Bluefield started their playoffs on Saturday. Mitch Nay hit a three run home run for an early lead but Pulaski came back to go ahead. The Jays tied the game in the seventh and had the bases loaded with one out in the ninth but could not score. The Mariners scored 5 off a melting down Phil Kish in the tenth to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series. Alberto Tirado goes today for the Jays.
Lansing were able to get the ninth inning walk off hit. The Bisons lost despite a gallant comeback. They are eliminated from the playoffs. Vancouver won and are still in the playoff hunt. Dunedin were shutout, New Hampshire were rained out.
Playoffs
Pulaski 9 Bluefield 4 - 10 innings
This game was tied at four after seven innings. In the ninth the Jays started a rally with two walks with one out. A wild pitch moved up the runners and then Pulaski opted to intentionally walk Jonathan Davis to load the bases. Nico Taylor was up with one out, and a chance to be a hero, but he grounded to short leading to a force at home. Tim Locastro then grounded out to second to end the opportunity. In the top of the tenth Phil Kish walked the lead off hitter. A couple of hits, a two run single, a wild pitch, and a home run gave the Mariners a 5 run lead.
Mitch Nay hit a three run home run in the first inning to give the Jays a 3-1 lead. Jairo Labourt gave up 2 runs in the third and one in the fourth to put Pulaski up. In the seventh Jorge Saez singled home Matt Dean to tie the game. Labourt went five innings. May, Dean and Franklin Barreto each had two hits for the Jays.
Regular Season
Buffalo 5 Rochester 6
The Bisons took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, Luis Jimenez, Clint Robinson and Brad Glenn singled to load the bases. One run scored on a passed ball and a second on a ground out. But Drew Hutchison was unable to hold it. In the third an error and a couple of doubles tied the game. Then in the fourth a couple more doubles contributed to a three run inning and the Bisons were down 5-2. The teams traded runs and the Bisons trailed 6-3 headed to the ninth with the season on the line. Ryan Langerhans worked a one out walk. With 2 outs Mike McCoy singled, Jim Negrych had an RBI single as did Mauro Gomez. Luis Jimenez worked a walk to load the bases. Andy LaRoche was up but he flew out to centre.
Drew Hutchison's line was 3.2 7 5 3 1 5. Ben Wagner, Buffalo radio guy, said he was victimized by a couple of bloops and bleeders. We will likely see Hutchison in Toronto but it appears that he is still feeling his way back from the surgery. Negrych and Gomez each had two hits.
New Hampshire at Binghamton - postponed
Not sure if it will be made up at this late stage of the season.
Dunedin 0 Clearwater 6
2013 draftee Matt Boyd started. He has been pitching well but he was taken deep twice in the second inning, one a three run shot. John Anderson gave up 2 more runs in the fifth.
The Jays had six hits, Matt Newman and Oliver Dominguez had two each. Emilio Guerrero was 0-4.
West Michigan 4 Lansing 5
Lansing took a 4-2 lead to the ninth but Chad Girodo and Arik Sikula combined to let the Whitecaps tie the game. In the bottom of the ninth Christian Lopes worked a lead off walk, Dwight Smith singled and Kevin Patterson followed with a walk off single.
Eric Brown started but a comebacker off the hand knocked him out in the first inning. Tucker Donahue and Chad Girodo pitched long relief. Smith Jr had 3 hits, Carlos Ramirez had two.
Vancouver 4 Tri-City 2
Vancouver took a 1-0 lead in the first, Tri-City struck back immediately to tie. Vancouver scored agin in the third and fourth to go up 4-1, Tri-City made it 4-2 in the fourth. There were no runs scored after the fourth inning. Andy Fermin and LB Dantzler were the stars for the Canadians. In the fist Fermin singled and Dantzler doubled him home. In the third Fermin doubled in the second run and Dantzler singled him home. The fourth run scored when Brenden Kalfus doubled home Michael Reeves.
Colton Turner pitched six innings with two runs allowed. Matt Dermody pitched two and Chuck Ghysels finished out. Spokane won again too. There is still a chance for Spokane to win the second half in which case Vancouver would be eliminated. If Spokane do not win the division Vancouver has t beat out Spokane who they are tied with.
Three Stars
#3 - Andy Fermin/LB Dantzler
#2 - Mitch Nay
#1 - Dwight Smith