HARLINGEN TX -- Harlingen – Brian Nichols tied the game with a home run in the bottom of the ninth and won it with a walk-off double in the 11th to lead the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings past the San Angelo Colts 2-1 tonight at Harlingen Field.
With the win, the WhiteWings (27-31) climb half of one game ahead of the Coastal Bend Thunder for the fourth and final playoff spot. The Thunder and Amarillo Dillas were rained out in Amarillo tonight.
Colts (38-20) starter Chandler Barnard scattered four hits over the first eight innings. Going for a complete game shutout and a 1-0 victory, Barnard gave up a one-out home run in the bottom of the ninth to Nichols to force extra. It was Nichols’ tenth home run of the season.
In the 11th, Rico Santana hit a chopper to third that hit off of Aaron Cone’s glove for an error. Nichols followed with a double off the straight-away centerfield wall to win the game against Jameson Maj (1-2).
WhiteWings pitchers Jose Fragoso and Wendy Rosa (2-2) combined to strikeout 19 Colts.
Fragoso struck out ten Colts, including nine in the first four innings. The Colts didn’t get a runner in scoring position until the top of the fourth inning. Bryan Frichter, the league’s leading hitter, led off with an infield-single and stole second. The league’s leading home run hitter, Jason Landreth, struck out swinging. Frichter stole third to set-up a potential sacrifice fly, but Aaron Cone and Josh Collazo struck out looking to end the threat.
Fragoso got into trouble for the first time in the fifth. With one out, Nick Mahin drew a four-pitch walk. Hank Lanto followed with a grounder to short for a potential double play, but an error allowed Mahin to reach second and Lanto to make it to first. Ronnie Gaines grounded into a fielder’s choice to set-up first and third with nobody out, but Fragoso got Jason Diaz to groundout to end the inning.
The Colts finally broke through against Fragoso in the sixth. Frichter led off with a double. One out later, he stole third and scored on a single by Cone to make it 1-0.
Rosa took over from there, striking out nine in five innings while allowing two hits and two walks.
The WhiteWings and Colts play game three of this four-game series tomorrow night at 7:05. Right-hander Juan Peralta (1-3) is expected to face right-hander Kenny Elkind (3-1).
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