American Association Insider: Sunday June 7 Takeaways

 Kevin Luckow                                                                                                                                                     (non member of IBWAA)

Sorry for the late publish. Just rolled into my driveway after taking in the DockHounds vs. Dogs and making a few pit stops on the way home, including one for a quick cat nap at a rest stop. 

It felt nice to get back out to Milwaukee and Oconomowoc this weekend. I didn't get to either ballpark in 2025, so it was important for me to visit. I feel like I have a better feel for the league when I get out to live games, opposed to sitting at home. 

Kane Country 9 Cleburne 3                                                                                                                            Cleburne 9 Kane County 2

Doubleheaders, hard to win, easy to lose. In this case, the Cougars and Railroaders exchanged blowouts. In game one, Westin Muir threw five innings allowing just a run to bump his record up to 3-1. After a rocky 2025, Muir looks to be finding the form that made him one of the top prospects in AAPB when he broke into pro baseball. Charles Mack slugged two home runs and knocked in four to help his battery mate out. 

The Railroaders flipped the script in game two. It looked good early for the Cougars who made it a bullpen game, but Ernie Day and Justin Lange combined to give up nine runs as both threw an inning. Frankie Tostado homered and four players had two runs driven in each in support of winning pitcher John Baker (5 IP, 2 ER).

Kansas City 5 Gary SouthShore 2

A Ryan Leitch two run dobule gave the Monarchs the insurance they needed as they picked up the series win. Big weekend for the Monarchs as they were able to separate theirselves by two more games from Sioux Falls in the West Division standings, more on that later. Ryan Middendorf came in to pitch for the Monarchs in the fourth inning and went the rest of the way allowing two runs to get the win. Amazingly the Monarchs had nobody in the lineup hitting .300. But the pitching has carried them to first place.

Lincoln 12 Sioux Falls 2

It was a tale of two trips to Lincoln for the Canaries. The first, a sweep of the Saltdogs, the second saw a role reversal with the Saltdogs scoring in double digits in all three games. Tanner O'Tremba went 3-5 with a two run home run and three runs driven in. Ryan Rembisz was the recipient of the run support winning his first game of the season going six innings, allowing just one run. The Canaries had a position player pitch in their second consecutive game as catcher T.J. Racherbaumer got the last two outs of the eighth inning.

Winnipeg 4 Sioux City 3

Mitch Lambson still has a few tricks up his sleeve as he held the Explorers to two runs in 6.2 innings in picking up his second win in his second quality start of the season. Winnipeg held a 4-0 lead in this one and had to hold off the X's in the ninth to preserve the win to salvage the series. Did the X's get enough mojo going this weekend? They return home to face a reeling Sioux Falls club this Tuesday. 

Fargo-Moorhead 5 Milwaukee 2

The RedHawks finally got back in the win column on Sunday with a win in Franklin. With Juan Fernandez out (kidney stones) their lineup has got real thin after the top four batters. It was just a few weeks ago, I was bragging up their lineup. But they got the job done today. Jose Sermo drove in two runs going 3-5 and Austin Byrne homered in the victory, with Patrick Wicklander giving the Hawks seven innings of one run ball. Charlie Marion who just concluded an incredible career at UW-Milwaukee made his first professional start hitting ninth for the Milkmen. Marion collected two singles. 


Photo courtesy of Jennifer Andreachi


Lake Country 8 Chicago 2

The Dogs hung with the DockHounds for a while, but eventually the Hounds pulled away, winning their 13th game in a row. The Dogs shut down the middle of the DockHounds order pretty well, but it was the 7-9 batters who combined to score five runs. Jack Blomgren, Ray Zuberer III and Drey Dirksen all went deep for the Hounds while Jacob Wilder hit a solo shot for the Dogs, his first of the season. Trey Riley went six innings allowing two runs to a watered down Dogs lineup missing Aaron Altherr and Chance Sisco. The Dogs now go to Geneva for three games versus the Cougars in what should be playoff like baseball. A sweep for the Dogs, and they will have the longest winning streak in American Association history. 

















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