WICHITA, Kan.—The Wichita Wind Surge put the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth but still cede 4-2 in the series opener to the Midland RockHounds at Riverfront Stadium. The Wind Surge have been defeated in their last four series openers after tonight, with three of four losses being by two runs or less.
Travis Adams and Jack Cushing threw flawlessly through the opening three innings, as only three men reached base in that span. Kyler Fedko connected on the first hit by either side on a single to left in the bottom of the third but was stranded there after back-to-back popouts to end the frame.
Daniel Susac broke the scoreless tie on a single to left field, where Colby Thomas went first to third and later scored on an outfield error in the top of the fourth. Brennan Milone smoked a double to the left-center alley to bring home two more runs for the RockHounds two innings later.
Inning number eight saw three total runs come across on similar-looking hits. Jack Winkler singled up the middle for a 4-0 Midland advantage in the top half of the inning. Jake Rucker and Jeferson Morales strung run-scoring knocks to center during Wichita’s turn at the plate, where they also loaded the bases before a flyout ended the rally. Fedko lined his second single of the game back where it came from with the Wind Surge down to their final two outs in the bottom of the ninth, then an infield popout and a close play groundout to shortstop ended the game at a 4-2 final.
Adams received his fifth loss of 2024, now 3-5 on the season, after surrendering three runs (two earned) on three hits and two walks in five and one-third innings. Besides the decision, Adams induced eight strikeouts, both a season-high and a Double-A high in Wichita dating back to last season.
Wichita continues their home series at Riverfront Stadium with the Midland RockHounds on Wednesday, June 12, on Wine-tastic Wednesday. The first pitch is at 7:05 PM. You can listen to Wind Surge games on windsurge.com or watch online at MiLB.TV and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit windsurge.com.