BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nathan Eaton 3-5, 2R, 3b, HR, 2 RBI, SB (16)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Scott Barlow 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0-2 GO-FO, 47p/27k

Augusta GreenJackets 5, Lexington Legends 1

The Legends bats were mostly silent during their afternoon contest with Augusta. The only run on the day came via Brewer Hicklen’s 17th home run of the season. It wasn’t enough as Augusta scored a run off starter Daniel Lynch in his three innings before getting four runs off reliever Janser Lara in the fourth inning. Despite that run allowed, Lynch was quite dominant, working quickly and pounding the zone while getting swings and misses in his three innings that featured six strikeouts.

Daniel Lynch: 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 2-1 GO-FO, 32p/22k
Kyle Isbel: 2-4, 2 K
Brewer Hicklen: 1-3, HR

Wilmington Blue Rocks 6, Lynchburg Hillcats 5

The Rocks piled up six runs in the first four innings to take a 6-1 lead and managed to hang on late for the win, keeping their postseason hopes alive. Starting pitcher Ofreidy Gomez was on the ropes much of the night with 10 hits given up in six frames, but he allowed just one run with eight strikeouts. He earned the win thanks to the offensive effort in the second and fourth innings. The second featured a triple by Vance Vizcaino that scored two and brought him in one hitter later. Vizcaino was part of the scoring in the fourth inning also, singling and scoring to get that two-run inning going. Relievers Julio Pinto and Andrew Beckwith gave up a couple of runs each but Bryan Brickhouse closed things down to secure the save. The win pushes Wilmington within four games of Lynchburg with six games to go on the season.

Emmanuel Rivera: 2-4, R, 2b
Rudy Martin: 2-5, 2b, RBI
Ofreidy Gomez: 6 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 2-5 GO-FO, 100p/64k

Game 1 – NW Arkansas Naturals 12, Tulsa Drillers 4
Game 2 – Tulsa Drillers 1, NW Arkansas Naturals 0

Starter Foster Griffin gave up three home runs in just two-plus innings but it didn’t matter as the Naturals offense kept hitting on the way to a win. NW Arkansas hitters chased #7 Dodgers prospect Mitchell White after just three innings of his own, connecting on six hits, walking twice and scoring seven runs in that time. Tied 3-3 in the fourth, the Naturals strung together five hits, including four for extra bases. First baseman Samir Duenez completed the scoring with a two-run home run to put the Naturals up 9-3. Lefty Cristian Castillo followed Griffin with 3.1 innings with seven strikeouts to earn the win. A first-inning solo home run off Luis Lugo and a shutout tossed by three different Drillers pitchers may have put the final nail into the Naturals season in the second game.

Jecksson Flores: 4-7, 2R, 2 2b, 6 RBI
Samir Duenez: 2-7, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Andres Machado: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1-1 GO-FO, 20p/13k

Game 1 – Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3, Omaha Storm Chasers 2
Game 2 – Colorado Springs Sky Sox 7, Omaha Storm Chasers 0

Ian Kennedy didn’t fool many during his first rehab start for Omaha. After three scoreless innings, the Royals starter gave up a run on a double and single before walking a hitter and leaving for reliever Sam Selman. The lefty promptly gave up two hits that allowed both runners to come in to put Omaha down 3-1. The Chasers answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth but could get no closer in the loss. There was very little offense for Omaha in the second game while Trevor Oaks rough second half continued. The right-hander gave up seven runs in just four innings, ballooning his second-half ERA to 5.02. The Chasers had just four hits in seven innings as Bubba Derby shut them down for seven innings.

Nicky Lopez: 1-7
Frank Schwindel: 2-7, 2b
Donnie Dewees: 2-5, R, BB, SB

Idaho Falls Chukars 15, Ogden Raptors 6

The Chukars offense tore up the Ogden pitching staff on Wednesday night as they combined four 19 hits and 15 runs. Six different Chukars hitters had multi-hit games including Bubba Starling who went two for three with a pair of doubles in his first rehab game. Also in the mix was Nathan Eaton with a three-hit day that left him a double short of the cycle. Starter C.J. Eldred got the win despite six runs given up in his six innings.

Bubba Starling: 2-3, 2R, 2-2b, 2 RBI
Reed Rohlman: 2-6, 2R, RBI
Kyle Kasser: 4-6, R, 2b, 3 RBI

Bluefield Blue Jays 9, Burlington Royals 3

Burlington’s Marlin Willis struggled again in his three innings, giving up six runs on four hits and four walks in another Royals loss. Those runs were plenty to hand Burlington a defeat as the offense struggled to get much going on their end with just five hits and a pair of walks.

Matt Morales: 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Isaiah Henry: 1-4, SB
Kyle Hinton: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 1-1 GO-FO, 25p/18k

Wednesday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5, 3b, HR, 5 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Janser Lara 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 35p/22k

Gm 1 – Lexington Legends 5, Asheville Tourists 1
Gm 2 – Lexington Legends 2, Asheville Tourists 1

Pitching was the order of the day for the Legends in their doubleheader sweep of the Rockies Low-A squad to help push their winning streak to eight games. In the first game, starter Jackson Kowar tossed three innings with a solo home run given up in the second inning as he worked mostly in the zone with 26 strikes on 39 pitches. He was piggybacked by Janser Lara who tossed three shutout innings of relief before Garrett Suchey closed it out. Batterymate M.J. Melendez provided an RBI single and a solo home run blast, while Nick Pratto doubled in one and Seuly Matias singled in a pair. Game two saw lefty Garrett Davila toss six innings with one run allowed as he gave up a solo home run and worked around two other hits and a pair of walks. An error scored a run for Lexington in the third inning to tie the game and Cal Jones triple in the sixth scored Nick Pratto to break the tie before Colin Snider tossed a perfect inning to earn his first save of the season.

Seuly Matias: 1-7, 2 RBI, 2K
Nick Pratto: 3-5, R, 2-2b, RBI, 2BB, K
M.J. Melendez: 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2K

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8, Salem Red Sox 4

The Rocks offense is extremely patient, and lately, they have been connecting plenty of hits with the team scoring seven or more runs in six consecutive games with Wednesday’s win. All nine hitters in the lineup reached base with eight of the hitters collecting at least one hit as the 10 hits and six walks continuously put on pressure against the Red Spx. Trailing 2-0 into the fourth, the Rocks loaded the bases quickly scoring four runs with a Brewer Hicklen bases-loaded walk and Rudy Martin’s bases-clearing double. A Travis Jones home run in the sixth added to the lead before a three-run frame put the game away. Relievers Carter Hope and Josh Mitchell gave up two runs each before Corey Ray and Julio Pinto tossed the final three innings without a run allowed. The win was Wilmington’s sixth in a row while pushing their division lead to three and a half games over Lynchburg.

Blake Perkins: 2-4, 2R, BB, 2 SB
Travis Jones: 1-3, 2R, HR, BB
Brewer Hicklen: 1-3, 2R, RBI, BB, 2K

NW Arkansas Naturals 13, Arkansas Travelers 3

The Naturals powered up to an easy win over Arkansas in the finale of their four game series with the M’s Double-A squad. After the Naturals fell behind on a pair of doubles in the first inning off Pedro Fernandez, the offense powered up with two runs in the second with Alex Liddi connecting on a solo home run before a double steal scored Nick Dini from third. An inning later, third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez tagged a three-run home run as part of a four run frame to give NW Arkansas a 6-1 lead. That lead quickly ballooned to 10-1 in the fourth with Kort Peterson’s two-run home run before Gutierrez tripled in two more later. Those runs were plenty for Fernandez and a pair of relievers as the threesome gave up just three runs while the offense tacked on three more with Xavier Fernandez hitting the team’s fourth home run of the game in the convincing win to give them a series win.

Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Sacramento River Cats 3

The Chasers received yet another quality start from Trevor Oaks as the right-hander acquired this offseason in the Dodgers deal spun 7.2 innings while allowing just one run. In typical fashion for Oaks, he was able to navigate around runners on the bases having given up eight hits and three walks with the use of 11 groundouts including three double plays. The Chasers had a 2-1 lead after a fourth-inning throwing error by Evan Longoria allowed Jack Lopez to reach and Humberto Arteaga to score. With Oaks tossing up a bunch of zeroes, the Chasers tacked on three insurance runs in the ninth to take a 5-1 lead. That came in handy after Eric Stout ran into trouble with a pair of runs allowed before Jake Newberry bailed Omaha out with a double play ball off the bat of Evan Longoria to end it.

Nicky Lopez: 2-4, RBI, BB
Donnie Dewees: 3-4, R, 2b
Trevor Oaks: 7.2 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 11-6 GO-FO, 96p/62k

Elizabethton Twins 6, Burlington Royals 5

The Royals built a slim lead that the bullpen gave away in this one.  Starter Marcelo Martinez had given up four runs in five innings, allowing seven hits and two walks, while the lefty struckout five hitters. Trailing 4-1 into the fifth, the Royals scored a run on a two-out fielding error before Juan Carlos Negret blasted his fifth home run to give Burlington a 5-4 lead. That lead wouldn’t last long with reliever Austin Lambright giving up single runs in the sixth and seventh innings. The Royals would threaten in the seventh with a pair of one-out singles but failed to cash in before going down in the final two innings to drop the game.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-3, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Jackson Lueck: 1-4, R, BB, K
Marcelo Martinez: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 7-2 GO-FO, 86p/61k

Idaho Falls Chukars 12 Orem Owlz 3

Royals first round pick Kris Bubic bounced back somewhat from a rough start last time. Working just 3.2 innings, the lefty gave up just an unearned run, striking out five while earning four groundouts. It would’ve been four scoreless innings had Offerman Collado fielded a routine ground ball with two down, opening the inning up to a one-run frame after a pair of singles, but that’s how it goes from time to time at the rookie level. The offense pounded out nine runs on eleven hits in the first four innings to build a nearly insurmountable lead with Bubic and ’18 draftee Tyler Gray doing much of the heavy lifting on the mound while the offense continued adding on.

Offerman Collado: 2-4, R, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
Hunter Strong: 2-5, R, 2b, 2 RBI
Kris Bubic: 3.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 4-1 GO-FO, 73p/50k

Wednesday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Blake Perkins 4-7 2R, HR, 3 RBI, SB 

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Charlie Neuweiler 6 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 5 K 7-3 GO-FO 85p/54k

PCL All Star Game – Frank Schwindel 2-5 2R, 2b also won the Situational Hitting Challenge 
Trevor Oaks 1 IP 1 H 0 R 1 BB 0 K

Augusta GreenJackets 3 Lexington Legends 2

The Legends bats struggled on this night, collecting just five hits and going 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position to take a loss in Augusta. The lack of offense ruined a quality start for Neuweiler who worked six innings while spreading out four singles and a pair of walks to limit the GreenJackets to just one run. Reliever Andrew Beckwith gave up runs in the seventh and eighth to take the loss.

Seuly Matias: 0-3 BB
Brewer Hicklen: 0-3 R, BB
Nick Pratto: 1-4 SB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 12 Frederick Keys 11 F/12

It’s rare that two offenses go wild in the Carolina League but that’s what happened on Wednesday night as Frederick and Wilmington combined for 34 hits and 23 runs in a 12 inning affair. Newcomer Blake Perkins led the way early for the Rocks, collecting four hits including his first home run with the team while scoring two runs and driving in three. Starter Dan Tillo tossed five scoreless innings before running into trouble in the sixth, allowing four runs with a pair of walks, a leadoff single and a double before Carter Hope came in to replace him, giving up another double which pushed the fourth run across. The Rocks lost an 8-6 lead in the ninth and then exchanged five runs over the next two innings with Frederick before finally getting an RBI single by Gabe Cancel to score the lead run in the twelfth prior to Justin Camp working a scoreless final half inning to earn the win.

Gabe Cancel: 3-6 R, 2 RBI, BB, SB
Emmanuel Rivera: 3-7 R, RBI
Dan Tillo: 5.2 IP 7 H 4 R 4 ER 3 BB 2 K 8-2 GO-FO 99p/54k

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Tulsa Drillers 4

A seven-run fourth inning by the Naturals overcame a four-run first by Tulsa and earned Arnaldo Hernandez his first Double-A win. The right-hander gave up four hits including a pair of doubles around a walk in the first inning, quickly falling behind 4-0. From there he settled to toss four scoreless innings with six strikeouts to give his offense a chance. That work was rewarded with the club coming through with a huge inning in the fourth, batting around with seven hits including a leadoff home run by Alex Liddi prior to RBI doubles from Jecksson Flores and Elier Hernandez. Three innings later Hernandez doubled again prior to Kelvin Gutierrez’s first double with the club as the Naturals tacked on another couple of runs to take home the win.

Elier Hernandez: 4-4 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI
Khalil Lee: 1-3 R, RBI, 2 BB
Arnaldo Hernandez: 5 IP 7 H 4 R 4 ER 1 BB 9 K 4-3 GO-FO 85p/55k

Danville Braves 6 Burlington Royals 2

Royals pitching struggled with Bryar Johnson giving up four runs in just three and one-third innings prior to Kelvin Gonzalez allowing two runs in two and one-third frames. The offense didn’t fare much better, going 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position while the middle of the order hitters struggled to go 0-11. Newcomer Eric Cole went 2-4 with a double in his first game with the organization.

Eric Cole: 2-4 2b
Juan Carlos Negret: 0-4 2K
Michael Emodi: 2-3 2R, 2b, BB

Helena Brewers 12 Idaho Falls Chukars 2

The Chukars got blasted thanks to five defensive errors and 10 hits by Helena. Starter C.J. Eldred took his first loss with a pair of home runs allowed during a nine run (6 ER) six inning start. The Idaho Falls usual high octane offense couldn’t keep up as they struggled with opportunities with runners in scoring position.

Kyle Isbel: 2-3 BB, CS (3)
Reed Rohlman: 1-3 2R, 2b
Stephen Greenlees: 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 Bb 5 K 1-0 GO-FO 30p/16k

Wednesday Boxscores

Thursday Probables
Omaha – TBD
NW Arkansas – Emilio Ogando 5-5 6.23 ERA 2.14 WHIP
Wilmington – Jace Vines 2-8 5.11 ERA 1.60 WHIP
Lexington – TBD
Burlington – Marcelo Martinez 0-2 1.59 ERA 0.76 WHIP
Idaho Falls – TBD

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Alex Liddi 2-4 2 HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Carlos Hernandez 7 IP 4 H 1 R 0 ER 2 BB 12 K 4-1 GO-FO 104p/72k

Lexington Legends 2 Greensboro Grasshoppers 1

For the third straight start, Carlos Hernandez looked outstanding, tossing seven innings once again. The 6’5 Venezuelan allowed an unearned run in the second inning after a Seuly Matias misplay in the outfield but was dominant besides that. Using 104 pitches, he attacked the zone with 72 strikes, striking out a career-high 12, limiting the opponent to just four hits and two walks. The Legends rewarded their pitcher with a win thanks to a solo home run by Brewer Hicklen and a steal of home by Marten Gasparini.

Brewer Hicklen: 1-3 HR
Nick Pratto: 0-3 2K
MJ Melendez: 0-3 3-3 CS-Att, 1 PO

Frederick Keys 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks connected on back to back home runs in the fourth inning when D.J. Burt left the yard for the first time of the year before Emmanuel Rivera hit his fourth of the season. Starter Gerson Garabito gave up a two out RBI double the next inning which allowed Frederick to tie things up. From there Wilmington’s offense couldn’t drive in a run, going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position while the Keys got a run in the sixth and the seventh innings to put the game out of reach for the Rocks.

Emmanuel Rivera: 2-4 HR
D.J. Burt: 1-4 HR
Gerson Garabito: 5 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 3 BB 5 K 4-1 GO-FO 97p/62k

Corpus Christi Hooks 15 NW Arkansas Naturals 6

New addition Dallas Beeler was knocked around over three and two-thirds innings of his first start, giving up nine hits and seven runs. The Astros Double-A squad connected on 19 hits and 15 runs to finish off the three-game sweep while scoring against five different Naturals pitchers. The Hooks catcher Lorenzo Quintana connected on three home runs which one-upped Alex Liddi’s two home run night.

Anderson Miller: 1-3 2b, BB
Khalil Lee: 1-3 2BB
Nick Dini: 1-4 HR, 2 RBI

Greeneville Reds 4 Burlington Royals 2

The Royals struggled to cash in on their nine hits, going just 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position. After starter Elvis Luciano allowed two runs (1 ER) reliever Josh Dye allowed two runs in his three innings to take the loss.

Juan Carlos Negret: 2-4 2b
Jeison Guzman: 3-5 R, RBI, SB
Elvis Luciano: 4.2 IP 8 H 2R 1 ER 2 BB 4 K 7-0 GO-FO 78p/51k

Monday Boxscores

Tuesday Probables
Wilmington – Nolan Watson 5-7 5.77 ERA 1.81 WHIP
Burlington – Randy Acevedo 0-1 5.82 ERA 1.59 WHIP
Idaho Falls – TBD

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Angel Medina 2-3 4R, HR, 3b, 3 RBI, 2 BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Lynch 5 IP 3H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K 3-4 GO-FO 51p/40k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 7 Lynchburg Hillcats 6

Rocks starter Daniel Tillo struggled with his control once again as he walked five hitters in five innings and hit one more during his five-inning start. Two of those free passes helped toward a three-run first inning in which Tillo gave up a two-run triple and an RBI double before settling some. In the fourth, he allowed his tenth home run of the season to put the Rocks down 4-1. In the fifth inning, Wilmington countered with an RBI double by Blake Perkins and Gabe Cancel’s single that scored him. The Rocks trailed 6-3 into the ninth but they countered with four runs getting rbi hits from Vance Vizcaino and Blake Perkins to score two before Gabe Cancel doubled in two more to take a 7-6 lead. Reliever Julio Pinto loaded the bases with no outs with two hits and a walk allowed but his replacement Tyler Zuber entered and saved the game for the Rocks, getting a forceout at the plate, a strikeout and a flyout to right to end it in winning fashion.

Blake Perkins: 2-4 2R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI
Dan Tillo: 5 IP 4 H 4 R 4 ER 5 BB 4 K HBP 7-3 GO-FO 88p/53k
Gabe Cancel: 3-5 2-2b, 3 RBI

Game 1 San Antonio Mission 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 3 F/8
Game 2 San Antonio Mission 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

Starter Arnaldo Hernandez struggled with his control, walking four while allowing seven hits in six innings. Five of those hits were singles that led to three runs against him to put NW Arkansas down 3-0. The Naturals countered with a run scoring single by Khalil Lee and a two-run home run by Alex Liddi to tie things up, but the Naturals couldn’t score in extras and reliever Andres Machado walked in a run for a Padres affiliate win.

The second game was much like the first except the Naturals built a 3-1 lead through eight innings only to watch struggling relievers Franco Terrero and Bryan Brickhouse give it away in the last two innings. The young Terrero has given up five runs in his last two outings after four scoreless while Brickhouse has yet to collect himself at the Double-A level with seven runs given up in two and one-third.

Khalil Lee: 2-6 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
Anderson Miller: 2-7 2 R, 2b
Jecksson Flores: 2-7, BB, SB

Omaha Storm Chasers 3 Memphis Redbirds 0

The Chasers needed Zach Lovvorn for a start to replace Trevor Oaks after his promotion. The right-hander worked around four hits and three walks with just one strikeout over six scoreless innings. Outfielder Paulo Orlando hit a two-run home run and scored his second run after doubling to help towards the Chasers three runs. Relievers Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady tossed the final three scoreless in between a rain delay to earn the win.

Richard Lovelady: 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 0 K 2-0 GO-FO 13/8 p/k
Paulo Orlando: 2-4 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI
Cam Gallagher: 1-4 RBI

Suspended Gm Princeton Rays 11 Burlington Royals 10 F/11
Princeton Rays 11 Burlington Royals 9 F/10

The Rays scored three runs in the 11th inning of the suspended game after tying things up in the ninth to take a commanding lead. The Royals got within a run with a Jose Marquez RBI single with one out single but they failed to tie the game with a strikeout by Juan Carlos Negret and a Freddy Fermin groundout.

In the regularly scheduled game, Daniel Lynch tossed five scoreless with just three singles with five strikeouts to position himself for his first win. The offense capably backed Lynch with a pair of home runs by Angel Medina and Jose Marquez in the first two innings to put four runs on the board. The Royals added a pair of runs in the third inning and another in the fifth to build a 7-0 lead. The bullpen couldn’t hold that lead, giving up eight runs over the final three innings to even the game at 8-8. In extras, the bullpen continued their struggles, giving up three runs in the tenth to lead to another Burlington loss.

Jose Marquez: 2-5 HR, 2 RBI

Orem Owlz 7 Idaho Falls Chukars 0

Newcomer Kris Bubic gave up three runs (2 ER) in his first appearance in the Royals org. The lefty gave up three hits and walked a pair while the defense struggled behind him. His replacement Tyler Gray gave up four runs in two and one-third innings while the Chukars offense mustered just six hits in the shutout.

Kyle Isbel: 0-4
Kris Bubic: 2.2 IP 3 H 3 R 2 ER 2 BB 1 K 6-1 GO-FO 47p/28
Reed Rohlman: 2-3 BB

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – TBD
NW Arkansas – Emilio Ogando 4-5 6.71 ERA 2.19 WHIP
Wilmington – Jace Vines 2-8 5.25 ERA 1.62 WHIP
Lexington – Charlie Neuweiler 0-1 4.20 ERA 1.40 WHIP
Burlington – Marcelo Martinez 0-2 1.64 ERA 0.73 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Connor Mayes 2-1 6.08 ERA 1.73 WHIP