Syracuse 4 Charlotte 3
The Skychiefs posted another comeback win, scoring once in the 8th to the tie the game and once in the 9th to win it. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th, Justin Singleton singled, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Gabe Gross then cashed him in with a game-winning single. Bryant Nelson’s RBI single had tied the game in the previous inning. Gross also smacked a solo home run for Syracuse, while Kevin Barker refuses to cool down, cracking a double and 2 singles to run his Triple-A line to .331/.410/.623 in 175 at-bats. Corey Koskie went hitless in 4 trips. Chris Baker pitched well for 7 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs (on 2 Joe Borchard homers) on 5 hits and a walk, striking out 4. The win went to Adrian Burnside in relief.
Portland 4 New Hampshire 0
The Fisher Cats ran into a buzzsaw named Anibal Sanchez, a pitcher who (despite his Laura Ashley moniker) is ripping through the Red Sox system. Sanchez struck out 11 F-Cats in 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball. Maikel Jova and Ron Davenport had 4 of New Hampshire’s 5 hits on the night; Jova’s double was the only extra-base hit. Chip Cannon whiffed 3 times and saw his average drift down to .238. Ismael Ramirez took the loss, though he pitched 6 2/3 decent frames of 2-run ball, scattering 8 hits and walking nobody while striking out 7 of his own.
Clearwater 5 Dunedin 2
A middling performance by starter Kyle Yates, who allowed 2 runs on 6 hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking 2 and striking out 2. Mark Sopko allowed 2 of the 3 runs charged to the pen after Yates’ exit. Two-hit nights from Jayce Tingler, Mike Snyder and Carlo Cota; Vito Chiaravalotti’s and Rodney Medina’s respective two-baggers were the only D-Jay extra-base hits on the night.
Lansing 7 Peoria 2
An up-and-down season for young Mississauga lefty Aaron Wideman recorded another up last night, as Wideman scattered 6 hits and a walk over 5 innings (striking out 5) to collect the win. The bullpen hero was Jordy Templet, who fired 3 innings of shutout relief (3 hits and a K) to keep Peoria off the board. The big blow belonged to third baseman Jason Armstrong, whose bases-clearing double capped a 4-run 5th. Centerfielder Aaron Mathews had the only 2-hit Lugnut night. Armstrong and shortstop Ryan Klosterman each made their 17th errors of the season.
Tri-City 5 Auburn 3
How do you lose a game when you’re leading 3-0 with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th? Easy – watch the Auburn Doubledays do it. Gabriel Alfaro came into the game with 2 runners on base that inning and recorded 2 quick outs. This is what happened next: wild pitch, single, wild pitch, single, stolen base, walk-off home run, game over. Alfaro’s 9th-inning misadventures (and those of the pitcher who preceded him, Sean Stidfole) ruined an otherwise historic night for the organization, as Ricky Romero made his professional debut with 2 shutout innings of 2-hit, 1-walk ball, striking out 2. He was followed by a magnificent performance from Eric Fowler, who blanked Tri-City on just 3 hits for 5 2/3 innings, striking out 6 batters. Sean Shoffit’s 2-run single highlighted the offence for the Doubeldays.
Bluefield 5 Pulaski 4
Another 9th-inning comeback fell short for the P-Jays, who scored 1 run in the bottom of the 9th and had the bases loaded with 1 out, but Graig Badger and Jacob Butler grounded into force-outs. Pulaski actually enjoyed a 2-1 lead going into the top of the 8th, thanks in large part to a strong outing from the palindromically named Reidier Gonzalez, who scatted 4 hits and a 1 walk over 5 1-run innings, striking out 5. First baseman Christopher Looze homered and singled for Pulaski, while DH Paul Franko drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly. Leance Soto went 0-for-2 and now sits with a .159/.217/.349 line and an amazing 5/36 BB/K rate in just 63 at-bats.
Your Three-Star Selection: Hard to choose any hitting performances from last night’s action, so here are 3 pitchers who did well:
3. Aaron Wideman, Lansing: 5 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 5 K.
2. Eric Fowler, Auburn: 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 6 K.
1. Chris Baker, Syracuse: 7 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K.
