'Nuts win in the Bayou

Shreveport, La — The Wichita Wingnuts defeated the Shreveport-Bossier Captains 6-3 at Fairgrounds Field on Tuesday night.

Bubba O'Donnell worked seven strong innings in his Wingnuts debut, allowing three earned runs on just five hits for the win.  O'Donnell struck out seven and walked none.  From the end of the first inning through the sixth, O'Donnell retired 16 of 17 hitters.

Jorge Cortes hit a two-out, two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning to open a 6-3 lead for the Wingnuts.  The high drive over the right field wall followed up a two-run home run in the seventh from Captain's shortstop Uriak Marquez that pulled Shreveport-Bossier within one run.  O'Donnell retired the next three hitters after Marquez' home run to finish off his night.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Michael Bell and Cesar Suarez opened the frame with back-to-back singles.  After a sacrifice bunt from Jorge Delgado, Jeff Christy reached on an infield single to third that scored Bell to tie the game.  Steve Pearson drove in the go-ahead run with a fielder's choice on a high chopper to second base.

With two outs and no one on base in the fourth, Christy lined a double that was just fair down the right field line.  Pearson followed with a double in the same direction that scored Christy and gave Wichita a 3-1 lead.  Cortes drew a bases loaed walk with two outs in the top of the sixth to make it 4-1.

Christopher Garcia hit a two-out, solo home run on a high flyball to left field in the bottom of the first against O'Donnell to drive in the first run of the game.

Christy went 4 for 5 with a run and an RBI.  Cephas Howard worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the year.  Brandon Mathes set up Howard with a perfect eighth inning that included two strikeouts.  Captain's lefty Ryan DiPietro took the loss, his first at home in five starts this season, allowing all six of the Wingnuts runs in 7.2 IP.