Runs were few and far between in the minors last night, and the Fisher Cats suffered an ignominous doubleheader sweep at home that further delayed their chance to clinch a playoff berth. But those resurgent Skychiefs won yet again.
Syracuse 3 Buffalo 2 (11 innings)
This non-Olympic marathon ended in the bottom of the 11th inning, when leadoff man Anton French cracked a walk-off solo homer to give Syracuse the win. French, who had singled earlier in the game, is batting a cool .375. Eric Crozier doubled in a run and Russ Adams went hitless in four trips. Ryan Glynn gave up 6 hits in 6 2/3 innings, two of them solo homers by former Blue Jay catcher Sandy Martinez, while walking 1 and striking out 3. Mike Nakamura earned the win with an excellent 3 innings of hitless relief, walking 1 and striking out 4.
Box score
Game story
Bonus article: Slugging Skychiefs third baseman Glenn Williams returns to Syracuse an Olympic hero after helping Australia win the silver medal in baseball.
New Hampshire 3-0 Erie 4-1
The Fisher Cats? clinching of a playoff spot was put off at least one more day, as they were swept at home in a pair of tough one-run losses. In the doubleheader opener, spot starter Kip Bouknight was fortunate to surrender just 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings of work, having allowed 7 hits (including a home run) and 3 walks against just 1 strikeout. Reliever Dan Jackson took over, but allowed a leadoff homer in the ?bottom? of the 7th (although the games were played in Manchester, they were making up a doubleheader rained out in Erie earlier this year, so the Cats were the "road team"). In the nightcap, Jason Arnold continued his recovery from the disabled list, tossing 5 1/3 fine innings of 4-hit ball, allowing 1 run (a decisive 4th-inning round-tripper) and 2 walks; again, though, he recorded only 3 strikeouts, indicating that he?s still not overpowering opposing batters. Freshly returned from Athens, reliever John Ogiltree walked 2 in 1 2/3 hitless innings. Justin Singleton homered in the first game, while John Hattig doubled and just missed an opposite-field homer. In the nightcap, the Fisher Cats recorded only 3 singles. Aaron Hill went a combined 0 for 5, struck out twice, grounded into a double play and was hit by a pitch. Not a great night at the ballpark.
Box score1
Box score2
Game story
Bonus article: An update on Francisco Rosario, whose comeback season from surgery has gone very poorly so far.
Fort Myers 2 Dunedin 1
The D-Jays are in a serious batting slump. They recorded only 5 singles and 3 walks in their latest loss. Ryan Roberts? average is down to .250 and Big Vito has slipped down to .269. August in Florida is not much fun for anyone wielding a bat. Neomar Flores allowed 2 runs in the first inning, and although he settled down after that (7 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts in 6 innings), it was all Fort Myers would need. Tracy Thorpe struck out 1 in 2 perfect relief innings.
Box score
Charleston 7 Kannapolis 3
Finally, some runs on the board. Rodney Medina had 3 singles, drove in 2 runs and scored another to lead the Alley-Cats, who also received 2-hit efforts from Christian Snavely, David Smith, and Brian Patrick, whose double was Charleston?s only extra-base hit. Mike MacDonald was once again superb, firing 5 innings of 6-hit ball, allowing only 2 runs (neither of them earned), while striking out 6 and walking nobody. His Charleston totals this far: 2-0, 1.50, 24 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 21 K. Be warned, though: he?s allowed 6 unearned runs against 4 earned runs. Derrek Nunley picked up the win with 3 innings of 1-run relief (1 hit, 2 walks).
Box score
Game story
Auburn 6 Batavia 3
One night after Zach Jackson toed the rubber, here?s 2004?s other first-round left-hander. David Purcey had an excellent start for the Doubledays, throwing 3 innings of shutout ball (2 hits, 1 walk, 4 K?s) in his second start. Recent Pulaski grad Derek Tate earned the win with 2 innings of shutout ball, giving up just 3 hits and striking out 4. Randy Dicken and Kristian Bell gave up some meaningless late runs. Joey Metropoulos, batting ninth, led the way with an RBI single, a 2-run single, and a solo home run. Vincent Esposito and Curtis Thigpen chipped in with a single and double apiece. Aaron Mathews also had 2 hits from the leadoff spot.
Box score
Pulaski 4 Elizabethton 3
Same score as last night, only this one took just the regulation 9 innings. The boxscore is screwy, since it shows Jordan Timm both starting and getting the save. In fact, Timm started and allowed 3 runs in 3 innings, although none were earned and he did strike out 6 against just 1 walk. The pitching hero was Edward Rodriguez, the struggling youngster from the DSL who fired 4 innings of 1-hit ball, walking 1 and striking out 5 in maybe his best performance since hitting the mainland. Raymon Sanchez vultured the win with one relief inning, and the save went to Aaron Tressler. Jon Ashford cranked a solo homer and Yuber Rodriquez had an RBI triple, but no P-Jay starter had more than 1 hit.
Box score
The Three-Star Selection:
The Third Star: Anton French, who won the game for Syracuse with a walk-off extra-inning home run.
The Second Star: Jason Arnold, who fired 5 1/3 effective innings in a 1-0 New Hampshire loss.
The First Star: Joey Metropoulos, who drove in 4 runs with a home run and 2 singles in the Doubledays victory.
Honourable Mention: Rodney Medina, Mike MacDonald and Edward Rodriguez.
Syracuse 3 Buffalo 2 (11 innings)
This non-Olympic marathon ended in the bottom of the 11th inning, when leadoff man Anton French cracked a walk-off solo homer to give Syracuse the win. French, who had singled earlier in the game, is batting a cool .375. Eric Crozier doubled in a run and Russ Adams went hitless in four trips. Ryan Glynn gave up 6 hits in 6 2/3 innings, two of them solo homers by former Blue Jay catcher Sandy Martinez, while walking 1 and striking out 3. Mike Nakamura earned the win with an excellent 3 innings of hitless relief, walking 1 and striking out 4.
Box score
Game story
Bonus article: Slugging Skychiefs third baseman Glenn Williams returns to Syracuse an Olympic hero after helping Australia win the silver medal in baseball.
New Hampshire 3-0 Erie 4-1
The Fisher Cats? clinching of a playoff spot was put off at least one more day, as they were swept at home in a pair of tough one-run losses. In the doubleheader opener, spot starter Kip Bouknight was fortunate to surrender just 3 runs in 4 1/3 innings of work, having allowed 7 hits (including a home run) and 3 walks against just 1 strikeout. Reliever Dan Jackson took over, but allowed a leadoff homer in the ?bottom? of the 7th (although the games were played in Manchester, they were making up a doubleheader rained out in Erie earlier this year, so the Cats were the "road team"). In the nightcap, Jason Arnold continued his recovery from the disabled list, tossing 5 1/3 fine innings of 4-hit ball, allowing 1 run (a decisive 4th-inning round-tripper) and 2 walks; again, though, he recorded only 3 strikeouts, indicating that he?s still not overpowering opposing batters. Freshly returned from Athens, reliever John Ogiltree walked 2 in 1 2/3 hitless innings. Justin Singleton homered in the first game, while John Hattig doubled and just missed an opposite-field homer. In the nightcap, the Fisher Cats recorded only 3 singles. Aaron Hill went a combined 0 for 5, struck out twice, grounded into a double play and was hit by a pitch. Not a great night at the ballpark.
Box score1
Box score2
Game story
Bonus article: An update on Francisco Rosario, whose comeback season from surgery has gone very poorly so far.
Fort Myers 2 Dunedin 1
The D-Jays are in a serious batting slump. They recorded only 5 singles and 3 walks in their latest loss. Ryan Roberts? average is down to .250 and Big Vito has slipped down to .269. August in Florida is not much fun for anyone wielding a bat. Neomar Flores allowed 2 runs in the first inning, and although he settled down after that (7 hits, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts in 6 innings), it was all Fort Myers would need. Tracy Thorpe struck out 1 in 2 perfect relief innings.
Box score
Charleston 7 Kannapolis 3
Finally, some runs on the board. Rodney Medina had 3 singles, drove in 2 runs and scored another to lead the Alley-Cats, who also received 2-hit efforts from Christian Snavely, David Smith, and Brian Patrick, whose double was Charleston?s only extra-base hit. Mike MacDonald was once again superb, firing 5 innings of 6-hit ball, allowing only 2 runs (neither of them earned), while striking out 6 and walking nobody. His Charleston totals this far: 2-0, 1.50, 24 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 21 K. Be warned, though: he?s allowed 6 unearned runs against 4 earned runs. Derrek Nunley picked up the win with 3 innings of 1-run relief (1 hit, 2 walks).
Box score
Game story
Auburn 6 Batavia 3
One night after Zach Jackson toed the rubber, here?s 2004?s other first-round left-hander. David Purcey had an excellent start for the Doubledays, throwing 3 innings of shutout ball (2 hits, 1 walk, 4 K?s) in his second start. Recent Pulaski grad Derek Tate earned the win with 2 innings of shutout ball, giving up just 3 hits and striking out 4. Randy Dicken and Kristian Bell gave up some meaningless late runs. Joey Metropoulos, batting ninth, led the way with an RBI single, a 2-run single, and a solo home run. Vincent Esposito and Curtis Thigpen chipped in with a single and double apiece. Aaron Mathews also had 2 hits from the leadoff spot.
Box score
Pulaski 4 Elizabethton 3
Same score as last night, only this one took just the regulation 9 innings. The boxscore is screwy, since it shows Jordan Timm both starting and getting the save. In fact, Timm started and allowed 3 runs in 3 innings, although none were earned and he did strike out 6 against just 1 walk. The pitching hero was Edward Rodriguez, the struggling youngster from the DSL who fired 4 innings of 1-hit ball, walking 1 and striking out 5 in maybe his best performance since hitting the mainland. Raymon Sanchez vultured the win with one relief inning, and the save went to Aaron Tressler. Jon Ashford cranked a solo homer and Yuber Rodriquez had an RBI triple, but no P-Jay starter had more than 1 hit.
Box score
The Three-Star Selection:
The Third Star: Anton French, who won the game for Syracuse with a walk-off extra-inning home run.
The Second Star: Jason Arnold, who fired 5 1/3 effective innings in a 1-0 New Hampshire loss.
The First Star: Joey Metropoulos, who drove in 4 runs with a home run and 2 singles in the Doubledays victory.
Honourable Mention: Rodney Medina, Mike MacDonald and Edward Rodriguez.
