LHP J.C. Cloney went five strong innings, allowing only two hits while walking one and striking out two. Marcelo Martinez and Janser Lara kept Lexington in the fight, combining for three innings of one-run ball, and closer Tad Ratliff worked out of a late-game rally as Lakewood loaded the bases and threatened to force a fifth game.

Lakewood righty Spencer Howard also went five innings, allowing a single run on three hits, walking none and striking out six. Reliever James McArthur stifled Lexington’s offense over three shutout innings, giving up only one hit, walking one and striking out two. Connor Brogdon took the loss in his inning of relief (1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K).

The Legends went down in order in the first, with Kyle Isbel flying out to LF Matt Vierling on a 2-1 pitch middle-in, MJ Melendez working the count before a swinging strike three right around his knees put him away, and Nick Pratto lifting a pitch right down the heart of the plate to RF Jhailyn Ortiz to end the inning. Cloney got Vierling to whiff on a 1-2 pitch on the outer third of the plate, but CF Simon Muzziotti stayed inside a pitch on the black and sent a base hit to short. Muzziotti stole second, but 1B Jake Scheiner flew out to LF Brewer Hicklen and C Rodolfo Duran‘s grounder to SS Cristian Perez went for the third out when Perez tossed to 3B Manny Olloque, who tagged Muzziotti to end the inning.

Hicklen got the top of the second underway when he flew out to Muzziotti on a 1-1 change-up that split the plate, Olloque took a 98-MPH heater to left that Vierling had to chase to the warning track, and Perez grounded to 2B Dalton Guthrie on the first pitch he saw for the third out. In the home half, Ortiz popped up to Perez (also on the first pitch), who had to chase it into the middle of the diamond. SS Nick Maton smacked a liner just to the right side of second, but 2B Ricky Aracena made a great diving grab to put him away. DH Colby Fitch reached on an miscue by Aracena, then swiped second when Aracena dropped the throw from Sebastian Rivero. Cloney walked Guthrie, but 3B Jose Antequera left them stranded when he lined out to Aracena.

In the top of the third, Howard struck out RF Cal Jones on a 3-2 pitch up and in, then Rivero struck out looking. Aracena flew out to Vierling to end the top half. Vierling led off the bottom of the inning with a 1-3 ground-out. Muzziotti sent an 82-MPH slider into center for a base knock, but was nabbed at second by about five feet on Rivero’s throw to Aracena. Scheiner popped up to Pratto on a 3-0 outside pitch to end the inning.

Isbel grounded into a 4-3 putout on a 93-MPH middle-low fastball to start the top of the fourth. Melendez ripped a 92-MPH inside fastball deep to right, but foul. Howard countered with an 81-MPH change-up that Melendez swung over, but an 0-2 curve got way out of control and Melendez took first on a HBP. He then took second when Howard’s first pitch to Pratto nearly took out his right ankle. At this point, Howard’s velocity was consistently 3-4 MPH lower than his first-inning fastballs. Pratto struck out looking on a 1-2 inside 81-MPH change-up. Duran struck out looking to begin the bottom of the inning, while Ortiz grounded out, Olloque-to-Pratto, and Maton flew out to Jones in right.

The Legends got a little offense going in the top of the fifth, as Olloque led off with a base hit to left. Perez cracked what would turn out to be a key hit in this pitchers’ duel, driving a double into left to score Olloque, moving to third when Jones sent a slow bouncer to second. Maton ranged past the second-base bag to field it, but had no play. Rivero went down on strikes, and Aracena popped out to Duran on a bunt attempt. Jones was able to swipe second, but Isbel struck out after working a full count. In Lakewood’s half, Fitch, Guthrie, and Antequera went down in order.

McArthur took over on the hill to start the sixth, retiring Melendez, who struck out looking, and Pratto, who lined out to Viering. After walking Hicklen, Olloque sent the first pitch he saw into center. With runners at first and second, Perez ended the inning when he popped up to Antequera. Marcelo Martinez took over in the bottom half, retiring Vierling on a fly-ball to Isbel. Muzziotti caught everyone off-guard when he dropped a push-bunt past Martinez and beat it out to first. Scheiner walked next, and Legends pitching coach Mitch Stetter made a visit to the mound (along with the Lexington infield, en masse), a meeting that home plate umpire Justin Whiddon tried in vain to bring to a conclusion. Martinez induced a pop-out from Duran, put away by Aracena (infield fly rule in effect). That would bring an end to Martinez’s night, with Janser Lara taking over. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Ortiz shot a 2-2 99-MPH (!) pitch off the low-outside corner into right to score Muzziotti and tie the game. Scheiner was sent right behind him, but Jones gunned him down at home.

McArthur got Jones to fly out to center on a 71-MPH curve on the outside corner to start the seventh. Rivero also flew out to center on a 92-MPH fastball that caught an awful lot of the plate. Muzziotti had to sprint back and to his right to get to it. Aracena turned on and grounded a 1-0 fastball to Scheiner to end the top half. Lara’s velocity varied widely (along with his location) as he faced Maton to lead off the bottom half of the inning. The Lakewood shortstop fought an eight-pitch battle before popping up to Rivero for the first out. Fitch worked one of the best at-bats seen all night, coaxing the walk out of Lara after working his way through ten pitches. Guthrie flew out to left and Antequera grounded into a 5-4 force-out to end the inning.

To begin the eighth, Isbel lined out to Scheiner on a bunt attempt, the ball (somehow) jumping off his bat on a low trajectory all the way to first base and just inside foul territory. Had one not seen the drag-bunt attempt, one would have thought it was a swinging out. Melendez took a short hack at a high 76-MPH curve but struck out on the pitch. Pratto took a hard cut at a 1-1 pitch that came right down the middle at 87, but grounded out to first for the third out. Lara came back to the mound for the bottom of the inning, inducing a 4-3 ground-out from Vierling on a low-and-away 94-MPH fastball. Muzziotti grounded out to Perez, and the Lexington shortstop had to rush to make the out at first. Scheiner flew out to Isbel to end the inning.

Connor Brogdon took over for McArthur in the top of the ninth. Right out of the gate, he had some trouble with locating and Hicklen drew the walk. Working the count to 1-1 in between three attempts to pick off Hicklen, Olloque drove a 1-1 slider into center when it caught a bit too much of the plate. Now with runners at the corners, manager Marty Malloy and the Lakewood infield rallied to Brogdon. Perez drove an 0-2 97-MPH fastball into right for the first out, but it would score Hicklen and the Legends would take a 2-1 lead. Brogdon intentionally walked Jones, then struck out Rivero. Aracena followed by grounding out to Scheiner.

As closer Tad Ratliff took over in the Lakewood half of the ninth, Carlos Diaz took over at third. Duran worked a seven-pitch at-bat into a lead-off single. Matt Kroon entered to pinch-run for the Lakewood catcher. Ortiz followed with a grounder to Diaz to force Kroon at second. After Maton went down on swinging strikes, Fitch sent a slider into left for a base hit. Another slider, this one to Guthrie, was bounced back to Ratliff, who lunged to stop the come-backer but deflected it away from a charging Perez, and Guthrie reached to load the bases. Stetter and the infield paid a visit to Ratliff to break up the action and perhaps give Ratliff a chance to take a deep breath. On the first pitch he saw, Antequera grounds to Diaz, who took the force at third for the final out of the game, the series, and the season.

Lara earned the win (though he also picked up a blown save; baseball is a weird game), his first of the series, while Ratliff earned his third save. The Lexington closer finished all four games of the series (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K).

Lexington was most recently in the championship in 2001, their first year of existence, and were up 2-0 in the series vs. Asheville when the terrorist attacks on 9/11 occurred. The remainder of the series was canceled, and the two teams were named co-champions. Cloney’s five shutout innings came in his first appearance since September 1^st. The two teams combined to leave 15 runners stranded.

Kyle Isbel, Nick Pratto, Cristian Perez, and Jeison Guzman had a pair of hits each, and Daniel Lynch gave the pitching staff four solid innings on which to build, as Lexington took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Lynch came loaded for bear, as he hit 95 on his second pitch of the game, and 97 (and inside) on Jake Scheiner, who still ended up reaching on an slow-rolling infield single that Perez fielded and threw to second in an unsuccessful attempt to nab Matt Vierling, who reached on Pratto’s error. In the bottom of the inning, Rodolfo Duran popped up to Manny Olloque at third, then Jhailyn Ortiz grounded into a force-out as Perez nabbed Scheiner on a 6-4 putout to Ricky Aracena at second.

In the top of the second, Perez picked up a base knock, then advanced to second, on an infield single off of an incredibly low-and-outside pitch that SS Nick Maton had to bare-hand, his throw getting well past Scheiner at first. RHP Andrew Brown then balked Perez to third. With Cal Jones popping up to Scheiner, Guzman sent a 93-MPH outside fastball to the left field wall, scoring Perez. After Aracena drew the walk, Isbel singled to center after Brown threw him back-to-back change-ups, driving in Guzman. Vierling cut into shallow center for the play and dropped the ball, allowing Aracena to score just ahead of the throw home. Isbel then had to slide back into first after Duran threw to second to head off Isbel. However, Scheiner wasn’t covering first and Isbel made it back easily. Duran got another shot at gunning down Isbel, this time springing out of the crouch and blocking a 1-0 curve that bounced about a foot in front of the plate.

Maton reached on an error by Aracena to start the bottom of the second, and after Madison Stokes went down on strikes, he made it to third on a Dalton Guthrie double to right. Jose Antequera got Maton home on a sac fly to Isbel in center, but Guthrie was left stranded after Vierling flew to Brewer Hicklen in left.

In the top of the third, Brown had trouble locating and walked Melendez. This was followed by a single from Pratto off a 2-0 inside fastball grounded to right that turned into runners on second and third after the ball got past Ortiz. Hicklen sacrificed to center and Melendez came home. After a strikeout for Olloque, Perez lined a single into left off a 2-1 fastball and Pratto scored. Vierling threw home in a failed attempt to get the runner, but Duran cut down Perez at second when he tried to advance on the throw.

Lynch got Muzziotti to start the bottom of the third on a 1-0 fastball that he tried to pull, only to ground out to Pratto. Scheiner was able to send a 94-MPH heater to center for a base hit, and Duran reached when Olloque couldn’t stop his grounder. Scheiner and Duran advanced into scoring position when Lynch was called for a balk. Ortiz worked the count full after Lynch worked back from a 3-0 count, and Scheiner scored when Ortiz put the next pitch in the air to Cal Jones in shallow-right-center, whose throw to third kept Duran at second. Maton struck out to end the threat.

After Jones worked the count full but struck out to start the top of the fourth, Guzman sent a base hit into right. Aracena followed that with a single of his own, Guzman advancing to third. Brown was able to induce the double-play grounder from Isbel on a high-and-inside pitch to end the inning.

Stokes grounded to Perez for the first out of the bottom of the inning, but Guthrie sent a 1-2 pitch into right field that Lynch left high in the zone. Jose Antequera sent his own base hit into left on another high pitch, but Vierling grounded into a 5-4 force-out, once again on a high pitch in virtually the same spot. Muzziotti struck out swinging on a low-and-away pitch, stranding two.

The top of the fifth began with Melendez grounding out to Scheiner at first. Back-to-back singles by Pratto and Hicklen put runners on first and second, though this was followed by back-to-back fly-outs to center by Olloque and Perez and it all went for naught. Scheiner started the Lakewood half with a “single” to Perez after an eight-pitch battle with Legends reliever Garrett Suchey (it hit the heel of his glove, but he had to range back into shallow-left-center to get it). Duran walked on five pitches, then Ortiz struck out on three pitches, foul-tipping a 79-MPH curve into Melendez’s glove, while trying to hit the ball to Pennsylvania. Maton singled on a 1-0 change-up that sat high in the zone, but Jones’ throw home kept the bases loaded. Stokes drove in Scheiner on a base hit to center, and that would be it for Suchey.

With RHP Collin Snider taking over, an 0-1 95-MPH fastball ended in a 5-4-3 double play, and with it the best chance Lakewood had to even the score.

A 1-2-3 top of the sixth took the BlueClaws only six pitches to get through, as RHP Luis Carrasco‘s easy heat (96-97) dominated Lexington’s batters. Third baseman Antequera made a very good throw to retire Aracena for the third out, coming in and just over the foul line on the weak grounder, then throwing across his body to Scheiner to get the runner. Snider began the bottom of the inning with a 95-MPH inside on the Lakewood third baseman. He sent the next pitch, another fastball up and in, to his counterpart at third, but Olloque’s bad throw was more than Pratto could handle, and thus allowed Antequera to reach. Vierling grounded into what might have been a 6-4-3, but Perez had to get a handle on the ball when it hopped inches from his feet, and Vierling beat out the turn from Aracena. Muzziotti lined 96-MPH heat on a hard liner to Olloque, who gloved it for the second out. Scheiner singled to center and Vierling moved up a base, but Duran flew out to Hicklen to end the inning.

Isbel lost an eight-pitch at-bat with Carrasco to start the top of the seventh. Melendez sent a liner into center that Muzziotti booted, then advanced to second when the Lakewood center fielder semi-casually threw the ball back to the infield. After Pratto walked, Hicklen struck out and Melendez was caught while trying to swipe third, the final out of the inning. In the bottom half, RHP Daniel Duarte took over from Snider, with Ortiz striking out swinging, Maton striking out looking, and Stokes grounding out to Duarte.

It was a quiet top of the eighth, with Olloque, Perez, and Jones out in order. In the bottom half, Olloque was lifted for Carlos Diaz. Duarte added another pair of strikeouts in Guthrie and Antequera to start the bottom half, but Vierling would send an 87-MPH slider to left for a two-out double. Muzziotti, however, was first-pitch-swinging and flew out to Isbel.

Lefty Keylan Killgore came out to pitch the top of the ninth, retiring Guzman on a fly-out to left and Aracena on swinging strikes. Isbel singled to center when Killgore located back-to-back pitches in the same middle-high part of the zone. Duran lost hold of a middle-in pitch from Killgore and Isbel took off for second, then advanced to third on a wide-ranging throw to second. A wild pitch later, Isbel scored to make it 6-3, Lexington. After Melendez walked, another wild pitch to Pratto allowed him to move to second. Killgore got Pratto on a swinging strike three after ten pitches, but Duran still had to throw him out at first when the pitch skipped off his glove and rolled a couple of feet away. Lakewood’s final three outs were not nearly as eventful, as closer Tad Ratliff sat down Scheiner and Duran on strikes, with Ortiz popping up to Melendez in foul territory to end the game.

Snider picked up the win, with Duarte earning the hold and Ratliff getting his second save of the series. Lakewood’s Brown took the loss.

Lynch threw 57 of his 79 pitches for strikes over four innings of work, allowing two runs on five hits, walking none and striking out four. Suchey was 14-24 for strikes, giving up one run on three hits in a third of an inning before giving way to Snider, who was 12-18 for strikes in 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Duarte’s four strikeouts in his two shutout innings of relief were another highlight for the Legends. He spotted fifteen of nineteen pitches for strikes. Ratliff followed suit, with 11 of 15 in the zone.

Tonight, Lakewood’s Spencer Howard (9-8, 3.78 ERA) will get the start. Lexington will counter with JC Cloney (3-1, 2.73 ERA with Lexington; 12-1, 2.21 ERA overall). First pitch time is 7:05 PM, EST.

We saw another dominant performance by a Legends starter, this time RHP Jackson Kowar (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K), who followed up his Sept 5^th win vs. the visiting Rome Braves in the first round of the playoffs (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K) with another excellent showing. Kowar landed 67% of his pitches for strikes (69 pitches, 46 strikes), sat 94-95 mph with his fastball and touched 96 several times throughout the night. He made it look effortless.

Following Kowar, LHP Marcelo Martinez put the hammer down with a fastball that seemed anything but. Sitting at 87-89 mph and pairing it with a breaking ball at 75-77, he seemed to mystify Lakewood batters over two scoreless innings (1 H, 0 BB, 4 K). After giving up a lead-off single to Simon Muzziotti, Jake Scheiner struck out swinging on a pitch near the heart of the plate, Rodolfo Duran popped out to Nick Pratto, And Jhailyn Ortiz flew out to CF Kyle Isbel. All three batters made outs on pitches that cut well into the outer third of the strike zone and just about belt-level.

Martinez continued to live on the outer third of the plate in the seventh, breezing through Madison Stokes, Dalton Guthrie, and Jose Antequera, and all in or very close to the same part of the strike zone in which he set up residence in the sixth.

Janser Lara hit a speed bump in the eighth, giving up a lead-off single to Matt Vierling on an 0-2 pitch that caught an awful lot of the plate. Muzziotti grounded out to Cristian Perez on a waist-high pitch but moved Vierling up to second. After Scheiner flew out to center on a pitch right down Broadway, Duran turned hard on a middle-in pitch and dropped it over the left-field wall and cut Lexington’s lead to three.

Visions of Monday night danced in our heads.

The Legends’ batters went down in order in the bottom of the eighth. The top of the ninth brought Tad Ratliff (whom I am tempted to nickname “Bulldog”) to the bump. Ratliff came right at lead-off batter Maton, who swung at a (seemingly) fat pitch, but only managed to ground out to Aracena. Stokes was next, and he went down easily on three swinging strikes (all outer-third). Guthrie started his own brief two-out rally, singling past Perez, but Antequera lost a six-pitch battle to the Lexington closer to close out the victory for the Legends.

On the offensive side, Lexington started off with MJ Melendez‘s first-pitch homer to opposite field off of Lakewood lefty Kyle Young. Pratto walked and swiped second after several pick-off attempts, then Brewer Hicklen walked behind him. Third baseman Manny Olloque grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, ending the threat.

Beyond a hard-hit single by C Sebastian Rivero in the bottom of the second, the Legends had nothing going in the inning. However, the third had Isbel singling to center and moving to third on a Pratto double to right, an inside pitch that wasn’t inside quite enough. When Hicklen grounded to Maton at short, he reached first when Maton went for the easy out at third. Pratto was erased, but Isbel scored on the play, making it 2-0, Lexington.

The fourth inning was a quiet one, and other than an Aracena base knock to left, there was no action of which to speak. Isbel grounded out to move Aracena into scoring position, but Melendez struck out on a 1-2 pitch that just nicked the low-outside corner, and Pratto flew out to center on a 2-2 outside pitch.

It was all outs for the Legends in the sixth, with Hicklen, Olloque, and Perez going down in order. The (lucky) seventh was another story.

Cal Jones led it off with an 0-2 worm-burner right through the middle of the infield, and after Rivero and Aracena both flew out, Isbel continued what became a two-out rally when he sent a base hit on the same path through the infield and into center, moving Jones to second. Melendez followed suit with his own single, this on a two-strike count, and Jones scored. When Muzziotti tried for Jones at home and Duran couldn’t corral the throw, both runners moved into scoring position. Lakewood reliever Julian Garcia let one fly and Duran couldn’t get to it, allowing Isbel to score. Pratto tacked on a run when he scored Melendez on a right-field single, and that would be it for Garcia. RHP James McArthur (1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) took over and put out the fire when he struck out Hicklen looking.

By now, it was 5-2, Lexington, and the last home game of the season at Whitaker Bank Ball Park would end that way.

With the series tied at one, the Legends hit the road for Lakewood, NJ, to play Game Three of the Championship tomorrow at 7 PM in the BlueClaw’s First Energy Stadium. LHP Daniel Lynch faces RHP Andrew Brown (6-3, 2.10 ERA, 14 appearances, 68 2/3 IP, 49 H, 2 HRA, 16 BB, 58 K).

Making their second appearance in the South Atlantic League Championship, as they were declared co-champions while holding a 2-0 lead in their inaugural season with the Asheville Tourists when the September 11^th attacks occurred, the Lexington Legends got off to a very good start Monday. They had dominant pitching, inning after inning. Their defense was firing on all cylinders. Everything was going smoothly.

And then, it wasn’t. The Legends went down to defeat against the Lakewood BlueClaws in eleven innings, 6-5.

Starting righty Yefri Del Rosario did his level best over six innings, striking out seven and walking two while giving up a single hit in the process. Lakewood had to wait until the fifth inning for that one-base knock from SS Nick Maton, which ultimately went for naught. After walking lead-off batter Matt Vierling, he got Simon Muzziotti on a high, bounding one-hopper to 1B Nick Pratto, then set down Jake Scheiner and Rodolpho Duran on swinging strikes.

Lexington got on the board first when Pratto walked and Brewer Hicklen crushed a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall. Del Rosario gave up a walk to Madison Stokes, but induced a couple of fly-outs to left and a pop-up to Ricky Aracena to strand the Lakewood runner.

Cal Jones singled on a fastball on the outer third of the plate, a hard liner to left off of Lakewood starter Damon Jones. Sebastian Rivero went down on strikes and Aracena popped up to his counterpart at second, Dalton Guthrie, but Kyle Isbel reached on a bad throw by Maton and Jones advanced to third. The threat was ended when C MJ Melendez flew out on a 2-0 pitch to Muzziotti in center.

It was two more strikeouts for Del Rosario in the top of the third, when 3B Jose Antequera went down looking, Vierling flew out to Jones, and Muzziotti whiffed on a fastball right down the heart of the plate.

Pratto started the bottom of the third with a shot over the right-field deck that he hit off of an inside fastball, down 0-2 in the count, giving the Legends a 3-0 lead. Hicklen and 3B Manny Olloque grounded out to Antequera, SS Cristian Perez drew the walk but was stranded when Jones swung on a third strike in the dirt and was tossed out at first by Duran.

The top of the 4^th was uneventful, as Scheiner grounded out to Perez, while Duran and Jhailyn Ortiz added to Del Rosario’s “K” collection. The bottom of the fourth saw Lexington tack on another run when Isbel doubled on a 1-2 inside pitch and Melendez brought him home on a short drive to center, extending Lexington’s lead to 4-0.

After Maton finally gave Lakewood their first base hit of the night in the top of the fifth, Stokes was called out on strikes after an eight-pitch battle and Guthrie grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Lexington faced off against righty reliever Gustavo Armas and got nothing out of him beyond a seven-pitch Hicklen walk. Hicklen was cut down at second on a steal attempt with Jones batting after Olloque popped up and Perez did the same to Scheiner.

Lakewood had nothing going in the top of the sixth, but Jones led off the bottom of the inning a hard-hit single, deep to left, that was cut off quickly by Vierling. Rivero dropped a nice sac bunt to move Jones to second, but only after Armas tried twice in vain to pick him off. Aracena struck out swinging, but Isbel once again came through, driving in Jones to make it 5-0, Lexington. Isbel would be nailed at second on a steal attempt.

As RHP Janser Lara entered the game in the seventh, he got Scheiner on a ground-out to Aracena, walked Duran on four somewhat controversial pitches (at least two could have been strikes), Ortiz struck out swinging. Lara walked Maton, but Stokes struck out on a 2-2 pitch and stranded two runners in the process.

The bottom of the seventh saw walks to Melendez and Hicklen, but little else, as Pratto and Olloque struck out swinging and Perez lined out to Scheiner on what sounded like a much harder-hit ball than it actually was.

The eighth inning was a routine one for both sides. The ninth, however, was not.

With RHP Daniel Duarte on the mound for his second inning of work, Josh Stephen singled on a 3-2 pitch that caught the heart of the plate. Scheiner was first-pitch swinging, swatting a hard-hit grounder to right. Duran followed this with the first of three straight homers for Lakewood. Ortiz hit a solo shot to right, and that would be it for Duarte as he gave way to RHP Tad Ratliff with Lakewood down by one.

Maton chased Ortiz’s homer with his own solo shot to right, and the BlueClaws had tied the game. This all happened before Lexington could get a single out.

Isbel, Melendez, and Pratto went down in order, and it was extra-inning time.

Ratliff retired Vierling, Stephen, and Scheiner in order to start the tenth inning. After Hicklen struck out looking, Olloque shot a laser beam to the center-field wall for a one-out double. SS Jeison Guzman entered to pinch-run for him, and new pitcher Connor Brogdon entered the game for Lakewood. He began by putting Perez on intentionally, but Jones and Rivero couldn’t get the winning run home.

With Garrett Suchey entering the game in the eleventh inning, Duran singled and move to second on Ortiz’s sacrifice bunt. After Maton grounded out to Perez, Duran moved to third. Stokes drove in what would be the winning run on a single to center after Such threw three straight pitches in the same zone and Stokes caught onto it.

Lakewood’s Zach Warren closed it out in the bottom of the inning, striking out Aracena, getting Isbel on a fly-out to right, and walking but stranding Melendez after Pratto ended the game striking out on a pitch in the dirt.

A tough loss for the home team, to be sure, but Game Two will see Jackson Kowar on the hill for the Legends facing LHP Kyle Young. The 6’10” Young has compiled a 13-5 record over four minor-league seasons, with a 2.74 ERA and 26 walks against 141 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings. He recorded a .230 BAA in 59 1/3 innings this season across three leagues, with the vast majority of his innings at Lakewood. He gave up 9 walks in that span. He has never faced Lexington in his career.

Game Two of the South Atlantic League Championship is Tuesday at Whitaker Bank Ball Park at 6:05 PM.

OMAHA STORM CHASERS

The Chasers had a down and up season, starting off 8-17 in April as the team’s offense struggled early in the season. From that point, the Chasers played one game above .500 the rest of the way. They did this despite an offense that finished second to last in OPS and a pitching staff that finished in the same spot with strikeouts. Why did the team succeed? Defense is likely the biggest reason. On any given night, the Chasers often fielded major league caliber shortstop defenders in at least three if not four spots around the infield and sometimes a spot in the outfield. All around, their defense was high quality and the pitching staff saw a benefit most nights, while the promotion of Nicky Lopez and the steady bat of Frank Schwindel carried the offense on most nights in the second half.

Position Player
Frank Schwindel – One year after being named the BPKC Minor League Player of the Year, Schwindel was nearly as good with a full season in Omaha. The 1B/DH led the Chasers in nearly every offensive statistic, setting a franchise record with 38 doubles while also leading the squad with 24 home runs and 93 RBI. All told, Schwindel led the team in hits, runs, home runs, doubles, and RBI while also leading in many advanced hitting categories among qualified hitters on the team. The average for Schwindel took a dip this year to no one’s surprise after an expected dip in BABIP, but he did a decent job countering with an increase in walk rate (2.9%-6.1%). Defensively, Schwindel remains somewhat rough at the position but he has shown improvement and completed the season without making an error in the field this year.

Pitcher of the Year
Richard Lovelady – For the second year in a row, a left-handed relief pitcher took the pitcher of the year award for the Chasers. This season it was reliever Richard Lovelady who, much like the team, got off to a slow start before hitting his stride and dominating much of the season. The reliever at the end of May had a 4.21 ERA with under a K per inning but from June 1st on, the lefty limited the PCL to a 0.82 WHIP, a 1.51 ERA and 9.5 K/9. The sidearmer dominated lefties as one would expect with a .157 average against, but more than held his own against right-handed hitters a .587 OPS against him for the season. These numbers helped Lovelady become the most consistent member of the bullpen for the Chasers, giving them 73 innings  while leading the team in saves.

NW ARKANSAS NATURALS

During both the first and second halves of the season, the Naturals put themselves in big holes with a bad month of baseball before turning it on only to fall just short of the postseason. The first half saw NW Arkansas tie Arkansas for first place only to lose in the difference-making game. To start the second half, the Naturals got off to a brutal 4-22 start which put them 15 games back of first place Tulsa. The pitching would get hot from that point leading the Naturals back to within three games before a few late season losses left them five games back and at .500 for the year.

Position Player
Jecksson Flores – This one was difficult as shortstop Nicky Lopez fit the criteria for playing with the Naturals for 73 games while leading the squad in OBP and dominating during May and June with a .363 average prior to his promotion to Triple-A. Even with those numbers, Flores is the player who stirred the drink more than any other on the Naturals roster. He became the first Naturals hitter to lead the Texas League in hitting since Clint Robinson in 2010. The most consistent member of the lineup, Flores led the team in hits, average and doubles while finishing second on the club in runs scored, stolen bases and OPS. In addition to offensive stats, Flores played all over the field defensively for the squad playing 44 at second base, 40 games at third, 22 at shortstop and 14 more in the outfield to prove the ultimate weapon all over the field.

Pitcher of the Year
Yunior Marte – The Naturals couldn’t find consistent starting pitching for much of the year and were led by relievers for much of the season. No reliever was put to use more often than Marte who finished second on the team in appearances while leading the bullpen with 80.1 innings thrown. Marte also led the bullpen in strikeouts (8.96 SO/9) and WHIP (1.22) while putting up a 2.91 ERA. The righty was able to do this by dominating opposite-side hitters, limiting lefties to a .186/.286/.291 slash line against him while holding his own against same-siders with a .241 BAA. The Dominican born Marte has proven to have a rubber arm in his career with the Royals and may get a look by another team in the Rule 5 draft this offseason.

WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS

The Rocks season was a bit uneven with the team finishing eight under .500 during the first half of the season due to a poor May that saw them go 9-20. The second half saw the club jump out to a lead in the division the with the addition of Blake Perkins before the offense went missing during the middle of August, leading to a 12 game losing streak that cost the club the second half title, finishing five games behind Lynchburg.

Position Player of the Year
Khalil Lee – This one was a difficult call with the usual lack of offense in Wilmington. At different times it seemed like D.J. Burt might get the call, but a rough August drove his numbers down, while an injury may have prevented Emmanuel Rivera from taking the award despite a late charge (.913 OPS in August). Both of those players finished just short of Lee however, as the outfielder played 71 games and led Rocks in qualified OPS by that standard. In his games with the Rocks he did a number of impressive things, but reaching base was the tops as he carried a .402 OBP despite turning 20 just this past June. Lee did this with a .270 average while also earning 41 free passes in his 71 games played. The numbers were relatively balanced for Lee with his .811 OPS balancing with a .804 road OPS, something that can be difficult to do for hitters in the spacious home park. In addition to the OBP, Lee was efficient on the bases, stealing 14 bases in 17 tries while scoring 42 runs and driving in 41. All of this was done while playing primarily in centerfield for Wilmington before his promotion to Double-A.

Pitcher of the Year
Gerson Garabito – Wilmington’s pitcher of the year Garabito led the Carolina League in ERA among starting pitchers while finishing third in innings and fifth in total strikeouts. That 142.1 innings was significantly higher than his previous career high (80.2 in ’16). The right-hander struggled with his walk rate (4.6 BB/9) but he was able to mitigate the damage with just 117 hits given up and finishing well with a 7.3 K/9 rate. These numbers would lead the team’s starters in starts, strikeouts, WHIP, wins, and innings pitched. Most of these numbers were compiled on a strong finish for Garabito which saw him go 6-1 with a 2.24 ERA over his final 14 starts, setting him up for a promotion to Double-A next season.

LEXINGTON LEGENDS

Easily the best team in the Royals farm system this past season was the Low-A Lexington Legends, with the club finishing 16 games over .500. The Legends finished tied for second in the first half of the season before winning the second half, despite starting that half with a six-game losing streak. They did this on the back of the league’s second-best offense while the pitching staff finished in the middle as a whole but looked quite dominant at times with many members of a talented starting staff.

Position Player
Brewer Hicklen – Another difficult call on this one with Seuly Matias hitting 31 home runs in just 94 games alongside MJ Melendez and his 54 extra base hits. Despite those numbers, the most well-balanced player on the offense was outfielder Brewer Hicklen. The former UAB football recruit led the Legends in OPS with his .930 while also leading the team with his 29 stolen bases. He did this despite playing in just 82 games and not getting regular playing time with the team until the start of May. What Hicklen did best this past season was dominate southpaws, hitting .315/.389/.649 with 18 of his 43 extra base hits coming off of them. In all, it was an impressive season showcasing the power and speed tools that Hicklen possesses in his 6’2, 208 lbs frame.

Pitcher of the Year
Carlos Hernandez – The Legends had a number of pitchers who had quality seasons for the club whether it was Andres Sotillet, who earned a promotion to Wilmington, or Yefri Del Rosario and his strong finish to lead their qualified starters in ERA. Just missing the cut was Daniel Lynch who made nine starts while also being limited in innings after his college season. Even with those quality candidates, Hernandez was a step above the qualified group with his team-best WHIP and K/9 while his 3.29 ERA trailed only Del Rosario’s. The powerful right-hander finished with an outstanding flurry in his final six starts, tossing four starts of seven innings with an ERA of 1.41 against a WHIP below 1.00. A family issue slowed Hernandez out of the gate, not getting his first start until early May before an injury stopped his season short in August. In between though, he showed his powerful fastball, improving breaking ball and feel for a change can dominate hitters at times.

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Richard Lovelady photo by Minda Haas Kuhlmann.

They face off against the Rome Braves (71-62 overall, 40-29 in the first half), the first-half champion of the Southern Division in the South Atlantic League. The Legends (76-60 overall, 39-29 in the second half) finished the year as the Southern Division second-half champs, clinching in the first game of a four-game series at Greenville to end the regular season.

Both the Legends and the Braves are young teams, with the average age of each team’s batters under 21 years old. The Legends finished first in the league in runs scored (682; 4.98 R/G), fourth in hits (1151), second in homers (137), first in steals (164), third in team average (.258), and second in OPS (.733). Rome finished seventh in runs scored (578), third in hits (1176), sixth in homers (89), eleventh in steals (78), third in team average (.258; tied with Lexington), and fifth in OPS (.699).

Lexington’s pitchers finished seventh in team ERA (3.62), sixth in hits allowed (1119), second in most HR allowed (129), eleventh in fewest BB allowed (349), and sixth in strikeouts (1147). Overall, Rome finished in ninth in team ERA (3.74), seventh in hits allowed (1085), eighth in HR allowed (86), first in fewest walks allowed (422), and seventh in strikeouts (1143).

By now, the overall talent level on this Lexington roster is no secret, and they took on even more prospects in the last couple of months of the season. Their pitching staff received a significant boost. The loss of RHP Carlos Hernandez (6-5, 3.29 ERA in 79 1/3 IP, 82 K, 3.57 K/BB ratio) might have been felt more acutely had the Legends not added pitchers like LHP Daniel Lynch (5-1, 1.58 ERA in 40 IP, 47 K, 6 BB), RHP Jackson Kowar (3.42 ERA in 26 1/3 IP, 12 BB, 22 K), and LHP JC Cloney (2.73 ERA in 29 2/3 IP, 9 BB, 18 K) was like adding nitrous to an engine that was slowly, but consistently, revving faster as the season came to a close.

Starting Game One will be RHP and 2018 1st-round pick Jackson Kowar, who has made nine short appearances for the Legends this year. Over 26 1/3 innings, Kowar racked up 22 strikeouts against 12 walks. His 19 hits allowed, even over this short sample size, is evidence of his ability to command a plus fastball in the low-to-mid 90s along with a plus change-up in the low-80s that shows good tail and sink, and is delivered with precisely the same arm speed, slot, and release as his fastball when it’s at its best. He mixes in a slurvy breaking ball that is solid enough for a third pitch, but his command with it is still somewhat inconsistent. The Royals have kept his time on the mound short as a precautionary measure against overwork, so a four-inning start is a definite possibility.

He will face off against RHP Alan Rangel (4.09 ERA, 125 1/3 IP, 31 BB, 105 K), who posted a sterling 2.12 ERA in six starts over the month of August, but got knocked around in away games (3.14 ERA at home, 5.05 ERA on the road), and gave up six runs (five earned) and two homers over five innings in his only appearance at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. Perhaps also of note, he allowed a .810 OPS vs. RHH, while lefties had a tougher time (.668 over 57 PA).

RHP Tad Ratliff (1.68 ERA, 48 1/3 IP, 53 K, 10 BB, 10 SV) has been outstanding out of the pen, this year, and is the de facto closer. RHP Janser Lara (3.41 ERA, 23 appearances, 8 starts, 66 IP, 28 BB, 75 K) has steadily improved over the last few months, and can give the Legends a long stint in relief or start the game, though he has been outstanding as a reliever (1.98 ERA in 36 1/3 relief innings; 5.91 ERA in 35 innings as a starter). He brings a fastball that sits 94-95 and a tight slider around 83-84 with good tilt. Lara struck out 25 batters in 18 relief innings in August, so he ended on a high note. 2017’s 26th-round selection RHP Garrett Suchey (1.36 ERA in 21 appearances, 33 IP, 4 BB, 30 K) was a lock-down arm in his professional debut season. A 15th-round pick last year, LHP Robert Garcia (13 appearances, 24 IP, 31 K, 11 BB) and RHP Daniel Duarte (6 appearances, 11 2/3 IP, 11 K, 5 BB) show early signs of promise.

This is a quick look at some of the key batters heading into the first round of the SAL Playoffs.

1B Nick Pratto (.280 BA, .786 OPS 33 2B, 14 HR, 62 RBI, 22 SB in 127 games) is still a month away from his 20^th birthday. That alone says a lot about Pratto’s talent. While he hit the wall in June (.225 BA, .589 OPS in 25 games), he slowly picked up steam in July (.258, .717 OPS in 25 games) and caught fire in August (.358, 1.005 OPS, 20 RBI in 28 games). The steals were a little surprise, but he runs well enough, especially for his position.

C MJ Melendez made a lot of noise this year, becoming the single-season leader in home runs for teen-aged Class-A catchers. Sounds like a lot to say, but 19-year-old catchers don’t typically push 20 homers in their full-season debut. Melendez finished with 26 doubles, nine triples, and 19 homers, driving in 73 runs (.251 BA, .814 OPS in 111 games). In 73 games behind the dish, he threw out 42 percent of base thieves, a dramatic increase from 2017’s 26 percent, though last year he made only thirty appearances at catcher. While he did commit 13 errors (w/ 8 passed balls), there’s no reason for concern there; Melendez’s calling card is his agility, arm strength and glove work, and his defense will improve over time. He’s highly athletic, moves very well (not only for his position), and is an above-average base-runner. By all appearances, Melendez is a safe bet to make it to Kauffman, perhaps by 2021.

OF Brewer Hicklen (.307, 18 doubles, 17 HR, 65 RBI, 29 SB in 82 games at Lexington) returned to the Legends after a 22-game stint in High-A Wilmington that didn’t pan out for him (.211, .573 OPS in 22 games), and the timing could not have been better. With RF Seuly Matias going to the DL because of a thumb laceration, incurred while moving his bags from the baggage compartment on the team bus, the team was going to need that boost to the offense. Hicklen does a lot of things well; he covers lots of ground in the outfield with sure-handed glove work (71 games in OF, 2 errors, 1.87 RF/9), he squares up the ball frequently and has shown a great deal of pop (18 doubles, 3 triples, 17 homers), and he steals bags fearlessly. It seemed that, once he swiped second, he was almost a lock to try for (likely successfully) third immediately afterward. Isbel was a similar runner, in terms of style and aggression. Hicklen also brings added energy to this lineup, though it’s not as if they lack for it. At 22 years old, with his current tool profile, it’s safe to say that his performance at Wilmington is no concern.

SS Cristian Perez (.278, 14 doubles, 37 RBI, 10 SB) isn’t a power bat, but makes a lot of contact and shows a very good eye at the plate. Perez has struck out a total of 94 times over his 194 career games (784 PA), only 43 this year, and while he isn’t likely to walk much (53 BB, career; 11 in 2018), he doesn’t need to. He puts the ball in play with regularity, and aside from a .221 BA/.566 OPS in 24 games in July, Perez has been one of them more consistent hitters on this team. A .348 BA/.756 OPS in June certainly made an impression, during which he struck out only six times in 91 plate appearances. Yet another nineteen-year-old player on this Legends roster, Perez had little difficulty adjusting to Class-A competition. A .252 average vs. RHP (.354 in 92 PA vs. LHP) is acceptable, and should improve in 2019. Making 14 appearances at third base after the loss of Dennicher Carrasco, Perez sometimes struggled with the throw to first, but he also made some low throws from short (10 errors in 69 games at SS, 3 errors in 14 games at 3B). Second base may be in his future, though he could certainly gain arm strength over the next year or two.

Speaking of second base, Ricky Aracena (.261 BA, 10 doubles, 40 RBI, 17 steals in 95 games) is slowly building on the promise that led some international scouts to label him the next Rafael Furcal. With almost no present power of which to speak, Aracena’s value lies primarily in his glove. Coming into 2018, he already had 30 games at short with Lexington, and has been learning second base on the fly since SS Jeison Guzman has been getting the bulk of the time at Aracena’s old position. He is taking reasonably well to the keystone (94 games at 2B, 16 errors, 4.21 RF/9), and has the quickness and footwork to settle in permanently. Listed at 5’8”, which may be generous, there is still room for added strength.

CF Kyle Isbel made his Class-A debut on July 19^th and promptly made his presence known. Isbel batted .342 (.984 OPS) over 10 July games, with five extra-base hits and six steals. He also struck out only four times in his 44 plate appearances. August was more of the same, with a dip in Isbel’s average (.286) and OPS (.750), but he tacked on nine doubles, two homers, ten RBI and six more steals. His strikeouts spiked (36 in 121 PA), even though his pitch selection appeared to be advanced for Low-A. Also intriguing was his lack of a platoon split vs. LHP (.354 between Idaho Falls and Lexington in 89 PA, .314 in 204 PA vs. RHP). He demolished rookie-league pitching to the tune of a 1.063 OPS in 119 PA over 25 games.

UT Manny Olloque made his return to Lexington after starting the year in Triple-A Omaha (.544 OPS in 9 games), then heading to the Pioneer League and the Idaho Falls Chukars, where he performed well enough (.317 BA, 1.006 OPS in 11 games). Olloque’s power seems to have improved since last year, as he popped 21 XBH in 48 games with the Legends. The BB/K ratio is atrocious (7 BB, 67 K), but he did seem more comfortable at the plate this year. He definitely slowed down in August, with his OPS dropping 181 points from July (.690 in August, .871 in July), but he finished on the upswing, tallying a .787 OPS in his final 10 games (3 XBH, 10 RBI).

C Sebastian Rivero (.258, 16 doubles, 7 HR, 34 RBI, .692 OPS in 77 games) had a June to forget (.167 BA, .406 OPS in 17 games), but ranged in OPS between .597 (August) and .898 (July) the rest of the year. In 60 appearances behind the plate, Rivero threw out 35% of base-runners, and made only five errors in that time-span (8 passed balls). He took well to the backup role, but certainly could progress further than that in the coming years.

This is bound to be an exciting series. Lexington hasn’t seen playoff baseball in a very long time, and the team is running half a dozen promotions for this series opener, so the place will likely be packed to the gills. More to come after the completion of Game One.

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: Brewer Hicklen 3-5 R, 2b, 3 RBI, 3 SB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Marcelo Martinez 6 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 6 K 8-1 GO-FO 95p/67k

Lexington Legends 6 Lakewood BlueClaws 5 F/10

Starter Charlie Neuweiler gave up four runs in just four and one-third innings as he lost a 3-0 lead that the offense had given him. It was a bunt that scored Brewer Hicklen that gave Lexington a 1-0 lead before his double down the line in the third pushed the advantage to 3-0. After a two-run blast off Neuweiler gave up the lead Lexington put up a pair on a Cristian Perez single and a throwing error that scored Cal Jones after his steal. The game went to extras after the Phillies farm club scored in the eighth but Hicklen drove in the free runner in the tenth with a single prior to Garrett Suchey working a scoreless tenth for the win.

Nick Pratto: 1-5 2R, 2K, SB (19)
Ricky Aracena: 2-2 R
Charlie Neuweiler: 4.1 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 2 K HR 5-4 Go-FO 81p/53k

Down East Wood Ducks 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

It’s nine in a row in the loss column for Wilmington after Monday’s loss. The Rocks offense let the team down on this night, going 0-8 with runners in scoring position to limit them to just a single run. The Rangers High-A club had plenty of baserunners with eight hits off Dan Tillo along with a pair of walks, scoring two runs in the second and another pair in the fifth to tag him with the loss.

Dan Tillo: 6 IP 8 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 2 K 8-2 GO-FO 94p/52k
Rudy Martin: 1-3 BB, K, 3 SB
Emmanuel Rivera: 1-2 2BB

Burlington Royals 2 Danville Braves 0

Marcelo Martinez had his stuff working on this night to give the Royals a quality start. The lefty worked six shutout innings with three singles and three walks allowed, only allowing a runner to get to second base with two outs in the sixth inning before retiring the Braves. That work was enough to earn the win after Michael Emodi drove in a run in the second and Freddy Fermin singled in another in the third to build the lead before the rain came and wiped out the final innings.

Michael Emodi: 1-3 2b, RBI
Montae Bradshaw: 1-2 2b
Freddy Fermin: 1-2 R, RBI, BB, CS

Monday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Cristian Perez 2-5, HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Tyler Gray 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 5-1 GO-FO 

Lexington Legends 10, West Virginia Power 1

The Legends offense got their big home run hitter back in Seuly Matias, but on this night it was his teammates powering up. In the first at-bat of his first game in Lexington, draftee Kyle Isbel left the yard with a home run to right-center. The Legends homered in the next two innings with Manny Olloque hitting a solo in the second and Cristian Perez leaving the yard with a three-run number in the third. Starter Daniel Lynch gave up just one run in his four innings while striking out five along the way, but missed out on a decision due to his limited pitch count. A two-run home run by Marten Gasparini pushed the advantage to 7-1 before the Legends tacked on three more in the eighth to complete the blowout win.

Seuly Matias: 0-4, 3K
Kyle Isbel: 1-2, 2R, HR, 3 BB
Daniel Lynch: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 60p/41k

Game 1 – Wilmington Blue Rocks 3, Lynchburg Hillcats 1
Game 2 – Lynchburg Hillcats 10, Wilmington Blue Rocks 0

The Rocks put together three consecutive singles to score a pair of runs in the second inning with Brewer Hicklen providing the second run with the first of his two hits. Starter Andres Sotillet allowed just one run despite giving up six hits and three walks with the use of three double play balls. The Rocks win gave them first place to themselves for a moment. The second game didn’t go quite as well with Carter Hope giving up eight runs in just two innings. That was followed by Anthony Bender surrendering two runs to put Wilmington down 10-0. The offense was unable to counter to fall back into a first place tie with the Indians club.

Emmanuel Rivera: 1-5, R, BB
Brewer Hicklen: 2-6, RBI
Travis Jones: 2-3, 2b

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Tulsa Drillers 3

The Naturals received a quality start from Foster Griffin, tossing six innings of two-run baseball while finding a way to navigate eight hits and two walks. An RBI single by Corey Toups scored a run for NW Arkansas in the second before a three-run third inning with a solo home run by Alex Liddi and RBI singles by Toups and Anderson Miller. The bullpen would give up a run in the eighth but Andres Machado got through the ninth to earn the save.

Andres Machado: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 13p/12k
Khalil Lee: 0-4
Anderson Miller: 2-4, 2b, RBI

Nashville Sounds 4, Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Chasers All-Star starter Trevor Oaks has been able to navigate baserunners quite well during his Triple-A season but couldn’t do it on this night, tossing five scoreless before running into trouble in the sixth frame. After retiring the first hitter of the sixth, Oaks yielded a walk and four consecutive hits to give up two runs. After getting his second out of the inning, the Triple-A ERA leader gave up another hit to allow two more runs before finishing his night with another out. The Sounds pitching staff kept Omaha off the scoreboard after a fourth-inning Donnie Dewees single putting away the final 16 hitters in order over the final five innings.

Ryan O’Hearn: 2-4, R, 2b, RBI, SB
Nicky Lopez: 0-3
Frank Schwindel: 1-4, R, 2b

Burlington Royals 8, Bristol Pirates 4

The Royals piled up nine of their 12 hits and all eight runs between the second and third innings to jump out to a big advantage. In those two innings, Juan Carlos Negret and Jose Marquez played big factors, scoring a pair of runs each with walks and a pair of doubles. Starter Marcelo Martinez earned his first victory of the season, tossing five innings of one-run ball with eight strikeouts on the evening before turning it over to the bullpen to finish off the win.

Jackson Lueck: 3-5, 2R, 2 RBI
Juan Carlos Negret: 3-4, 2R, 2b, BB
Marcelo Martinez: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 83p/57k

Idaho Falls Chukars 12, Helena Brewers 7

One of the Royals first round picks was roughed up in a short outing on Thursday night, but the offense was able to overcome that large deficit with some help from the Brewers defense. Lefty Kris Bubic got the first two outs in the first inning before surrendering six consecutive hits which forced him to come out during a four run first. Reliever Stephen Greenlees gave up a pair of runs in the next inning to put the Chukars in a 6-0 hole. A home run by Chase Vallot in the fourth cut it to 6-2 before Idaho Falls came all the way back in the fifth with a four run inning that included a double by Reed Rohlman that scored three runs. After Tyler Gray tossed five scoreless innings, the Chukars fell behind in the eighth on a wild pitch that scored a Brewers run with two outs. Down a run, the Chukars blew the top off the ninth starting with five consecutive singles to lead to four runs. A wild pitch third strike on a possible third out scored another run and kept the inning alive. Finally an Andres Martin singled capped the scoring at six runs which was more than enough to secure the win.

Nathan Eaton: 3-4, 3R, RBI
Reed Rohlman: 2-5, R, 2b, 4 RBI
Kris Bubic: 0.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1-0 GO-FO

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Jon Dziedzic 3-8, 3.86 ERA, 1.29 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Pedro Fernandez 3-2, 3.64 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 3-8, 3.75 ERA, 1.54 WHIP
Lexington – Yefri Del Rosario 0-5, 5.18 ERA, 1.48 WHIP
Burlington – Janser Lara 1-4, 3.97 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Connor Mayes 3-2, 6.75 ERA, 1.92 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Brewer Hicklen 2-4 2R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Kris Bubic 4 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 5-2 GO-FO 57p/35k

Transactions – RHP Jackson Kowar assigned to Lexington, RHP Andres Sotillet promoted to Wilmington

Augusta GreenJackets 7 Lexington Legends 4

Royals draftee Jackson Kowar made his debut for Lexington on Thursday night after a three weeks hiatus. Perhaps that layoff lent to some rustiness on Kowar’s part as the right-hander gave up three singles and walked two hitters before recording his first out, allowing three runs on 27 pitches. Lefty Garrett Davila struck out nine hitters in relief of Kowar but ran into trouble in the fifth inning, giving up all five of his hits allowed including a pair of home runs during a four-run frame. Those seven runs would be enough to take the victory over Lexington despite a two-run home run by Brewer Hicklen.

MJ Melendez: 2-3 R, 2b, RBI, 2BB
Nick Pratto: 2-4 BB
Jackson Kowar: 0.1 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 1 K 27p/15k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Frederick Keys 2

Centerfielder Blake Perkins led the way again for the Rocks on Thursday as he played a role in all three runs which is all the combined pitching effort would need. A leadoff double for Perkins in the first inning allowed Wilmington to take a quick 1-0 lead after Gabe Cancel brought him home with a sacrifice fly. An inning later the bases were loaded for Perkins when he grounded a ball through the right side to bring home Rudy Martin and Oliver Nunez to push the advantage to 3-0. Starting pitcher Jace Vines worked just three innings, allowing one run before giving way to Cristian Castillo who also allowed a run in three innings. With no margin left to give, lefty Josh Mitchell and Julio Pinto worked the final three innings scoreless to secure the Wilmington win.

Blake Perkins: 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Gabe Cancel: 1-3 RBI
Travis Jones: 2-4 CS

Tulsa Drillers 14 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

Another rough start for Emilio Ogando as the lefty gave up nine hits, walked five while allowing nine runs in just three innings. The Drillers hit three home runs off Ogando in those three innings, running his total to 20 on the season. The relief corps didn’t do a whole lot better with the next three on the hill all allowing at least one run each while Dodgers prospect Mitchell White limited the Naturals to just a single tally in the lopsided loss. One of the Dodgers top prospects, Keibert Ruiz had a big night at the plate going 3-4 with a pair of home runs and a double.

Khalil Lee: 1-5 2b, K
Kelvin Gutierrez: 3-4 2R
Jecksson Flores: 2-4 2b, RBI, BB, 2K

Memphis Redbirds 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Zach Lovvorn struggled in his five innings, giving up nine hits including a pair of home runs during his six-run outing. The Chasers offense countered with a three-run home run in the sixth by Cam Gallagher to cut the lead in half. They could get no closer though after two Memphis relievers struckout eight hitters over the final three and two-thirds innings.

Nicky Lopez: 3-4 3b
Ryan O’Hearn: 2-4 R
Cam Gallagher: 2-4 HR, 3 RBI

Danville Braves 8 Burlington Royals 1

Lefty Marcelo Martinez had his roughest start of the season, allowing nine hits and three runs in six-plus innings. After a leadoff triple in the first inning led to a run against Martinez he twirled five scoreless innings while striking out five hitters. With the game tied 1-1 the Burlington starter allowed a leadoff double before giving up a two-run home run to fall behind 3-1. Reliever Ismael Maldonado gave up four runs in relief and the Royals offense collected just five hits in the loss.

Marcelo Martinez: 6 IP 9 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 5 K 5-3 GO-FO 81p/64k
Eric Cole: 0-4
Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4 R, 2b

Idaho Falls Chukars 6 Helena Brewers 4 

Lefty Kris Bubic was impressive in his second start for the Chukars, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out five. The lefty gave up a leadoff single that the Brewers worked around to score in the first inning on Bubic’s wild pitch. The league’s top hitting offense took charge early, scoring five runs from the 2nd through the 4th innings with extra-base hits by Kyle Kasser and Jose Caraballo factoring in while Nick Eaton connected on a solo home run. Right-hander Tyler Gray couldn’t quite match Bubic’s effort, giving up a three run (1 ER) seventh that allowed the Brewers to draw within a run but Kyle Kasser connected on an RBI double and Gray got five outs prior to Daniel Duarte getting the final strikeout to secure the win. The win secured at least a split of the series for the Chukars while keeping them one game out of first place.

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Jake Kalish 5-5 4.13 ERA 1.33 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Scott Blewett 4-5 5.48 ERA 1.59 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 2-8 3.87 ERA 1.55 WHIP
Lexington – TBD
Burlington – Yerelmy Garcia 1-1 5.25 ERA 1.42 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Connor Mayes 3-1 5.21 ERA 1.74 WHIP