogs signed the 2002 National League Rookie of the Year Jason Jennings to start on Tuesday night, the plan was for the righty to throw about 50 pitches in his first start of the season. Nearing the five innings necessary to be eligible for a victory, the veteran hurler convinced manager Ricky VanAsselberg to let him throw a few more. Jennings completed the fifth and departed with 66 pitches and his bats backed him up, scoring seven times in a 7-2 victory over the Sioux City Explorers at Lewis and Clark Park

Continue reading "Jennings Strong in First Start - AirHogs top X's" »

Posted by Editor at 06:58 AM | Permalink

While Josh Rainwater's seven shutout innings to earn the American Association Pitcher of the Week award in the first week of the season was impressive enough, Grand Prairie AirHogs lefty Greg Smith topped that performance on May 17 against the Lincoln Saltdogs. With one of the best handful of games ever pitched in the franchise's short history, Smith hurled a complete game, five-hit shutout, allowing all singles and no walks or hit batters, struck out nine and faced only two over the minimum.

Continue reading "AirHogs Greg Smith Selected American Association Pitcher of the Week" »

Posted by Editor at 01:53 PM | Permalink

Although Sunday's game looked early like a replay of Saturday night's, the Grand Prairie AirHogs flipped the script after another big Kansas City T-Bones first inning, coming back with a three-run fourth and four-run fifth to win 8-4 and take the rubber match of their three-game series at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Continue reading "AirHogs Rally to Take Series" »

Posted by Editor at 09:51 PM | Permalink

Grand Prairie AirHogs righty Jae Jung endured a nightmare start to Saturday night's game, as the first five batters all reached and scored against him to spark the Kansas City T-Bones to a 7-2 win at Community America Ballpark.

Continue reading "Early Thunder Sends T-Bones to Easy Win" »

Posted by Editor at 09:40 PM | Permalink

Early on Friday night, it was all or nothing for the Grand Prairie AirHogs and Kansas City T-Bones. Starters Josh Rainwater for the AirHogs and T.J. Large were throwing up strikeouts but the runs were also piling up. Eventually, the AirHogs came out of the scrap on top, as a five-run fourth was the difference in a 9-5 Grand Prairie win at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Continue reading "AirHogs Bats Break Out to Beat T-Bones" »

Posted by Editor at 11:10 PM | Permalink

While the 5,014 fans at QuikTrip Park on Wednesday – many of them children on Education Day – may have had an unforgettable day, the Grand Prairie AirHogs had one they would rather not think about, as six errors and tough Lincoln Saltdogs pitching doomed them to an 8-1 defeat, snapping a four-game winning streak and preventing an AirHogs series sweep.

Continue reading "More Than 5,000 See Grand Prairie Drop Series Finale" »

Posted by Editor at 07:18 PM | Permalink

By Josh Hirsch/Grand Prairie AirHogs

The Grand Prairie AirHogs, along with the USSSA Florida Pride, the City of Grand Prairie announced today a National Professional Fastpitch (NPF) series that will take place at QuikTrip Park, August 5-7.

The teams featured in this match-up will be the 2010 NPF Champion USSSA Florida Pride against the NPF Diamonds.

Continue reading "QuikTrip Park to Host Pro Softball in August" »

Posted by Editor at 10:11 PM | Permalink

By Josh Hirsch/Grand Prairie AirHogs

After one time through the Grand Prairie AirHogs' starting rotation, each of the five pitchers had worked at least into the sixth inning. With the second turn starting on Tuesday, lefty Greg Smith raised the bar on his teammates, as he hurled a five-hit, no-walk, nine-strikeout shutout against the Lincoln Saltdogs in front of 1,344 at QuikTrip Park to extend the AirHogs' win streak to four.

Continue reading "AirHogs Win Streak Now at Four" »

Posted by Editor at 09:18 PM | Permalink

Just like in Sunday's game against Gary SouthShore, the Grand Prairie AirHogs got into an early hole against the Lincoln Saltdogs on Monday night. But just like the previous day, the AirHogs got a five-spot early on, and their starting pitcher - on this occasion righty John Brownell - pitched well and Grand Prairie cruised to a 6-3 victory in front of 1,167 fans at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "AirHogs Extend Win Streak to Three" »

Posted by Editor at 12:39 AM | Permalink

Grand Prairie AirHogs righty Josh Rainwater had a brilliant outing on Saturday, pitching seven shutout innings with three hits, no walks and five strikeouts to lead the 'Hogs to their first win of the 2011 season. The outing also turned out to bring the AirHogs their first league-wide honor of the year, as Rainwater was named the American Association Pitcher of the Week honors, as selected by Pointstreak, the official statistician of the American Association.

Continue reading "Rainwater Earns Pitcher of the Week" »

Posted by Editor at 10:03 PM | Permalink

The first time through the batting order, Gary SouthShore RailCats pitcher Derrick Gordon retired eight of the nine Grand Prairie AirHogs he faced on Sunday night. But the next six hitters all reached and five of them scored - enough to give the AirHogs a 5-4 victory and a season-opening series split in front of 4,585 at QuikTrip Park.

Continue reading "Five-run Third Earns AirHogs Series Split" »

Posted by Editor at 06:45 AM | Permalink

Friday night, the Grand Prairie AirHogs' starting pitcher was excellent and the hitters scored two runs - but the AirHogs lost to the Gary SouthShore RailCats in 11 innings. One night later, Grand Prairie's starter was excellent again, and the AirHogs again scored a pair of runs, but this time they were enough to get a victory for Josh Rainwater, as Grand Prairie snuck by the RailCats 2-1 in front of a Fireworks Saturday crowd of 4,205 at QuikTrip Park.

Once again the AirHogs (1-2) got on the board first, as Kevin Thompson reached on an infield single, moved to second on a bunt by David Thomas, went to third on a bloop single by Cesar Nicolas and scored on Greg Porter's sacrifice fly. Grand Prairie got its second and final run the following inning on an RBI triple to right-center by Guillermo Martinez.

Continue reading "AirHogs Pick Up First Win" »

Posted by Editor at 11:54 PM | Permalink

Commission Chairman Rolando Pablos said, “The Commission is pleased to have formally considered this application. The members of this body understand like so many others the clear importance of Lone Star Park to the racing industry in Texas and to the City of Grand Prairie. We have been concerned about Lone Star Park and its future.

Continue reading "Racing Commission Approves Change of Ownership of Lone Star Park" »

Posted by Editor at 12:39 AM | Permalink

Returning to the QuikTrip Park mound for the first time since the Grand Prairie AirHogs inaugural season in 2008, righty Scot Drucker displayed the form that got him signed by the Detroit Tigers' organization that year. But for the second night in a row, the Gary SouthShore RailCats got the bigger hits late, as they scored three runs in the 11th inning to nip the 'Hogs in front of a crowd of 1,776 on Friday.

The AirHogs (0-2) scored first on a sacrifice fly by Cesar Nicolas in the third, and for a bit it looked like Drucker would make the lone run stand up.

The Miami native retired the first four men he faced before Louis Ott singled with one out in the second. But the AirHogs righty promptly induced a double play from Kyle Haines to end the inning. He allowed a two-out single in the third but then picked of Chris Carrara to end that frame, and got another inning-ending double play in the fourth before hurling a perfect fifth.

Continue reading "Late Runs Doom AirHogs in 11-inning Loss" »

Posted by Editor at 12:17 AM | Permalink

By Josh Hirsch – Grand Prairie AirHogs

The new era in Grand Prairie AirHogs baseball got off to a very entertaining start Thursday night, although the team did not get the result it wanted, as the Gary SouthShore RailCats put up two eighth-inning runs to tip the see-saw game their way for good, winning 8-7 in front of 2,612 fans at QuikTrip Park.

RailCats shortstop Kyle Haines hit a two-run single to left with two outs off Grand Prairie reliever Dustin Cameron (0-1) to provide the final margin and David Nathanson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with two strikeouts to get his first professional save in the fifth-year pro's third-ever relief outing.

Continue reading "AirHogs Lose Season Opener in Close Game" »

Posted by Editor at 12:11 AM | Permalink

Manager Ricky VanAsselberg’s 22-man roster has 10 pitchers and 12 position players, and includes two former Major Leaguers as well as five players who have played with the club in the past.

One of the former big-leaguers, Greg Smith, will get the opening day start against the Gary SouthShore RailCats at 7:05 p.m. at QuikTrip Park, against RailCats righty Scott Shaw. The AirHogs’ lefty was with the Colorado Rockies last season, and also had a stint with the Oakland A’s in 2008.

Continue reading "AirHogs Set Opening Day Roster‎" »

Posted by Editor at 09:35 PM | Permalink

More than 500 AirHogs fans, dignitaries, and sponsors packed QuikTrip Park Thursday night to get a preview of the Grand Prairie AirHogs 2011 season at the team's inaugural “Party at the Park .”

General Manager Craig Brasfied spoke to the standing-room-only crowd in the left field bar area about the team’s new promotions and the affordable prices set for the season. Field Manager Ricky VanAsselberg gave a run down on the type of baseball fans can expect to see the AirHogs play and his style of managing.

Continue reading "AirHogs Give Fans Preview of Season" »

Posted by Editor at 08:32 AM | Permalink

The event will feature a “Taste of QuikTrip Park” with a new food court that includes:

• Mexican food
• Italian food
• Bar-b-que
• Fish and chips
• As well as ballpark staples such as hot dogs and hamburgers

Continue reading "Airogs to Host “Party at the Park” – Meet Players, Taste Park’s New Food Menu" »

Posted by Editor at 05:46 PM | Permalink

With Justin Shepherd aboard, who was released from the hospital on Friday night after being treated for a staph infection in his leg, and then given medical clearance to ride on Saturday, the bay son of Sky Mesa settled into ideal tracking position behind fractions of 24.28, 47.85, and 1:11.72. With early pacesetter Gladding in his sights at the top of the stretch, Thiskyhasnolimit dug in through the lane and outdueled that rival to prevail by a half-length. It was seven lengths back to Dreaminofthewin in third. The final time was 1:37.28.

Continue reading "Thiskyhasnolimit Wears Down Gladding in Texas Mile" »

Posted by Editor at 07:49 AM | Permalink

Photo courtesy Grand Prairie AirHogs

“I’m thrilled about getting the chance to manage the AirHogs,’’ said VanAsselberg. “I know the folks in Grand Prairie are excited about the 2011 season. It’s a great area for baseball. I think the fans will really enjoy watching this team play.”

VanAsselberg led the Captains to the 2010 American Association title by sweeping Sioux Falls in the finals. The Captains finished the regular season with a 58-37 record. In 2009, VanAsselberg led the team to a 48-48 record – a 22-game improvement from the previous season.

Continue reading "AirHogs Name Shreveport Skipper as New Field Manager" »

Posted by Editor at 06:08 PM | Permalink

Photo courtesy Grand Prairie AirHogs

The Grand Prairie AirHogs announced Tuesday that Craig Brasfield has been named the team’s Vice President and General Manager. Brasfield comes to Grand Prairie after two years as the VP/GM of the American Association champion Shreveport-Bossier Captains.

“I’m excited about the opportunity with the AirHogs,” said Brasfield. “This is such a great baseball area. I’m looking forward to getting involved in the community and realize how important the AirHogs are to the baseball fans in Grand Prairie. The AirHogs fans can expect a lot of exciting changes at QuikTrip Park in 2011.”

Continue reading "AirHogs Name Vice President/General Manager" »

Posted by Editor at 07:11 PM | Permalink

Bolstered by post-race performances from the Randy Rogers Band and Ted Nugent, Lone Star Park attracted 50,471 fans opening weekend. The sixth largest opening weekend attendance since the track opened for live racing in 1997, and the largest since 2004 when 55,531 fans attended Lone Star Park’s opening weekend festivities. A total of 43,358 fans attended Lone Star’s opening weekend in 2010.

Continue reading "Lone Star Park Draws Over Fifty Thousand Fans Opening Weekend - Highest Since 2004" »

Posted by Editor at 09:34 PM | Permalink

Richard W. Penn’s Lydia’s Last Step, trained by J.R. Caldwell, won the 15th running of the one-mile $50,000 Premiere Stakes in front of a crowd of 8,624, a 1.3 percent increase over the 8,512 that attended opening night at Lone Star Park in 2010.

With Bryan McNeil in the irons, the four-year-old bay son of Spanish Steps dictated the tempo on his own terms through fractions of 23.86, 47.78 and 1:12.67. A length in front at the top of the stretch, Lydia’s Last Step widened his margin through the lane before reporting home two and three quarter lengths in front of post-time favorite Coyote Legend. The final time of the race was 1:39.95.

Continue reading "Lydia’s Last Step Wins 2011 Season Opener at Lone Star Park" »

Posted by Editor at 10:57 PM | Permalink

Gary Elliston (L) Chariman of the Board, Grand
Prairie Baseball Club, and Scott Berry, (R) President
Southern Independent Baseball announce the
acquisition of the Grand Prairie AirHogs.Photo
courtesy Southern Independent Baseball

The Grand Prairie AirHogs announced Tuesday that the team has been acquired by Southern Independent Baseball L.L.C. (SIB). The ownership group resides and works in the Metroplex. Gary Elliston, Chairman of the Board of SIB, is the senior founding partner of DeHay & Elliston L.L.P. in Dallas. Elliston becomes the Chairman of the Board of GP Baseball Club L.L.C.

“I’m very excited about acquiring the AirHogs,” said Elliston. “This is a great opportunity for us as well as the baseball fans in the area. We are really looking forward to the 2011 season.”

Scott Berry, President of SIB, is managing partner of DeHay & Elliston L.L.P. in Dallas. Berry is now the President of GP Baseball Club L.L.C.

“We can’t wait for the 2011 season to begin,” said Berry. “Gary and I love the fact that we have a team right in our own backyard. I look forward to working with the Grand Prairie community in bringing a championship to the area. The City of Grand Prairie has been great to work with and we plan on playing baseball at QuikTrip Park at Grand Prairie for many years.

Continue reading "AirHogs acquired by Dallas group" »

Posted by Editor at 08:41 PM | Permalink

Individual ticket sales for the AirHogs 2011 season began today at QuikTrip Park with the St. Patty O’Party.

The free, day long festival featured fun for the entire family with events like Irish music, dunk tanks, bounce houses, fast pitch games and of course the kids got to run the bases at beautiful QuikTrip Park. For the adults, the NCAA Basketball Tournament was showing on the QuikTrip Park video board.

Continue reading "AirHogs kick off 2011 ticket sales with St. Patty O’Party" »

Posted by Editor at 04:51 PM | Permalink

Registration has begun for teams to be a part of the friendly competition in events like seen on the television shows, Survivor and The Amazing Race. The cost for team participants is $50.00 per person. Teams can be from 4 - 6 players, age 18 and up.

Continue reading "Games of Grand Prairie set for April 16" »

Posted by Editor at 08:34 AM | Permalink

Whitson who comes from the Richardson ISD has been Richardson High School’s football coach for the past four seasons compiling an 18-24 record. After going 0-10 in his first season, Whitson took Richardson to the playoffs the last two seasons.

Continue reading "Warrior football coach named" »

Posted by Editor at 05:29 PM | Permalink

During the Job Fairs, Lone Star Park will be accepting applications and conducting interviews for employment during the 2011 Spring Thoroughbred season, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 14 through Sunday, July 10.

Continue reading "Lone Star Park to hold job fairs for 2011 season" »

Posted by Editor at 11:18 PM | Permalink

The AirHogs will open their fourth season in the American Association on Thursday, May 12 with a series against the Gary SouthShore Railcats. The opening homestand will include three games against the RailCats and three games against the Lincoln Saltdogs.

Continue reading "Airhogs announce 2011 schedule" »

Posted by Editor at 12:05 AM | Permalink

Undefeated Euless Trinity proved to be too much for the South Grand Prairie Warriors winning Friday night's playoff game 36-16 in North Richland Hills.

Continue reading "Warriors lose playoff game to Euless Trinity" »

Posted by Editor at 12:15 AM | Permalink

Walter Butler (48) leaps for a pass in the 50-7 win Friday night over Grand Prairie to put the South Grand Prairie Warriors into the playoffs. ©2010 – Bob Fitch/Grand Prairie Reporter

The University Interscholastic League (UIL) released its football playoff schedule that matches South Grand Prairie (6-4) against undefeated Trinity Euless (10-0), Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Birdville ISD Fine Arts/Athletic Complex.

Posted by Editor at 10:28 AM | Permalink

Cedar Hill stopped South Grand Prairie on the Longhorn’s 12 yard line with 22 seconds left in the game to hang on to a 28-23 victory Friday night in the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

The Warriors scored early taking a 16-0 lead into the second quarter, but the Longhorns came back scoring 22 points. The Warriors held a 23-22 lead at halftime.

Continue reading "Warriors lose close game in Gopher-Warrior Bowl - Gophers lose in Mansfield" »

Posted by Editor at 01:09 AM | Permalink

Midlothian beats the Gophers 54-30 in the Gopher-Warrior Bowl Friday night.

Continue reading "Midlothian routs Gophers - Warriors beat Mansfield Legacy" »

Posted by Editor at 12:37 AM | Permalink

Continue reading "Two AirHogs named to 2010 All Independent Team" »

Posted by Editor at 01:42 PM | Permalink

The teams were formerly members of the Northern League, all for the past nine seasons or longer, and combined to win its previous six championships. In 2010, the four clubs drew nearly 900,000 fans to their games.

Continue reading "American Association adds four clubs" »

Posted by Editor at 01:54 PM | Permalink

South Grand Prairie scored on its first three possessions Friday night against Mansfield Timberview to go on to a 55-0 win in the Gopher Warrior Bowl.

The Warriors dominated the game scoring twenty-one points in the first and third quarters. In all, the Warriors scored eight offensive touchdowns while the Warrior defense intercepted two Timberview passes.

Continue reading "Warriors overpower Mansfield Timberview" »

Posted by Editor at 12:40 AM | Permalink

Grand Prairie’s offense could only score twice in its 55-13 loss to Mansfield Legacy Friday night in the Gopher-Warrior Bowl spoiling the Gopher’s Homecoming.

Continue reading "Gophers lose Homecoming to Mansfield Legacy – Warriors lose in Mansfield" »

Posted by Editor at 12:53 AM | Permalink

Charles Hatley, left, delivers a blow to Emanuel Augustus, right, at Saturday night's Fight Night at QuikTrip Park. Photo courtesy Black Gloves Promotions

The much anticipated welterweight matchup between Dallas native Charles "The Future" Hatley and Emanuel Augustus ended with Hatley winning a unanimous eight round decision Saturday night at QuikTrip Park in Grand Prairie.

Augustus, of Brownsville, was aggressive early in the bout and knocked Hatley down in round 2 with a hard overhand right.

However, in round 3 Hatley took charge and dropped Augustus twice with right hands high to the head.

Continue reading " Hatley takes Augustus at Fight Night" »

Posted by Editor at 09:05 AM | Permalink

South Grand Prairie won its Homecoming Game Friday night at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl beating Midlothian 17-14.

Grand Prairie lost to Duncanville 6-70 in Duncanville.

Posted by Editor at 08:25 AM | Permalink

The announcement brings to a close months of work to produce a 2011 racing calendar acceptable to horse tracks and horsemen in Texas.

Continue reading "Commission grants Lone Star Park 52 day Thoroughbred season" »

Posted by Editor at 09:07 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie Gophers stopped a determined W. T. White late in the game to preserve 35-28 win in the Gopher-Warrior Bowl Friday night.

Gopher quarterback Tommy Alvarez started the scoring with a 4-yard run in the first quarter, Alex Rostro kicked the point. On White’s next possession, Gopher defensive back Dewayne Fleeks picked a fumbled and took it back 47-yards for a score, Rostro kicked the point after.

White came back scoring touchdowns in the first and second quarter to tie the score.

Continue reading "Gophers win - Warriors lose" »

Posted by Editor at 02:33 AM | Permalink

Jordan Wiggs kicked a 34 –yard field goal with 1:52 left in the game to give the Warriors a 21-18 win over the Mesquite Skeeters Friday night in the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

Mesquite took an early 10-0 lead, but the Warriors came back with Keonte White scoring on a 65 –yard pass from Jared Johnson in the first quarter. He also ran in for the 2 point conversion.

Warriors again scored in the second quarter when Quarterback Jared Johnson ran 31-yards for a touchdown, Wiggs kicked the extra point to put the Warrior up 15-10 at half-time.

Continue reading "Warriors beat Mesquite 21-18 in Gopher-Warrior Bowl" »

Posted by Editor at 01:26 AM | Permalink

The South Grand Prairie Warriors held their final scrimmage game Friday night taking on Arlington at the Gopher-Warrior Bowl.

The Warriors open their football season August 27 in Arlington against Arlington Lamar.

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

For only $10 you can watch the AirHogs beat the El Paso Diablos in the air conditioned comfort of the Admiral Suite on the stadium's second floor with both indoor and outdoor seating, purchase food and drinks from the nearby concession stand, and that night is also Thirsty Thursday Dollar Beer Night.

With only sixty seats available, ticket can be purchased online with a portion of the ticket price donated to Children First Counseling Center.

Special link to purchase tickets (use password: mingle).

Posted by Editor at 12:20 AM | Permalink

With Friday the first day of contact for high school football teams, the South Grand Prairie Warriors got in lots of hitting Saturday with their Red and Gold intrasquad scrimmage at Warrior Stadium.

A crowd of avid fans showed up for the 8:00 a.m. start time to cheer the team while Warrior coaches got their first real look this season of players in game like situations.

Continue reading "Warrior red-gold scrimmage" »

Posted by Editor at 02:44 PM | Permalink

Although the high temperature was still above 100 degrees Monday, football was in the air as the Gopher and Warrior football players began summer workouts to prepare for their season openers on August 27.

With only three weeks to get ready for their first half-time routine, practice is in full swing for the bands also as they march in the morning heat to perfect their routines.

Continue reading "High school football teams and bands prepare for season" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

Average daily attendance increased to 6,952 compared to 6,883 for 65 days in 2009. Overall, 417,096 racing fans came through the turnstiles during the meet, which was run from Thursday, April 8 through Sunday, July 18. Last year, 447,426 attended the 65-day meet.

Despite the increase in attendance, wagering was down across the board:

Continue reading "Lone Star Park’s thoroughbred season ends - draws more than 400,000" »

Posted by Editor at 10:08 AM | Permalink

After a 19-minute delay, the sixth race was run and payouts were calculated manually. The source of the problem with the phone lines had not been identified when the remaining races were cancelled.

Continue reading "Lone Star Park cancel three races due to tote board malfunction" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The American Association of Independent Professional Baseball 2010 All-Star Game will be held on July 27 in Wichita, KS and feature the South Division All-Stars against the North Division All-Stars.

Continue reading "Five AirHogs named all-stars" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The five-run rally started with an RBI single by LF Aaron Garza, and the AirHogs won the game when 2B Chris Brown knocked in the go-ahead run.

Continue reading "AirHogs take two from the Cats" »

Posted by Editor at 08:52 AM | Permalink

Grand Prairie 1B Greg Porter and 2B Chris Brown each contributed RBI hits early, and from there, Prihoda allowed just one run over seven innings to hold off the Cats. He scattered five hits en route to his fourth win of the season, and Geivy Garcia pitched two hitless frames out of the bullpen to tally his sixth save.

Continue reading "AirHogs outlast Cats 2-1" »

Posted by Editor at 06:36 AM | Permalink

The benefit will pit the Lone Star Park jockeys against a team of track employees and media in a doubleheader that is open to the public. All proceeds will benefit the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which assists injured and disabled jockeys and their families.

Continue reading "Suits vs. Silks rescheduled for July 6" »

Posted by Editor at 10:17 PM | Permalink

The AirHogs were not able to start a win streak Wednesday to counter the five game skid the ‘Hogs had suffered earlier in the week as they dropped another to last place El Paso, 11-3.

Grand Prairie starter Matt Green went only two-thirds of an inning, allowing five runs on three hits, one of which was a grand slam off the bat of Kyle Nicholes. The Diablos put one more on the board as Adam Deleo went deep to left for his first home run of the season.

Continue reading "Grand Prairie drops day-game to El Paso, 11-3" »

Posted by Editor at 03:44 PM | Permalink

The ‘Hogs found a much needed win against the last place El Paso Diablos Tuesday night by the score of 7-1, snapping their franchise record five-game losing streak.

A bit of managerial magic seemed to do the trick, as field manager Pete Incaviglia dropped Aaron Garza from the two-hole to seventh leading to a two run homer in the bottom of the second. Garza found his stride after an unproductive streak at the top of the order.

Continue reading "AirHogs snap losing streak with 7-1 win over Diablos" »

Posted by Editor at 06:42 AM | Permalink

The AirHogs’ midseason woes continued Monday as the El Paso Diablos handed the ‘Hogs their fifth straight loss by the score of 6-4.

AirHog starter Ryne Tacker began the night hot, pitching five innings of no-hit ball. The ‘Hogs offense provided the run support scoring two in the third off a fielder’s choice from Joe Spiers and a sacrifice fly from David Espinosa. The two reached base on a single and a walk to begin the inning.

Another fielder’s choice off a double play from Chad Gabriel scored Greg Porter for the ‘Hogs third run of the game.

Continue reading "Diablos ground AirHogs 6-4" »

Posted by Editor at 12:01 AM | Permalink

The AirHogs got their revenge Tuesday against the Lincoln Saltdogs with a dominating 11-1 win at QuikTrip Park.

The ‘Hogs blew the game open in the bottom of the fourth, scoring seven runs, only two being earned.

The scoring began off a double to left center by Aaron Garza scoring Juan Camacho. Garza would cross the plate after a throw from centerfield sailed into the Lincoln dugout giving Garza the extra base after the Ben Petralli single.

Continue reading "Airhogs lick Saltdogs, 11-1" »

Posted by Editor at 11:04 PM | Permalink

Grand Prairie snapped its four-game losing streak in a big way as the AirHogs routed the Pensacola Pelicans, 10-3, at QuikTrip Park. The AirHogs (16-12) also remained in first place in the South Division ahead of the Shreveport-Bossier Captains.

AirHogs starter Matt Green played a big role in helping snap the losing skid by pitching seven strong innings. The right-hander raised his record to 3-0 by scattering five hits and allowed only one unearned run. He also struck out three and walked two.

Continue reading "Airhogs snap losing streak with 10-3 win over Pelicans" »

Posted by Editor at 06:47 AM | Permalink

Pensacola overcame an early three run deficit and defeated the Grand Prairie AirHogs, 5-4, Friday night at QuikTrip Park. It was Grand Prairie’s third straight loss but the AirHogs (15-11) remain in first play in the Southern Division.

The AirHogs jumped on Pensacola starter Jared Gothreaux for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs Greg Porter doubled to left center and came around on Juan Camacho’s single up the middle.

Aaron Garza then followed with a two-run home run to left to make it 3-0. It was Garza’s second homer of the season.

Continue reading "‘Hogs fall to Pels, 5-4" »

Posted by Editor at 06:28 AM | Permalink

Garza had three hits on the night and paced the offense in support of starter Matt Green, who picked up the win by pitching 5.2 innings and allowing just one run.

The bullpen tossed 3.1 innings of hitless baseball and closer Geivy Garcia scored his fifth save.

Continue reading "AirHogs beat the Cats" »

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

LF Chad Gabriel also had a good game offensively, going 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and three RBI.

C Benji Johnson led the way at the plate for El Paso. He was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI.

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

El Paso took the first game of the three game series at Cohen stadium Friday night against Grand Prairie 12-8. The Diablos have now won two out of their last three games.

The Diablos and the AirHogs brought their sticks out tonight as a total of 20 runs between the two of them would be put up on the board before the night was over. The scoring started in the top of the second inning when the AirHogs hit a two run home run off of Diablos starter D.J. Mattox. The Diablos would answer back immediately during the bottom half of the inning with a Jeff Vincent two RBI double to tie the game. El Paso ended the inning with the lead after a Jonathan Reynoso RBI base hit. Greg Porter would tie things up at three for the AirHogs in the top of the third with a solo blast. The Diablos didn’t flinch as El Paso’s newcomer Kyle Nichols hit the first Diablos home run of the season at Cohen stadium. Nichols bomb over the left field fence would give the Diablos a 6-3 lead. Vincent would finish the inning off with a double that brought Arnoldo Ponce home and gave El Paso a 7-3 lead after three innings.

Continue reading "Diablos take game one against first place Grand Prairie" »

Posted by Editor at 08:35 AM | Permalink

The AirHogs managed to stave off a first shutout game of the season in a 9-1 loss to the Fort Worth Cats at QuikTrip Park Thursday.

The Cats began the scoring in the third on a Brian Fryer home run to deep left, followed by a big three run inning the top of the fifth off ‘Hogs starter Luke Prihoda. Three singles and a double from Brenan Herrera tallied the Cats three-spot in the inning.

They scratched out their fifth run on a grounder up the middle in the top of the sixth, then knocked ‘Hogs pitcher Edgar Estanga around in the ninth, scoring two off a double and a triple. One more crossed home plate on a base hit in the six-hole bringing the Cats score to nine.

Continue reading "AirHogs fall to Cats, 9-1" »

Posted by Editor at 12:16 AM | Permalink

The AirHogs’ run producing machine was hot Wednesday as the ‘Hogs put up a run in all but two innings, taking down the Fort Worth Cats, 7-1. AirHogs starter Matt Green put up a quality effort and earned his first win of the season, going seven innings giving up only one run on three hits and four strikeouts.

The ‘Hogs began the onslaught in the first inning off a Greg Porter double to the left of the Porter Pool Deck in right field scoring David Espinosa. Porter then sent a fly ball deep to score the ‘Hog’s second run of the night on the sacrifice. He went 2-3 on the night with two doubles to boost his batting lead.

Continue reading "Green tosses gem, ‘Hogs fly past Cats 7-1" »

Posted by Editor at 10:35 PM | Permalink

The AirHogs edged out the win on a flying chalk, pinch hit line drive down the third base line by Robert Perry, sealing the 5-4 victory in walk off fashion. With the win, the AirHogs extend their first place lead to three games over the second place Shreveport-Bossier Captains.

Perry, hitting for Thomas Incaviglia, added to his league top-five batting average and scored Chad Gabriel from second to claim the win.

Continue reading "Perry bats in game winning RBI, AirHogs scratch Cats 5-4" »

Posted by Editor at 12:05 AM | Permalink

Posted by Editor at 09:58 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs stretched their first-place lead over the Shreveport-Bossier Captains with an 8-2 win on Thursday night, scoring four of their eight runs on sacrifice flies.

The first runs were plated in the first at the hand of a Greg Porter base-hit RBI, followed by a Juan Camacho sacrifice pop fly well out of the infield, scoring the second run of the game.

In the second, Joe Spiers sent another sac-fly into the outfield, scoring Ben Patralli to make it 3-1. Catcher Flint Wipke followed the trend sending one deep into the park, scoring a fourth AirHog run.

Continue reading "AirHogs soar over Captains 8-2" »

Posted by Editor at 11:27 PM | Permalink

Delivering a walk-off base-hit in the bottom of the ninth, American Association batting leader David Espinosa shot a liner into right field scoring the go-ahead run from second and ending the AirHogs’ two-game skid in front of a Wednesday afternoon crowd of 5,169.

Both starters put up quality starts—Captains pitcher Justin Young pitched 7 innings giving up one run on five hits, while ‘Hogs starter Jarod Plummer went 6.2 innings giving up two runs on six hits, striking out two.

Continue reading "Espinosa delivers in the 9th, Airhogs top Captains 3-2" »

Posted by Editor at 02:51 PM | Permalink

The AirHogs dropped their second game in a row Tuesday this time to the Shreveport-Bossier Captains by the score of 6-4. ‘Hogs starter James Paxton went 3.1 innings allowing five earned runs and struck out three.

The Captains opened the scoring in the top of the third scoring four, three of which came off a three run shot to left field by Palmer Karr Jr. AirHogs second baseman Joe Spiers answered in the bottom of the third with a homer deep onto the cigar bar outside of left field of QuikTrip Park scoring Grand Prairie’s first run of the game.

Continue reading "Grand Prairie falls to Shreveport 6-4" »

Posted by Editor at 07:24 AM | Permalink

Porter hit .423 with two home runs and 10 RBI in six games for Grand Prairie. The Keller, TX resident also scored seven runs, collected 11 hits and had a slugging percentage of .769. Porter went five-for-six in Saturday’s game with 5 RBIs against the Pensacola Pelicans, hitting one out of the park for his second home of the season.

Continue reading "Greg Porter named Batter of the Week" »

Posted by Editor at 09:09 PM | Permalink

Visitors learn about what happens behind the scenes at Lone Star Park with Track Announcer John Lies, who will host the morning workouts and talk with special guests, including jockeys, trainers and some of the people that have the most important jobs at the racetrack. Among Lies' guests for the opening program on May 29 at 8:30 a.m. will be world renown jockey Aaron Grader, who is riding his first meet at Lone Star Park this year, and award-winning Star-Telegram racing writer Gary West.

Continue reading "“Jockeys & Java” at Lone Star Park premieres May 29" »

Posted by Editor at 09:02 PM | Permalink

AirHogs starting pitcher James Paxton had a noteworthy start Wednesday, tallying his first professional win against the Sioux City Explorers by the score of 7-5, in front of a day-game crowd of nearly 4,000 school children on the AirHogs 3rd Annual “Education Day.”

In six innings, Paxton gave up one run in a one hit effort. Shortstop David Espinosa continued his offensive tear, going 2-3 and bringing his season average up to .479.

The AirHogs began the scoring in the bottom of the third, tallying four after getting a runner picked off second. Paxton went through four innings without giving up a single hit, until Ray Serrano of the Explorers knocked a flare into left.

Continue reading "‘Hogs take Explorers to school during education day at QuikTrip Park" »

Posted by Editor at 03:25 PM | Permalink

The trainer-jockey combination has already teamed up to win the first two Lone Star Park graded stakes races in 2010, the Texas Mile on April 24 with Mythical Powers and the Lone Star Derby on May 8 with Game on Dude.

Continue reading "Preakness winning jockey to ride at Lone Star Park on Memorial Day" »

Posted by Editor at 07:20 PM | Permalink

Robert Perry’s RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted the Grand Prairie AirHogs to a 4-3 victory over the Pensacola Pelicans Sunday in front of 2,836 fans at QuikTrip Park. Perry’s double scored Aaron Garza, who hit the game-tying RBI double moments earlier.

The victory gave the AirHogs a season-opening three-game sweep of the Pelicans. Two of the victories were recorded in the AirHogs’ last at-bat, including a walk-off win in the 13th inning in the season opener.

Pensacola broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth on Francisco Leandro’s RBI single but in the bottom of the ninth, Grand Prairie’s Juan Camacho led with a single. Camacho raced all the way to third when the ball skipped past Pensacola left fielder Joey Side.

Continue reading "Grand Prairie issues three-game sweep to visiting Pensacola" »

Posted by Editor at 06:32 PM | Permalink

Chad Gabriel led the Grand Prairie AirHogs over the Pensacola Pelicans with a four-RBI effort in a 10-7 win Saturday night at QuikTrip Park.

Gabriel went two-for-three on the night driving in four of the AirHogs runs. The first of Gabriel’s two hits came in the bottom of the third when he floated a single over the second baseman’s head into right scoring two. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, Gabriel hit a hard grounder between the shortstop and third baseman which would also bring in two.

Grand Prairie came out hot in the bottom of the first scoring two off a double and a single.

Continue reading "‘Hogs fly over Pelicans 10-7" »

Posted by Editor at 01:33 AM | Permalink

The Grand Prairie AirHogs scored 2 runs in the ninth inning on an error by Pensacola’s third baseman John Alonso tying the score at four, sending Friday night’s home opener at QuikTrip Park into extra innings.

After once again falling behind, the AirHogs scored two runs in the 12th on Flint Wipke's triple, tying the game and sending it to be continued Saturday at 6:00 p.m. League rules prohibits the start of an inning after midnight.

Friday’s rain caused the game’s first pitch to be moved back to 7:20 p.m. in order for the grounds crew to prepare the wet field for play.

Continue reading "AirHogs opener suspended after 12 – to resume Saturday at 6 PM" »

Posted by Editor at 10:06 AM | Permalink

OPENING NIGHT! Friday, May 14th vs. Pensacola Pelicans

Live Music starts @ 5:30 p.m. – Performance by Cherisse
2010 Magnet Schedule Giveaway to the first 1,500 fans
Jump Castles & Inflatable Playgrounds located on the main plaza
Clowns, face painters, jugglers and on‐field performers
Pre-game performance by 6‐year‐old Michael Jackson impersonator
Ceremonial first pitch by NFL Hall‐of‐Famer Charley Taylor

Continue reading "AirHogs opener Friday night" »

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

With Southern California rider Martin Garcia in for the ride, Game On Dude was patiently handled behind opening fractions of 22.87, 46.34 and 1:11.03. The bay son of 1998 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Awesome Again then made a bold bid for the lead at the quarter-pole, and after taking command at the top of the stretch, held off a mild, late challenge from the Steve Asmussen-trained Crider though the stretch to win going away by 4 ½ lengths. The final time for the 1 1/16-miles journey was 1:44.61. Crider stayed on to finish second, and it was another 3 ½ lengths back to Henshin Hero in third.

Continue reading "Bob Baffert earns fourth victory in Lone Star’s biggest race for three-year-olds" »

Posted by Editor at 09:38 PM | Permalink

Listen to an interview with AirHogs manager Pete Incaviglia as he talks about the 2010 team and upcoming season.

Posted by Editor at 08:44 PM | Permalink

Dozens of future baseball players took part in Kid N' Me Hit the Tee hosted by the Grand Prairie AirHogs Wednesday at QuikTrip Park.

AirHogs players Cody Merrell, Chad Gabriel and Greg Porter lead the hands-on baseball instruction, skill-building exercise and baseball 101 knowledge for kids ages 3-5.

“It’s more for us to engage a little bit with youngsters,” AirHogs vice president Andrew Seymour said of the event. He added, not only do the players love taking the time to be a part of the community and helping kids, it gave the kids an opportunity to get instructions from professional players on a professional field.

Continue reading "Little sluggers’ spring training with AirHogs" »

Posted by Editor at 05:50 PM | Permalink

Fox, who complained of pain in his upper back, was conscious and talking, and was able to move his arms and legs before being transported to the hospital

Continue reading "Jockey injured in fall at Lone Star Park" »

Posted by Editor at 10:20 PM | Permalink

Inman comes from Arlington Bowie and brings 20 years of coaching experience to a struggling Gopher basketball program that finished the season with a 0-26 record.

Continue reading "Former state champion - Gophers new basketball coach" »

Posted by Editor at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Beautiful weather Thursday night greeted the 8512 horse race fans that attended Lone Star Park’s opening of its 2010 Spring Thoroughbred Season.

Professor D was the featured entertainment in the Courtyard of Champions, but entertainment for the entire family could be found throughout the park.

Continue reading "Lone Star Park opens season" »

Posted by Editor at 02:50 PM | Permalink

Continue reading "Two nights of Lone Stars & Stripes Fireworks Celebration" »

Posted by Editor at 09:00 AM | Permalink

During May, Lone Star Park will feature their Tribute Band Series during Party at the Park Friday nights. Bands scheduled to perform include:

Continue reading "Local bands to entertain during Lone Star Park’s 2010 thoroughbred racing season" »

Posted by Editor at 02:09 PM | Permalink

AirHogs fans came out to QuikTrip Park Wednesday to take part in the St. Patrick’s Day On-Sale party that featured one dollar green beer, hamburgers and hotdogs grilled by Field Manager Pete Incaviglia and General Manager David Burke.

The party marked the beginning of individual game ticket sales for the AirHogs’ 2010 season that begins on May 14.

Continue reading "St. Patrick’s Day on-sale party kicks off AirHogs ticket sales" »

Posted by Editor at 12:02 AM | Permalink

The stage for each concert will be situated outdoors, just outside the racing surface, in front of the sun-shaded Courtyard of Champions. The lawn area is first-come, first- served, and there is limited patio table seating in the Courtyard. Blankets and folding chairs are permitted outdoors.

Continue reading "Lone Star Music series at Lone Star Park kicks off opening weekend" »

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

The following are Lone Star Park’s 2010 special promotional days:

Continue reading "Lone Star Park features fun-filled promotions for 2010 spring Thoroughbred Meet" »

Posted by Editor at 12:00 AM | Permalink

Featuring an array of festivities including Irish music, customary green beer, and Field Manager Pete Incaviglia (11 a.m. – 2 p.m.) and General Manager Dave Burke grilling hamburgers and hotdogs, the AirHogs will even offer some of their best deals of the year:

Continue reading "AirHogs to hold St. Patrick’s Day on-sale party" »

Posted by Editor at 10:12 AM | Permalink

The Texas Pro Tryout is a talent showcase that offers an opportunity to evaluate a player’s talent level while participating in drills as well as games.

Several managers and former MLB players will be on hand for this tryout to offer advice and instruction to help the players develop their game. Contracts may be offered during the tryout to deserving players.

Continue reading "QuikTrip to host baseball tryouts" »

Posted by Editor at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Porter, who will enter his tenth season of professional baseball this year, led the league in batting in 2009, with a .375 batting average, 21 homeruns, 86 RBI, and a .456 on-base percentage. He was also named American Association Batter of the Week four times, in addition to a nod as Batter of the Month for the month of June.

Continue reading "AirHogs add 2009 American Association player of the Year" »

Posted by Editor at 09:49 AM | Permalink

Grand Prairie and South Grand Prairie were placed in District 5 along with Cedar Hill, Mansfield, Duncanville, and three schools, Mansfield Legacy, Mansfield Timberview and Midlothian, that were moved up from Class 4A to Class 5A.

Continue reading "UIL announces high school football and basketball district realignment" »

Posted by Editor at 10:40 PM | Permalink

The 13th annual Lone Star Duals attracted some of the top collegiate and high school boys and girls wrestling teams from across the country to South Grand Prairie High School January 15-16.

Continue reading "South Grand Prairie hosts two day wresting tournament" »

Posted by Editor at 09:19 PM | Permalink

The season’s centerpiece is Lone Star Million Day, Texas’ richest day of Thoroughbred racing with purses totaling $1 million, which will be held for the 12th consecutive year on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31. Two graded stakes events top the holiday card -- the Grade 3, $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles) and Grade 3, $200,000 Ouija Board Distaff (fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, at one mile on the turf).

Continue reading "2010 Lone Star Park thoroughbred season features 21 stakes worth more than $2.2 million" »

Posted by Editor at 08:52 PM | Permalink

Wilkerson, who played ten seasons in the Major Leagues (1983-1993) joins the ranks of former Texas Ranger teammate Pete Incaviglia, who enters his third season as the AirHogs’ manager.

“I’m excited to be joining Pete and the AirHogs organization,” Wilkerson said, “I can’t wait to get to work and am looking forward to a successful season.”

Continue reading "Former Texas Ranger joins AirHogs coaching staff" »

Posted by Editor at 11:50 AM | Permalink