Wind Surge Ninth Inning Comeback Effort Halted By Naturals

WICHITA, Kan.—The Wichita Wind Surge came down in an 11-7 defeat at Riverfront Stadium against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Carson McCusker put up five RBIs and finished a double shy of the cycle as the main contributor to the Wind Surge offense in the shootout.

Rodolfo Durán knocked home Javier Vaz four batters into the night on a bloop single off the end of the bat to right field. Durán tried to leg the hit out into a double but was gunned down at second by Carson McCusker to end the opening half of the first frame.

McCusker later made a big play with the bat in the bottom of the first by smoking a two-run triple to the wall off the Emprise Bank sign to the right of the batter’s eye, scoring both Tanner Schobel and Andrew Cossetti to give Wichita a 2-1 lead. Leonel Valera would later tie the game on an infield single to the shortstop Jorel Ortega to knot things at two through one and a half.

However, the highlight tape did not stop for McCusker. In the bottom of the third, he left the yard over the Wind Surge bullpen in left-center on a two-run jack, his fifth of the season, for a 4-2 advantage for Wichita.

Dillan Shrum would put the Naturals within one as the first batter that Jaylen Nowlin faced in the top of the fifth on a solo shot to left for his 11th of the season, improving on a power year that puts him among the Top 10 in the Texas League in round-trippers. Durán powered another pitch out of the yard to left-center an inning later in the sixth to tie the game 4-4 on his ninth of the season. Three more runs came across for Northwest Arkansas in the top of the sixth on a throwing error and a two-run triple to center by Valera.

Jake Rucker worked a bases-loaded walk to cut the deficit to two runs in the home half of the sixth, yet a strikeout would leave men everywhere for the Wind Surge as the contest trucked on into the seventh. Gavin Cross then reached on an infield hit, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and stole third before coming in on a sacrifice fly to center by Durán for an 8-5 Naturals lead in the top of the seventh ahead of the stretch.

Peyton Wilson joined the Northwest Arkansas run barrage with a two-run home run to left in the top of the eighth. Another sacrifice fly to center from Cross improved the Naturals lead to six runs at 11-5.

McCusker would single Rucker around to score for his fifth RBI of the night in the bottom of the ninth. Dalton Shuffield’s infield knock brought in one more before Anderson Paulino recorded the final out to end the three-hour, five-minute ballgame.

Nowlin stands at an even 4-4 after the loss in the game, surrendering nine runs (six earned) on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts in three innings as the piggyback for Marco Raya.

The Wind Surge continue the series at Riverfront Stadium against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Saturday, June 29, with a 6:05 PM first pitch on Wranglers Throwback Night. Wichita will take the field as the Wranglers, the former identity of the Naturals before their move to Springdale, Arkansas, after the 2007 season. You can listen to Wind Surge games on ESPN Wichita 92.3 FM, windsurge.com, or watch them online at MiLB.TV and Bally Live. For ticket information, please visit windsurge.com.