Columbus, OH — Three unearned runs in the first inning was all the Cleveland affiliate would need for the victory. The trouble started with an error by Matt Hague at third base and ended with Miguel Castro (0-1, 3.38) giving up back-to-back jacks to Jesus Aguilar and James Ramsey. Castro lasted 2-1/3 innings and gave up five hits and a walk with two strikeouts. The bullpen did its job starting with Luis Perez stranding a Castro runner and spinning three shutout frames of one-hit ball with a 4-2 K/BB total. Rob Rasmussen finished things up by stranding a runner for Perez and pitching 2-2/3 scoreless innings with two walks and two punchouts.
Brad Glenn got Buffalo on the board with a solo home run in the sixth before Dalton Pompey singled home a run in the seventh. Andy Burns and Caleb Gindl had two-hit games for the Herd but Burns was picked off at first base to end the eighth inning. Gindl also drew a walk to get on base three times. Pompey also got a base on balls to go with his single. Hague had the other hit but committed two errors. Luke Scott and Jonathan Diaz both earned a walk. Chris Dickerson was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, one of them coming with the bases loaded to end the fifth. A.J. Jimenez was also 0-for-4 and Melky Mesa struck out pinch-hitting.
New Hampshire 4 Reading 1
Reading, PA — Another three-run first inning was the key to victory and this time it came from the good guys. K.C. Hobson delivered the first run with a sacrifice fly before Pierce Rankin broke through for a two-run double. Rankin would score a run in the fourth after a Shane Opitz single. Rankin (.410) and Kevin Nolan (.340) had two-hit efforts while Matt Newman singled and walked. Christian Lopes walked twice and Jorge Flores walked once. Andy Fermin and Ian Parmley were a combined 0-for-6.Casey Lawrence (3-4, 4.81) flustered the Phillies affiliate by pitching 5-1/3 innings of one-run ball on six hits and a walk while whiffing three. Eight of his 10 outs in play were on the ground and he finished with a Game Score of 54. Scott Barnes stranded a runner and retired both hitters he faced. Greg Burke walked just one hitter over two scoreless frames while getting two strikeouts. Blake McFarland struck out one in a perfect ninth for save number five.
Dunedin 7 Tampa 3
Dunedin, FL — The Yankees took control of this one early by scoring the first three runs of the game and held on to the lead until the sixth. That's when Dunedin tied the game on one swing of the bat as Mitch Nay connected for a three-run homer, his third of the year. The Jays pulled ahead for good with a four-run eighth, built on back-to-back-to-back doubles by L.B. Dantzler, Matt Dean and Nay before an RBI triple by Derrick Loveless and a sacrifice fly by Dickie Joe Thon rounded out the scoring. Dantzler, Dean and Nay all had two hits apiece and Loveless reached base twice by drawing a walk. Dawel Lugo had a double and Roemon Fields added a base hit. Maicer Izturis went 1-for-2 and started the game at second base before being replaced by Thon. Boomer Collins was 0-for-2, Thon was 0-for-3 and Jorge Saez was 0-for-4 but he picked off a runner at first from behind the plate.Luis Santos gave up all three Tampa runs over four innings after surrendering four hits and two walks. He struck out three and induced six groundball outs. Matt Dermody supplied three shutout frames of two-hit relief, striking out five in the process. Alberto Tirado (2-0, 2.22) got away with a hit and two walks over two scoreless innings for the win. Four of his five outs in play were on the ground.
Lansing 7 South Bend 5
Lansing, MI — Lugs win! Lugs win! Lugs win! Lansing unleashed a 16-hit attack on the Cubs, two of them coming on RBI singles by Richard Urena and Ryan McBroom in the first inning. A Gunnar Heidt double and an Anthony Alford single in the fourth added two more runs for the home side. Josh Almonte plated another run with a single in the fifth and Danny Jansen drove in two more with a base hit in the seventh. D.J. Davis had a perfect 4-for-4 night at the plate that included a double and was 1-for-2 in the stolen base department. Alford (.322) was 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base while Almonte also swiped a bag. McBroom, Jansen and Heidt all had two hits with McBroom getting a walk. Justin Atkinson had a base hit but Rowdy Tellez went 0-for-5.Shane Dawson (5-2, 3.20) survived 5-1/3 innings in which he allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out two. Seven of his nine outs in play did not leave the infield but his Game Score was just 45. Mark Biggs was bopped for two runs on six hits over two frames and allowed an inherited runner to score. He struck out one and got four outs on the ground. Colton Turner stranded both runners he inherited and walked one batter over two-thirds of a scoreless frame. Jose Fernandez struck out the final two hitters of the game to cap off a perfect ninth and collect his second save.
*** 3 Stars!!! ***
3. Anthony Alford, Lansing
2. D.J. Davis, Lansing
1. Mitch Nay, Dunedin
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Extra Innings