Syracuse, NY - An inability to keep the ball in the yard cost Radhames Liz big time. The Nationals affiliate scored all three of their runs with two homers off Liz in his 5.2 innings. That was among five hits and three walks he issued. He plunked a hitter while only striking out one. Luis Ayala (0-1) stranded two Liz runners to end the sixth but could not get anyone out in the seventh as he was charged with two runs on three hits. Ryan Tepera could not bail out Ayala by allowing two Ayala runners to score, giving up a hit and a walk in one inning with one strikeout. Rob Rasmussen surrendered the eventual winning run in the bottom of the eighth. It was an unearned run on a hit, two walks, a Jared Goeddert error at third and a wild pitch all factoring in. He struck out one.
The Bisons struck first with a run in the third as Darin Mastroianni's infield single brought in a Kenny Wilson double. They increased their lead to 4-1 in the fourth when Dan Johnson doubled in a run, A.J. Jimenez scored Johnson with a fielder's choice ground ball and Wilson plated Jimenez with a base hit. Goeddert scored a Ryan Goins double in the ninth but that was all the Bisons would get. Goins led the Bisons offence with a four hit night, including two doubles. Goedert had three and Wilson added two. Brad Glenn singled and walked and Jimenez had a base hit.
Dunedin 14 Lakeland 2
Dunedin, FL - The D-Jays scored early and often, racking up 12 runs in the first four innings. Kevin Patterson and Derrick Chung did the heavy lifting in the first two innings by driving in the first six runs between them with two hits apiece, one of them being a Chung double. Gustavo Pierre accounted for four of the next five runs with an RBI groundout in the third and a three-run homer in the fourth. A Nick Baligod single and a Peter Mooney sacrifice fly also came about in the fourth. After calling off the dogs in the fifth, Emilio Guerrero resumed the assault by launching a two-run bomb in the sixth to round out the scoring. Patterson had a four-hit night while Guerrero and Dwight Smith Jr. had three apiece with Smith stealing a base. Only Dalton Pompey did not get a hit but he did hear ball four once.Taylor Cole (5-2) enjoyed more than enough run support by going 5.2 innings and yielding a pair of runs on four hits and two walks. He racked up seven strikeouts. Efrain Nieves gave up the only other Lakeland hit while pitching 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. Wil Browning and Jesse Hernandez worked clean frames with Hernandez recording one strikeout.
Lansing 9 Great Lakes 1
Lansing, MI - The Lugnuts bunched up their nine runs in their final four innings. They put up a four-spot in the fifth on a Dickie Joe Thon double, a D.J. Davis two-run single and an L.B. Dantzler ground out. Chaz Frank accounted for the next three runs in the sixth with a bases-clearing double before being thrown out trying for a triple. Jorge Saez and Dantzler had run-scoring base hits in the eighth and ninth. Thon was 4-for-4 and was a homer short of the cycle. Frank had three hits while Davis and Saez had two apiece. Mitch Nay singled and walked twice while Matt Dean doubled and walked. Only Dawel Lugo was hitless as he went 0-for-5.Frank Viola III lasted four innings and kept the Dodgers affiliate off the board despite three hits and four walks. He struck out four and induced five ground ball outs. Yeyfrey Del Rosario (1-1) surrendered the only run on three hits and a walk over three innings while striking out one. Brady Dragmire pitched two scoreless frames, gave up two hits and struck out two.
DSL Cubs 1 DSL Blue Jays 0
San Pedro de Macoris, DR - Juliandy Higuera (0-2) made just one mistake to the first batter he faced as he was victimized for a home run. Other than that, he gave up just two hits and a walk with six strikeouts over 4.2 innings. Erick Hurtado pitched 3.1 scoreless frames and struck out six as well to offset three hits and a walk. Jonathan Torres stranded two runners for Hurtado in getting the final two outs of the ninth.
Javier Hernandez had two of the Jays five hits and drew a walk. Ronniel Demorizi doubled for the only extra-base hit but was thrown out trying to get to third. Eddy Alcantara and Leury Garcia had the other base knocks. Rodrigo Orozco had a base on balls.
Monday's Linescores
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Emilio Guerrero, Dunedin - Six homers and nine doubles on the season. Batting .289 over his last 10 games and has a five-game hitting streak.
2. Kevin Patterson, Dunedin - He's back to the Mendoza Line by going 6-for-15 in his last four games.
1. Dickie Joe Thon, Lansing - A .333 clip over his last 10 games and is 8-for-12 over his past four contests.
Dickie Joe Thon rounds the bases after homering in Vancouver last season. He was a homer short of the cycle Monday night in Lansing.
Tuesday's Schedule & Probable Starters...
DSL Tigers @ DSL Blue Jays, 10:30 am ET - TBA.
Buffalo @ Syracuse, 10:30 am ET - RHP Deck McGuire (2-0, 2.29).
Daytona @ Dunedin, 6:30 pm ET - RHP Ben White (2-3, 4.42).
New Hampshire @ Bowie, 6:35 ET - RHP Scott Copeland (5-5, 4.34).
Lansing @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 pm ET - RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski (4-2, 3.39).
Extra Innings...