The affiliates did very well in towns beginning with Dayton. Everywhere else, not so much.
Fresno 9 Las Vegas 3
Las Vegas, NV - Like the parent club, the 51s pissed away a 2-0 lead against the Giants affiliate but they at least had the decency to do it in the early going.
Hitting - Travis Snider (1/4) hit a two-run double to give Las Vegas the early lead in the third. Moises Sierra (1/4) hit a solo homer in the ninth for his second of the year. David Cooper was 2-for-3 with a walk and Adeiny Hechavarria went 2-for-4. Ricardo Nanita, Chris Woodward and Mike McCoy were all 1-for-4 with Nanita hitting a double. Anthony Gose went 1-for-5 but Travis d'Arnaud was hitless in four trips to the dish and is now hitting .067 on the season.
Running - Hechavarria collected his first stolen base of the season.
Pitching - Scott Richmond was roughed up for seven runs on nine hits (one HR), a walk and hit a batter over five frames while collecting a trio of Ks. Like poor Richmond, Andrew Carpenter was nailed for a home run by Joaquin Arias and allowed another ball over the fence over his three innings of work. He gave up two more hits but struck out a batter. Jerry Gil yielded a hit but punched out a pair of batters in a shutout frame.
Defence - Nothing under the "E" column for the 51s.
Reading 5 New Hampshire 2
Reading, PA - The Fisher Cats led 2-1 but a pair of two-run innings by the Phillies in the third and sixth handed New Hampshire its second loss in a row.
Hitting - Justin Jackson (3/4) had an RBI triple and finished a home run short of the cycle. Mike McDade and Brad McElroy had 2-for-4 nights and Brad Glenn (1/4) had an RBI single. Jonathan Diaz (0/3) drew two walks while Ryan Goins (0/3) and A.J. Jimenez (0/4) were issued a free pass. Kevin Howard was 0-for-5 and Mark Sobolewski was 0-4.
Running - Diaz stole second and third base to push his season total to five and McElroy stole his first bag of 2012.
Pitching - Lefty Brett Cecil took the loss by giving up five runs (four earned) over 6 2/3 innings. He allowed a homer to Canadian Tyson Gillies among his 11 hits and hit a batter but he struck out seven without walking anyone. Seven of his 10 outs in play were not airborne and 74 of his 91 pitches were strikes. Lefty Evan Crawford surrendered one hit over 1 1/3 scoreless frames.
Defence - Cecil threw one away that led to his unearned run and Goins booted one but he did start a 6-3 double play with McDade. Jimenez was unable to throw out a base thief.
Dunedin 8 Daytona 7
Daytona Beach, FL - The D-Jays led 6-0 at one point before hanging on to beat the Cubs.
Hitting - Marcus Knecht (2/4) and Jonathan Jones (3/5) did most of the damage in this one. Knecht had a pair of two-run doubles with a walk while Jones contributed a two-run single. Jake Marisnick (2/5) had a double and a walk in the leadoff spot. Sean Ochinko, Jon Talley and Kevin Ahrens turned in 1-for-4 efforts with a walk while Ryan Schimpf went 1-for-5. Kevin Nolan (0/3) climbed aboard twice on ball four and Michael Crouse (0/4) also reached base via the walk. In summary, every Dunedin batter reached first base.
Running - Marisnick stole his first base of the year and Crouse nabbed his second. Ochinko was cut down at third by the left fielder and Schimpf was pegged at the plate by the right fielder.
Pitching - Sam Dyson got the win by lasting six innings in which he yielded four runs (three earned) on six hits, including a homer, and hit a batter. He also uncorked a wild pitch but he whiffed four, did not walk anyone and nine of his 14 outs in play were on terra firma. Dustin Antolin was whacked around for three runs on three hits and a walk over 2/3 of an inning. Lefty Boomer Potts stranded an Antolin runner and struck out one in 2/3 of a scoreless frame. Like Potts, Dayton Marze also retired the only two men he faced to earn a hold. Danny Barnes worked a one-hit ninth to get his second save.
Defence - Schmipf botched one at second, Dyson chucked one away from the mound and Ahrens did likewise from third. Like Cecil, Dyson's throwing error led to his unearned run. Nolan, Schimpf and Talley completed a 6-4-3 double play. Ochinko was 0-for-2 in trying to throw out basestealers.
Lansing 8 Dayton COB!
Dayton, OH - The Lugnuts drew first blood in the first and scored a converted touchdown in innings three through six to leave the Dragons seeing Red.
Hitting - Kenny Wilson (1/3) gave the Lugnuts the only run they would need with a leadoff home run and he also managed a couple of walks. Chris Hawkins (3/4) and K.C. Hobson (3/5) were the hit leaders with Hawkins launching a homer and drawing a walk while Hobson belted a double and knocked three runs in. Kevin Pillar (2/3) had a two-bagger and an RBI. Kellen Sweeney (1/3) and Carlos Perez (1/3) also got on base by earning a ball four. Andrew Burns doubled and Jorge Vega-Rosado singled in five at-bats. Every Lansing batter got at least one safety.
Running - Burns stole third base but Sweeney was nailed trying to fetch second. Hobson was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.
Pitching - Lefty Justin Nicolino delivered three scoreless innings and did not allow a hit or a walk. He faced just two batters over the minimum with one runner reaching on an error and the other was the result of a hit by pitch. Nicolino struck out five and four of his five outs in play did not leave the infield. The winning pitcher was Aaron Sanchez, who scatted a hit and two walks over three innings while racking up four Ks. Blake McFarland limited the Reds affiliate to two hits over two scoreless frames and Brandon Berl finished up with a one-walk ninth.
Defence - Vega-Rosado booted one and threw one away at short. Sanchez picked off a runner at first. Perez was 0-for-2 in trying to stop the Dayton running game.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Sam Dyson, Dunedin
2. Marcus Knecht, Dunedin
1. Chris Hawkins, Lansing
Extra Innings...
The Las Vegas Sun believes Anthony Gose has a shot to set the 51s club record for stolen bases in a season.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20120409225251500