3-3 day for the affiliates on Wednesday.
HR Roll Call: Balbino Fuenmayor 2 (6), Corey Toups (6), Chris DeVito (6)
BP KC Hitter of the Day – Balbino Fuenmayor 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 RBI
BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Jon Dziedzic 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 0-9 GO-FO, 93p/54k
Omaha Storm Chasers 8 Las Vegas 51s 2
Following a four hit game Tuesday, Balbino Fuenmayor told me his leg is getting stronger. Wednesday night, he proved that looks to be true as the first baseman hit two home runs in the Chasers eight run effort. In addition to Balbino’s two home runs, Hunter Dozier doubled in a run and scored one more while starter Jon Dziedzic and Brooks Pounders worked seven innings of two-run ball before turning things over to Malcom Culver. Culver worked the final two innings for his second Triple-A save.
Hunter Dozier 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4, R, 2 RBI, SB (5)
Bubba Starling 1-3, R, BB
Tulsa Drillers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4
The Naturals dropped their third game in a row to Tulsa despite outhitting them in this one. A 1 for 10 effort with runners in scoring position combined with an error and walks allowed cost NW Arkansas. Leading 3-2 following a Corey Toups two-run home run in the eighth inning, reliever Matt Strahm came back for a second relief inning. After striking out the first hitter, Strahm walked the second prior to a Logan Moon error. Manager Vance Wilson would pull Strahm in favor of Aroni Nina but things didn’t get better as Nina walked the bases loaded prior to allowing a double to Lars Anderson that plated all three runners. NW Arkansas would score a run in the ninth before getting two in scoring position with one down in the inning, but a Toups strikeout and a groundout by Schwindel on a difficult play ended the rally and sent the Naturals 1.5 games back of the Drillers in the standings.
Corey Toups 1-5, HR, 2 RBI
Terrance Gore 2-3, 2 SB (27)
Matt Strahm 1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0-3 GO-FO, 23p/12k
Rome Braves 11 Lexington Legends 2
A pair of Lexington pitchers struggled in their first game of the series in Rome. Royals first pick of the 2016 draft, A.J. Puckett, took a defeat after giving up eight hits and five runs over five innings. The Pepperdine product fell victim to plenty of groundball singles early as hits in the first and fourth innings lead to the first three runs. In the fifth inning however, Rome lined a double and hit a home run to center that helped end Puckett’s night. Reliever Matt Ditman didn’t fair much better as the Rice product allowed six runs on six hits in two innings to put the Legends in a 11-2 hole that was too great to dig out from. Catching prospect Chase Vallot played in his first game for Lexington since being hit in the face on June 14th, he was plunked in the fifth but stayed in the game.
Chase Vallot 0-3, R, HBP
A.J. Puckett 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3-3 GO-FO, 60p/43k
D.J. Burt 0-3, R, BB, SB (27)
Princeton Rays 7 Burlington Royals 5
The Rays defeated the Royals for the fourth time in five tries to put the Burlington squad 1.5 games back in the first half of the Appy League season. A pair of former SEC starters couldn’t slow down the Princeton offense as Alabama alum Geoffrey Bramblett and former Auburn lefty Vance Tatum gave up seven runs in the first five innings to put Burlington in a 7-1 hole. The offense made a rally late, getting two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth but couldn’t complete the rally.
Chris DeVito 1-5, HR
Nicky Lopez 2-5, R
Nathan Esposito 3-4, R, 2b, RBI
AZL Royals 10 AZL Brewers 5
The Royals piled on early, scoring eight runs in the first three innings of the game on the way to win. Outfielder Khalil Lee failed to get a hit but walked three times and scored three runs with corner infielders John Brontsema and Robby Rinn each collecting a pair of hits and a two RBI each. Missouri native and ’16 draftee Grant Gavin gave up a run for the first time after starting his career with 19.1 innings scoreless, the run was unearned and came on a Lee error.
Jeison Guzman 2-3 R, 2 BB
Cal Jones 3-5 R, 2 RBI, BB
John Brontsema 2-2 R, 2b, RBI, 2 BB
DSL Royals 5 DSL Dodgers2 1
The DSL Royals continue to spin and win. The team won their 10th consecutive game on Wednesday, holding the Dodgers2 team to one run on just four hits. In all ten games during the streak the Royals have held opponents to three runs or less. The Royals offense scored single runs in five of their eight innings, collecting 13 hits including three from catcher Freddy Fermin who drove in a pair of runs.
Freddy Fermin 3-4, 2b, 2 RBI
Raymond Lopez 2-5, R, 2b
Janser Lara 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 3-0 GO-FO