The first three teams to play on Saturday each lost but Dunedin saved the day by winning thanks to fifteen hits and ten runs. Vegas lost as Brad Mills had a tough start. New Hampshire lost their first game of the season as the Cats could only register three hits while proving Brad Emaus is human. Lansing continued to struggle, losing 9-0 as they could only manage two hits.
Las Vegas 4 Colorado Springs 6
Brad Mills started and it was a struggle all day for him. In the first inning he gave up back to back singles with two out. In the second Mills gave up one run but it could have been a lot worse. Arencibia put the first runner on with catchers interference, the second hitter reached on a bunt and the third hitter sacrificed but a Mills error loaded the bases. A sac fly scored one and then Mills induced a double play to escape the inning with only one run allowed. In the third inning Mills was channeling BJ Ryan, three walks and an RBI double gave up one run and had the bases loaded with two out. An RBI single plated two more and Mills had allowed four runs in three innings. In the fourth Mills gave up two more runs, both unearned, thanks to a two base error by Buck Coats, but Mills was pulled with two outs having thrown 85 pitches. Mills line was 3.2 IP, 6H, 3BB, 6R, 3ER, 1K.
Las Vegas had a chance to get a big lead in the first inning. With one out Scott Campbell, Jason Lane and Randy Ruiz singled to score a run and put two on. But JP Arencibia hit into a double play to end the inning. Las Vegas scored three runs in the fifth, Randy Ruiz led off with a double, Brett Harper singled him home, Arencibia was hit by a pitch, Coats sacrificed the runners to second and third, Angel Sanchez struck out but Howie Clark singled in both runners to make it a 6-4 game. From there Vegas didn't get a hit over the last three innings. Wolfe and Accardo each pitched a shutout inning for the 51's. Ruiz was 3-5.
Luis Perez started and gave up two runs in the second inning on three hits and another error by Kyle Phillips making only one run earned. Phillips error was his third as he gets used to playing third base. Last year he moved between catcher and first base. Perez gave up another run in the fifth on a bases loaded wild pitch. Perez was finished after five innings, he gave up three runs, two earned, on six hits with three walks. Perez struck out five.
Meanwhile the Cats offense was missing, Brian Jeroloman got their first hit, a single, in the fourth inning but Brad Emaus hit into a double play. The Fisher Cats scored in the sixth inning on an Adam Calderone solo home run. That was followed by two walks and a Todd Donovan single to load the bases with one out but Emaus grounded into another double play.
Celson Polanco surrendered a two run home run in the seventh to make it a 5-1 game. That was about it other than to note that Zach Dials pitched 1.2 perfect innings. The Fisher Cats finished with three hits. Emaus' average is down to .400, Jeroloman with one hit is at .467.
Dunedin scored in each of the first four innings to jump out to a 7-2 lead. Dunedin manufactured runs in the early going. Justin Jackson singled to lead off the game, stole second, and scored on two ground outs. Moises Sierra singled to lead off the second and later scored on a sac fly. In the third Jackson and Darin Mastroianni led off with singles, a walk loaded the bases. Dunedin then scored all three via a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch and a sac fly. In the fourth Mastroianni doubled in Raul Barron who had singled. Mastroianni then stole home on a first and third double steal.
Marcus Walden started for Dunedin and gave up two runs in the first, one in the fourth and two more in the fifth. Trystan Magnuson got one out and allowed a single in the sixth before Edgar Estanga came on to also give up a single but then recorded the second and third outs.
Dunedin picked up a couple of insurance runs in the seventh when manny Rodriguez and Jon Jaspe each singled in a run. The teams traded a run each in the eighth. Bobby Bell pitched two innings giving up one run and Danny Farquhar got the save.
Dunedin had 15 hits, Jackson, Mastroianni, Ahrens, Sierra, Rodriguez and Barron had two each.
Lansing had two hits in this game, the first by Johermyn Chavez in the fourth and the other by Bryan Kervin in the eighth. Chuck Huggins started and gave up three runs in 3.2 innings. He was followed by Ryan Koch who gave up six runs in 3.1 innings.
3 star selection
3rd star - Randy Ruiz
2nd star - Darin Mastroianni
1st star - Justin Jackson
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