Pawtucket 5 Syracuse 3
David Purcey continues to pitch just well enough at Triple-A. In 6.1 innings he allowed three runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out five batters. Chris George worked a scoreless 1.2 innings and struck out three. Mike Gosling struggled in two-thirds of an innings and allowed two runs on three runs and a walk. Brian Wolfe ended the bloodshed with four pitches. Wayne Lydon went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two walks and two stolen bases (He now has 34). Danny Sandoval was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Curtis Thigpen, mired in a horrible offensive season, went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a double.
Connecticut 2 New Hampshire 1 (Game 1)
Starter Brandon Magee fell to an ugly 1-11 on the season after allowing two runs in 6.1 innings on eight hits and three walks. He struck out just one batter. The game ended when the winning run scored in the bottom of the seventh in the shortened game (due to the doubleheader). On the plus side, Magee allowed 12 ground ball outs and just five fly ball outs. Eric Nielsen went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a walk. Scott Campbell and Travis Snider were each 1-for-3 during the first game. No one else had a hit.
Connecticut 3 New Hampshire 0 (Game 2)
Cuban starter Kenny Rodriguez made his Double-A debut and was shaky, although he went the distance. In six innings, he allowed three runs on three hits and five walks. He did not strike out a batter. Offensively, Scott Campbell, J.P Arencibia, and Travis Snider each went 1-for-3 and the New Zealander also had a walk. Kyle Phillips was 1-for-3 with a double, which was the only extra base hit in the game for New Hampshire.
Dunedin 7 Sarasota 0
Ray Gonzalez had a nice start, allowing no runs and just four hits in eight innings. He walked two batters and recorded three strikeouts. Chad Blackwell allowed two hits but pitched a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Brad Emaus was 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base. Luis Sanchez was 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. Al Quintana and Chris Emanuele each had two hits. Jesus Gonzalez and Brian Dopirak were a combined 0-for-9 with one run scored.
Lansing 9 South Bend 6
Chi Hung Cheng did not pitch well. He allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in 4.1 innings. The southpaw struck out five. Jimmy Dougher picked up the win despite allowing two runs on two hits in 2.2 innings. He struck out four batters. Tim Collins continued to pitch well and worked two scoreless innings for his fourth save. He walked one batter and struck out four. Over-aged catcher Matt Liuzza led the offence with a 3-for-5 night, which included two doubles, a run scored and two RBI. Justin Jackson, Jonathan Jaspe, Kevin Ahrens and Moises Sierra all had two hits apiece. Jackson also hit a solo homer, stole his 11th base and committed an error.
Mahoning Valley 6 Auburn 1
Auburn's offence took the night off and managed just one run on five hits. Jonathan Del Campo was 2-for-4 with two strikeouts. David Cooper and Adam Amar were each 1-for-4. Catcher Karim Turkamani made his pro debut with a pinch hit single in his only at-bat. Auburn was also brutal in the field with errors from: Del Campo, Brian Van Kirk, Chris Hopkins and Leance Soto (2). Castillo Perez had a rough night on the mound and allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks in 3.1 innings. Charles Huggins work 1.2 innings of scoreless ball and struck out three. Kyle Walter worked 2.2 scoreless innings and allowed one run but continued to be haunted by walks with three. He also struck out four batters.
GCL Jays 4 GCL Phillies 2
The GCL Jays club recorded just its second win of the season. Youngster Henderson Alvarez allowed just one unearned run in four innings. The Phillies managed just three hits and one walk against him. Alvarez struck out three and hit two batters. Hunter Moody worked three innings for the win and allowed just one unearned run on one hit. He struck out six batters. Dan Miller and Ryan Koch each worked scoreless innings. Welinton Ramirez went 2-for-3 with an RBI but was picked off first base. Rehabbing catcher Robinzon Diaz upped his average to .455 with a 1-for-2 night. Tyler Pastornicky went 1-for-2 with a triple, run scored and a walk. He also struck out once and was caught trying to steal home. Canadian Michael Crouse was 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
Three Stars:
3. Tim Collins, because he worked another two scoreless innings and we all love Tiny Tim.
2. Matt Liuzza, for fueling the Lansing win.
1. Ray Gonzalez, for eight scoreless innings and a win.