When you need a three run home run to win a game, Jon Berti is not the first name that comes to mind but he delivered for New Hampshire on Sunday. Dunedin won thinks in part to walks by ex-Jay Jairo Labourt. Christian Lopes had two hits including a home run. Lansing lost despite a good game from Andrew Guillotte. The Bisons also lost when Ryan Tepera had a really bad day.
Over the weekend Sean Ried-Foley, Shane Dawson and Conner Greene had good starts. Tom Robson was wild. Richard Urena came back from a few days off and hit a home run. But the biggest news came when three Dunedin pitchers combined on a no hitter.
Buffalo 3 Rochester 6
This was a 1-1 tie until the eighth. Ryan Tepera then was hammered for five runs in a very rough appearance. A couple of the hits off him were ground balls but there were another couple that were line drives and a fly ball that ended as a triple. Tepera spoiled an excellent start by Scott Diamond who went six shutout innings. Tepera's day was actually worse than the previous account. Tepera came on in the seventh and gave up a single that allowed a Ben Rowen base runner to score.
The initial Buffalo run came when Matt Dominguez doubled in Domonic Brown. David Adams singled in a couple of sympathy runs in the ninth. Jesus Montero had two hits to lead the offense.
The Bisons won 10-2 on Saturday. Alexi Casilla and Tony Sanchez each had three hits. Dustin Antolin made an emergency start and struck out five in 3.1 shutout innings. The Bisons lost on Friday. Chris Leroux gave up four runs in the first and that hole was too deep. Montero had two hits.
New Hampshire 6 Reading 5
New Hampshire trailed 5-1 headed to the ninth. A walk and a single got things started before Shane Opitz hit a sac fly and Ian Parmley singled in a run. With two on and two outs Jon Berti came to the plate and he hit his first home run of the year, a three run shot that gave New Hampshire the lead. The bottom the ninth was a nail-biter. Wil Browning got the first out and then gave up back to back singles to put the tying run on third with one out. Browning got a K, then walked the next man to load the bases. Browning was then able to get the final out on a fly to right.
Roemon Fields and Jon Berti each had two hits. Jeremy Gabryszwski allowed five runs in six innings. Danny Barnes held Reading at bay for two innings before Browning finished up.
New Hampshire lost 4-3 in 11 innings on Saturday. They took a two run lead to the ninth but two errors coughed up the lead. Brady Dragmire conceded a walk off home run in the eleventh. Shane Dawson started and went 5.2 innings. The only off him was unearned. Berti led the offense, again, with two hits. The Fisher Cats lost on Friday too. Jason Berken was hit around. Melky Mesa was the only bright spot with three hits.
Dunedin 7 Lakeland 6
Dunedin came from behind, twice, built a four run lead, then had to hang on for the win. BC's Tom Robson started and was wild. He walked six in 3.2 innings but managed to hold the Tigers to two runs. Alonzo Gonzalez followed and held Lakeland to one run in three innings. Chris Rowley had started the season well, but gave up three runs in this game and now has had a couple of tough outings in a row. Carlos Ramirez, the former outfielder, pitched the ninth for his first save.
The Jays got on the board with a couple of runs in the fifth. A couple of walks got things started. Christian Lopes singled in a run, Michael Bourn drove in the second with a groundout. Another two walks started the sixth, one of them scored on a ground ball. The helpful pitcher is a former Blue Jay, Jairo Labourt, who walked four in three innings. The three earned runs allowed by Labourt were his first earned runs of the season. Another walk started the seventh and scored when Ryan McBroom singled him in. Another walk scored in the eighth. The walk was followed by a David Harris single and a home run by Lopes. Lopes was the only hitter with two hits, several hitters had two walks. Jason Leblebijian had a day to forger, five K's in five appearances.
Dunedin were rained out on Friday and played two on Saturday. They one the first game 2-1 behind a home run from Richard Urena and a good start by Conner Greene. The Jays won the second game 2-0. They only had three hits but that was enough as three Jays pitchers combined on a no hitter. Brad Allen started and went 4. Adonys Cardona went one and a third, Tim Mayza one and two thirds.
Lake County 11 Lansing 5
The Lugnuts trailed 9-0 in the middle of the second. Tayler Saucedo had the nightmare start, he was popped for 11 runs in two plus innings. Four relievers held the Captains down for the balance of the game.
Lansing chipped away a little to make the score more respectable. Josh Almonte tripled in a run in the second inning and then scored on a sac fly. Andrew Guillotte hit a two run home run in the sixth, Juan Kelly added a solo shot in the seventh. Guillotte led the offense going 3-4 with a walk. Almonte had two hits.
Lansing lost 12-0 on Saturday, Ryan cook, Dan Lietz and Evan Smith were shellacked. The Lugnuts won on Friday, Sean Reid-Foley had seven K's over five innings, Josh DeGraaf added four shutout innings. Aaron Attaway had three hits, Jacob Anderson hit his first home run since 2012.
3 Stars
3rd star: Andrew Guillotte
2nd star: Christian Lopes
1st star: Jon Berti