David Cooper had a big night, three hits including a two run game winning home run in the ninth inning. Lansing won in extra innings, or rather South Bend lost it as the Lugnuts last five runs were unearned. The GCL Jays won behind a three hitter. Las Vegas, Dunedin and Auburn each lost.
Las Vegas jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Howie Clark doubled, Travis Snider walked, Brian Dopirak singled in one run and a JP Arencibia singled scored the second run. Iowa fought back against starter Davis Romero who gave up three runs over six innings. Las Vegas tied the game in the sixth, Arencibia singled to drive in his second run of the game. Rommie Lewis replaced Romero and gave up two runs, one on a bases loaded walk. Las Vegas had a chance in the eighth inning, Snider and Dopirak singled with one out. Arencibia made the second out but Kyle Phillips singled in a run to make it a one run game. However Jason Lane flew out to end the threat and the 51's went out 1-2-3 in the ninth. Casey Janssen pitched a three up, three down, eighth.
Las Vegas outhit Iowa 11-9, Dopirak, Snider, Arencibia and Clark had two hits each.
Brandon Erbe pitched eight innings of no-hit ball against New Hampshire last week, in this game the Fisher Cats got off the mark early. In the first inning back-to-back doubles by David Cooper and Adam Calderone put New Hampshire up 2-0. However in the bottom of the first Bowie went back-toback with home runs to tie the score off Adrian Martin. Martin then settled down and pitched six innings with just the two runs allowed. Erbe pitched just four innings and the Fisher Cats went ahead off a reliever in the fifth. Cooper led off with a single and later scored on a single by Darin Mastroianni.
The score was 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth when Matt Hensley came out of the bullpen. The first three hitters went walk, hit by pitch and a two RBI double with the runner thrown out at third, and New Hampshire trailed 4-3. Bowie recorded the first two outs of the ninth but then Brad Emaus singled and David Cooper hit a go-ahead home run, his seventh, to put New Hampshire up 5-4.
Leon Boyd, who lost last nights game, came on for the save which he recorded despite putting two runners on base.
Cooper was 3-5 with 3 RBI's.
Vincent Bongiovanni had one of his worst starts of the year, he gave up four runs in the first and three more in the sixth. Dunedin had eight hits and could only score two runs. They scored their two runs in the fifth inning with half of their hits. Kevin Ahrens led off with a single, Adam Loewen doubled to put two runners on. With one out Sean Shoffit singled in one run, Brad McElroy then doubled in Loewen but Shoffit was thrown out at home on the play. Dunedin had only one hit the rest of the game.
McElroy, Ahrens and Manny Rodriguez had two hits each.
Lansing 8 South Bend 6 - 10 innings
Lansing trailed 6-3 in the eighth inning when they tied the game. A single by Mark Sobolewski and a double by Balbino Fuenmayor put two runners on with two out. An error by the shortstop on a hit by Kenny Wilson allowed one run to score. Wilson then stole second and the catcher threw the ball into the outfield which let Fuenmayor and Wilson to score and tie the game.
In the tenth Sobolewski led off with a walk and Jon Talley bunted but the pitcher threw the ball away letting Sobolewski score and putting Talley on third. With one out Wilson singled to give Lansing a two run lead. In the bottom of the tenth closer Matt Daly put the first two hitters on base but he retired the next three for the save.
Joel Carreno started and pitched six innings, he gave up 12 hits and six runs.
Talley, Fuenmayor and Wilson had three hits each. South Bend made five errors leading to five unearned runs.
Dave Sever started and pitched six shutout innings giving up three hits. Austin Armstrong relieved Sever and gave up a three run home run. Auburn had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth on singles by Ryan Schimpf, Sean Ochinko and Yan Gomes. Auburn got the first two hitters in the ninth on base with a single and a walk, and moved them over with a sac bunt, but only one run could score leaving the tying run on third to end the game.
Yan Gomes and Karim Turkamani had two hits each.
Four Jays pitchers combined on a three hitters. Starter Matt Fields gave up all three hits in 4.1 innings. The Jays went ahead 2-0 in the second, Jon Valdez singled in two runners, John Roberts who had walked and Jack Murphy who had doubled. Oliver Dominguez created the third run, he singled, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a sac fly. Murphy singled in the fourth run in the sixth.
Murphy and Dominguez had two hits each.
Three Stars
3rd star - Jack Murphy
2nd star - Kenny Wilson
1st star - David Cooper
