BPKC Hitter of the Day: Blake Perkins 4-5 2R, 2b, SB (19)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jake Kalish 7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 9 K 3-4 GO-FO 101p/64k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Lynchburg Hillcats 4

Reliever Corey Ray gave up a slim lead but the Wilmington offense countered to take a one-run victory over the Indians High-A squad. The top of the order led to an early lead with leadoff hitter Blake Perkins and D.J. Burt scoring the clubs first four runs. It was Burt’s second home run of the season in the first frame that quickly put Wilmington up 2-0. Two innings later, Perkins and Burt started the inning with a single before both scoring late on a Gabe Cancel groundout and an Emmanuel Rivera sac fly. Starting pitcher Dan Tillo gave the Rocks a quality start, working six innings with just two runs allowed when he walked in a run with the bases loaded before tossing a wild pitch to score another. The lefty struckout seven hitters on the evening while earning eight groundouts. Reliever Corey Ray gave up a pair of runs in the seventh inning that took the decision from Tillo but an Emmanuel Rivera leadoff triple in the eighth and a wild pitch by the Hillcats reliever allowed the Rocks to retake the lead and later the win.

D.J. Burt: 2-4 2R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-3 R, 2b, 3b, RBI
Dan Tillo: 6 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 7 K 8-1 GO-FO 104p/65k

Springfield Cardinals 10 NW Arkansas Naturals 6

Starting pitcher Scott Blewett gave up more home runs than hitters he struck out on the night with the struggling right-hander giving up six runs a five-inning outing. Things started almost immediately when Blewett walked the leadoff hitter and gave up back to back extra base hits to fall behind 2-0. An RBI single to the fourth batter he faced pushed the deficit to 3-0 before he wiggled his way out of the inning. After a scoreless second inning, a pair of singles started the third frame and led to a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0. A pair of solo home runs in the fourth and fifth ended Blewett’s night with six runs attached to his line. Things didn’t get better with reliever Dallas Beeder on the hill after he gave up four runs in the seventh. The Naturals tried to counter in the final two innings with a solo home run by Khalil Lee and a three-run home run by Kort Peterson but fell four runs short.

Khalil Lee: 2-4 HR, 2 RBI, SB, BB
Anderson Miller: 2-4 R
Kort Peterson: 2-2 HR, 3 RBI

Omaha Storm Chasers 2 Nashville Sounds 0

Lefty Jake Kalish put up possibly the best start of his career on Wednesday, setting a new career high with nine strikeouts while tossing seven scoreless innings. The former 32nd round pick allowed just two singles while walking two over the seven frames never allowing a baserunner to reach second while he was on the mound. The Chasers offense also struggled on this night but did manage to piece together a pair of singles and an error by Nashville’s third baseman to plate a pair of runs in the fifth inning to take a 2-0 lead. Following Kalish relievers, Michael Mariot and Jake Newberry tossed a pair of scoreless innings to secure the win for Kalish.

Cam Gallagher: 2-4
Billy Burns: 1-4 R, RBI
Jack Lopez: 1-4 R, SB (10)

Burlington Royals 11 Bristol Pirates 0

Three pitchers combined for a shutout while the offense had a big day at the plate. Left-hander Josh Dye tossed four shutout innings while working around four hits before giving way to Bryar Johnson who repeated the effort with another four scoreless. The offense backed the pitchers quite capably with all nine hitters collecting at least one hit and three connecting on home runs. The squad put 11 runs on the board with runs in seven of the nine innings while walking 10 times and piling up 15 hits in the blowout win.

Eric Cole: 1-4 HR, 2BB
Juan Carlos Negret: 2-6 2b, HR, 3 RBI
Josh Dye: 4 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3K 5-0 GO-FO 60p/39k

Helena Brewers 9 Idaho Falls Chukars 2

Starter C.J. Eldred tossed three scoreless innings to start the game for Idaho Falls before running into problems during the next two innings. The former Iowa Hawkeye pitcher gave up nine runs in the next two innings, giving up nine hits including four doubles and a home run. With a 9-2 deficit, the Chukars offense couldn’t counter, going scoreless the rest of the way.

Nathan Eaton: 2-4 R, 2b, 3b, RBI
Chase Vallot: 2-4 2b, K
Reed Rohlman: 1-2 RBI, BB

Wednesday Boxscores

Thursday Probables
Omaha – Trevor Oaks 6-3 1.84 ERA 1.13 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Foster Griffin 3-12 6.16 ERA 1.60 WHIP
Wilmington Gm 1 – Andres Sotillet 6-6 4.01 ERA 1.34 WHIP
Wilmington Gm 2 – Carter Hope 8-2 3.05 ERA 1.16 WHIP
Lexington – Daniel Lynch 1-0 2.20 ERA 1.10 WHIP
Burlington – Marcelo Martinez 0-3 2.25 ERA 0.96 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Kris Bubic 0-1 4.05 ERA 1.20 WHIP

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

HR Roll Call: Gabe Cancel (10), Joe Dudek (5), Robby Rinn (3), Seuly Matias (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Gabe Cancel 2-3, 2R, HR, 2b, 2BB, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Franco Terrero 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1-2 GO-FO

San Antonio Missions 2, NW Arkansas Naturals 0

The Royals received Rule 5 pick, Glenn Sparkman, back from Toronto after he struggled in his brief relief role. It should be intriguing to see if the Royals keep him in that position or move him back to starting, which he has done primarily with the Kansas City minor league clubs. In this one, the Naturals failed to push a run across despite plenty of opportunities, going 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position. Starter Corey Ray took the loss, despite just two runs allowed in six innings.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 1-3, 2 BB, SB (17)
Samir Duenez 0-4, BB, K
Anderson Miller 1-4, hitting .302 at Double-A
Corey Ray 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3-7 GO-FO, 87p/55k, E (pickoff)
Glenn Sparkman 2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 32p/21k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 7, Potomac Nationals 3

A two-run double by Roman Collins in the sixth gave Wilmington a lead they built on to secure a series win over Potomac. Starter A.J. Puckett earned the win after allowing three runs over five innings, giving up a two-run home run to Taylor Gushue in the fourth inning and an RBI single in the fifth to Austin Davidson. Wilmington’s D.J. Burt singled in a pair in the ninth, stole a base and scored on a throwing error.

Boxscore Link

D.J. Burt 1-4, R, BB, 2 RBI, SB (27)
Chris DeVito 0-4, K
Chase Vallot 1-2, R, 2 BB
A.J. Puckett 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 6-4 GO-FO
Franco Terrero 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1-2 GO-FO

Emmanuel Rivera, Meibrys Viloria and Gabe Cancel (Photo David Rearic)

Greenville 8, Lexington Legends 7

For the second time this year, the Legends got after first round pick Jason Groome, scoring four runs (3 ER) in 2.1 innings off the lefty, but this time were unable to hang onto the lead. After establishing a 4-1 lead, Legends lefty Garrett Davila struggled, giving up seven runs (5 ER) on 10 hits in five innings. A late solo home run off Anthony Bender proved to be the winning margin as the Legends scored a run in the ninth but stranded the bases loaded.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 0-3, K, ejected
Gabe Cancel 2-3, 2R, HR, 2b, 2BB, 2 RBI
Emmanuel Rivera 2-5, R
Meibrys Viloria 3-5, 2 RBI, 0-1 SB/Att

Danville Braves 4, Burlington Royals 3

The Royals got a game-tying home run from Seuly Matias in the seventh, but for the second day in a row stranded a runner in scoring position with no outs late. And for the second night in a row, it was Isranel Wilson connecting on the game-winning hit, this time an inside the park home run in the seventh was the difference maker.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
Michael Gigliotti 1-3, R, BB
Sebastian Rivero 0-5, 2K

Orem Owlz 8, Idaho Falls Chukars 4 

Julio Pinto hit a batter and walked six in the first inning while recording one out and hitting the zone 17 times on 43 pitches. That inning put the Chukars behind 4-0 and from there the teams played to a 4-4 tie.

Boxscore Link

Robby Rinn 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Julio Pinto 0.1 IP, 0 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 6 BB, 0 K, 0-1 GO-FO, 43p/17k
Vance Vizcaino 2-4, R, RBI, 2 SB (9)

AZL Reds 11, AZL Royals 4

A rough first appearance from third round pick Dan Tillo, as the lefty was able to retire just two hitters while giving up five runs on five hits. The loss was the sixth in a row for the Royals squad who have struggled to pitch at the rookie levels. Starter Malcolm Van Buren was slightly better in this start, earning two Ks and giving up two runs in three innings as he continues to build back from Tommy John.

Boxscore Link

Nick Pratto 0-5, 2K, E (5)
Esteury Ruiz 2-5, 2R, 3b, RBI, SB (5), E (1)
MJ Melendez 1-3, R, RBI, BB
Charlie Neuweiler 1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 5-0 GO-FO
Malcolm Van Buren 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2-2 GO-FO
Dan Tillo 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1-0 GO-FO

DSL Marlins 4, DSL Royals 3

The Royals lost in extra innings again, this time as they failed to push their free runner across in the tenth and eleventh innings.

Boxscore Link

Reynin Reynoso 1-6, RBI

HR Roll Call: Luis Villegas (1), MJ Melendez (1), Ismaldo Rodriguez (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: MJ Melendez 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 CS on defense

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Christopher Marte 5.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 4-2 GO-FO 

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 4, Omaha Storm Chasers 1 

The Sky Sox have the Chasers number so far this season, defeating them on Wednesday for the seventh time in eight games.

Struggling starter Josh Staumont had his best start in some time, working 5.2 innings and allowing two runs (1 ER). The erratic pitcher walked four and uncorked a wild pitch to push a runner into scoring position for the earned run allowed.

Other than Dean Anna’s three hits, the Chasers offense struggled in the good run environment, scoring just one run and recording six hits total in the game. Reliever Eric Stout gave up two runs after walking three and allowing a pair of hits.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 0-3, Named a PCL All-Star
Dean Anna 3-3
Josh Staumont 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K, 5-2 GO-FO, 98p/57k

Frederick Keys 10, Wilmington Blue Rocks 4

After a pair of promotions, the Wilmington bullpen is slightly weaker which may have played a hand in their loss Wednesday night.

Reliever Luis Rico struggled, giving up six runs in his 2.2 innings pushing the Rocks behind each time they pulled even or close.

New leadoff man D.J. Burt had a pair of hits, a walk, stole his 22nd base of the season, and scored a run.

Boxscore Link

Roman Collins 2-4, R, 2b
Travis Maezes 1-3, R, RBI
Chris DeVito 1-4, R, 2b, RBI

Columbia Fireflies 5, Lexington Legends 4

The Legends came up on the downside of an evenly played game Wednesday afternoon.

Each team had 11 hits and a pair of errors, with the Legends connecting on the game’s only home run but coming up one hit shy to the Mets Low-A club with runners in scoring position. The Legends trailed 5-4 after a two-run single in the seventh inning but failed to get hits in both the seventh and eighth frame with the tying run in scoring position.

Lexington’s Marten Gasparini continues to turn around his season with three more hits, pushing his overall average to .242 after his .191 April.

Boxscore Link

Marten Gasparini 3-5, R, 2b
Yeison Melo 2-4, R
Luis Villegas 1-4, HR

Idaho Falls Chukars 6, Grand Junction Rockies 4

The Chukars evened the series up with Grand Junction in a rather sloppy game.

Each team committed three errors which led to multiple unearned runs for both squads. The Chukars trailing 4-3 got three unearned runs in the seventh to take the lead, and Christopher Marte tossed 5.1 innings scoreless to earn the win.

Boxscore Link

Offerman Collado 1-3, R, 2 RBI
Logan Gray 1-3, 2R, 2b, RBI
Geoffrey Bramblett 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Danville Braves 3, Burlington Royals 2

The Royals came up short in their first game against the Braves.

Starter Nathan Webb gave the team a quality start with six innings of three-run ball, but took the loss with too little offensive contribution in support. The right-handed starter tossed three innings scoreless before getting touched for a two-run home run in the fourth.

The Royals came up a run short going 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position to drop to 2-4 on the young season.

Boxscore Link

Michael Gigliotti 0-4
Dennicher Carrasco 2-4, CS
Reed Rohlman 1-3, R

AZL Royals 7, AZL Padres 5

The Royals got out to an early lead and hung on late.

The Surprise squad quickly put three runs on the board in the first inning, getting an RBI triple from Reymond Lopez, a sac fly by Nick Pratto and an RBI single from Cristian Perez.

Their starter, Josh Mitchell, worked three scoreless innings, striking out three in his second appearance. The offense tacked on four single tallies the rest of the way which helped work around the five unearned runs their defense gifted the Padres.

Catcher MJ Melendez had a big day, going 2 for 5 with his first home run while also tossing out two potential base stealers from behind the dish.

Boxscore Link

Reymond Lopez 2-2, R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
MJ Melendez 2-5, HR, 2 RBI
Nick Pratto 1-4, 2b, RBI

DSL Royals 5, DSL Braves 1

The DSL Royals ace, Delvin Capellan, gave up his first earned run of the season in 20 innings, but it didn’t prevent a Royals win.

The two teams exchanged home runs in the first inning, but the Royals homer came with two aboard off the bat of Ismaldo Rodriguez to give them a 3-1 lead. From there, Capellan tossed four scoreless innings to earn his second win of the season, striking out four in the start before the bullpen shut the door.

Boxscore Link

Ismaldo Rodriguez 2-3, 2R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB (10)
Delvin Capellan 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, HR, 7-4 GO-FO
Felix Familia 1-3, R, BB

HR Roll Call: Raul Mondesi (5), Garin Cecchini (2), Donnie Dewees (3) 

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Donnie Dewees 3-4, 2R, HR, 2b, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jake Junis 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 3-4 GO-FO, 83p/59k

Omaha Storm Chasers 2, Memphis Redbirds 1

Royals prospect Jake Junis continues to show that he’s ready for a role in the major league rotation.

The right-handed starter made a mistake in the first, giving up a solo home run to Rangel Ravelo to spot Memphis to a 1-0 lead. That lead was quickly erased by a Garin Cecchini home run in the second by Omaha. Then Junis found himself and put the Memphis bats on ice.

Working six innings on just 83 pitches, Junis put away nine hitters via strikeout, allowed just two singles after the home run, and dominated the Memphis lineup. Starting off 17 of the 21 hitters he faced with a first pitch strike, Junis had his repertoire working to keep Memphis hitters on their heels.

Shortstop Raul Mondesi extended his hitting streak to 18 games with a solo home run in the third to give Omaha a 2-1 lead. Both offenses were shut out the rest of the game with Malcom Culver securing the save for the Chasers.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 1-4, HR, 2 K
Garin Cecchini 1-3, HR
Ryan O’Hearn 0-2, 2 BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 6, Frisco Rough Riders 5

A five-run sixth inning carried the Naturals to a series win in Frisco Thursday night.

Trailing 3-1 after starter Zach Lovvorn gave up a pair of runs in the fifth, the Naturals offense got their ball rolling in the sixth. A strikeout wild pitch allowed Alfredo Escalera to reach to leadoff the frame. A pair of singles by Mauricio Ramos and Humberto Arteaga quickly loaded the bases with no outs for Donnie Dewees. The former Chicago Cubs prospect jumped on a 1-0 pitch, hitting a grand slam to give the Naturals a 5-3 lead.

The Naturals kept the pressure on in the inning, getting a single by Luis Villegas, who advanced to second on another wild pitch before moving to third with a bunt sacrifice. Outfielder Elier Hernandez connected on a sac fly to pad the lead to three runs.

A pair of throwing errors would allow Frisco to get runs in the sixth and seventh, but the bullpen of Pedro Fernandez and Sam Selman would shut things down for the win.

Boxscore Link

Elier Hernandez 2-4, 2 RBI
Corey Toups 2-4, 2-2b, BB
Zach Lovvorn 5.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 6-2 GO-FO, 95p/58k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 9, Winston-Salem Dash 6

The Blue Rocks evened their series in Winston-Salem with plenty of offense.

The Rocks pounded 14 hits, had 10 hitters reach base, and connected on six extra base hits to work over the Dash pitchers. Things started almost immediately with a Nicky Lopez single to lead off the game. He was quickly was brought home on a triple by D.J. Burt. Outfielder Anderson Miller pushed Burt home with one of his two hits to give Wilmington a 2-0 lead.

Winston-Salem kept coming back, getting a pair in the second and three runs between the fourth and fifth, but it was always after Wilmington had captured the lead. All five hitters at the top of the Rocks lineup reached base at least twice.

Carrying a 6-5 lead into the sixth, the Rocks got a run in that frame on a throwing error that allowed Lopez to score from first. Two innings later, a passed ball pushed the lead to three before another Burt triple and a Miller double put the lead at four runs.

The Wilmington bullpen finished things off after Franco Terrero allowed a run in the eighth.

Boxscore Link

Anderson Miller 2-4, R, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 SB (13)
D.J. Burt 2-4, 2R, 2 3b, RBI
Richard Lovelady 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 15p/9k

Augusta GreenJackets 4 Lexington Legends 0

The GreenJackets pitching staff dominated the Legends lineup to for a shutout win in the opener of their series.

Lefty Garrett Williams worked 6.1 innings for Augusta, striking out nine while giving up just four hits and limiting Lexington to an 0 for 4 night with runners in scoring position. From there, the Augusta pen worked the final 2.2 innings of perfect ball, striking out three more.

Lexington starter Geoffrey Bramblett took the loss despite allowing just one run in five innings, giving up a home run in the second inning. The rest of the runs came courtesy of Arnaldo Hernandez in his first appearance of the season, giving up three runs in 3.2 innings.

Boxscore Link

Emmanuel Rivera 2-4
Marten Gasparini 1-3, 2b
Geoffrey Bramblett 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Mondesi Photo Via Minda Haas Flickr

Raul Mondesi – The Royals top shortstop in the minor leagues has put together his most impressive stretch of hitting in his career since being sent down. With his two hits on Sunday, Mondesi pushed his hitting streak to 17 games which includes multiple hits in each of his last four games and a .406 average during the streak. The positives to note in the streak for Mondesi is the lack of bunt attempts by the speedster as he has virtually cut out that part of his game while also working the ball to the middle of the field and opposite way more than he had from the left side.

Brian Poldberg on Mondesi “I know up there they wanted him to bunt a lot, so when he first got here he was looking to bunt and hit second. We wanted him to change his thought process and look to hit first and bunt second. He’s come around. He’s got his confidence and has a different stride about him, knowing he belongs.” 

Raul Mondesi on his play – “I keep working on the little things and I’m feeling pretty good at the plate right now. I’ve been working the ball the other way and adjusting to the pitch. They sent me here to work on my hitting and I’m just trying to help the team win and keep working.”

Saturday Omaha Storm Chasers 10, Round Rock Express 0 Boxscore Link
Sunday Omaha Storm Chasers 7, Round Rock Express 5 Boxscore Link HR Ryan O’Hearn (7)

The Chasers carried over their big bats and stellar starting pitching from Friday to Saturday’s series opener with Round Rock. Starter Luke Farrell went a season-high seven innings while allowing just three hits and no runs in that time. The offense backed him up with plenty of run support, scoring ten runs in six innings while connecting for 13 hits in the process to lead to the easy win.

The Chasers built a big lead early Sunday night, then hung on to a win. The suddenly hot bats scored seven runs from the second through fifth, getting a solo home run from Ryan O’Hearn and a two-run triple by Raul Mondesi as part of the run explosion. Spot starter Onelki Garcia helped his club while he was on the mound with five innings of one-run ball before turning things over to a bullpen that made it interesting late. It was Garcia’s first affiliated start in three years, earning the win in the process.

Saturday NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Midland RockHounds 2 Boxscore Link
Sunday NW Arkansas Naturals 10, Midland RockHounds 6 Boxscore Link HR Samir Duenez (7)

Shortstop Humberto Arteaga had a big day at the plate, coming up with three hits to drive in a pair of runs while also scoring the Naturals third – and winning – run. Starter Emilio Ogando made those three runs stand up with a pair of relief pitchers helping out. The lefty worked seven innings of one-run ball with just a pair of walks and four hits allowed to improve to 3-2 with a 2.28 ERA at Double-A.

The Naturals reached base 18 times with eight walks accumulated alongside their ten hits in their Sunday win. A five-run third frame and four-run seventh did most of the damage for the Double-A club, with Samir Duenez clubbing a three-run home run as part of the third inning rally. Starter Corey Ray missed out on the win after allowing four runs in his five innings when reliever Jake Kalish gave up a pair of runs to knot the action up at six apiece in the seventh frame. Reliever Pedro Fernandez’s 2.1 IP of shutout ball put things on ice for the win.

Saturday Wilmington Blue Rocks 7, Potomac Nationals 6 Boxscore Link HR Travis Maezes (2)
Sunday Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Potomac Nationals 3 Boxscore Link

On Saturday, the Rocks staged another come from behind win over Potomac. Trailing 6-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Wilmington scored on a throwing error against a sac bunt by Wander Franco. From there, the bats of Nicky Lopez and D.J. Burt added two more runs. A Lopez triple plated Franco before Burt’s double scored Lopez. Reliever Franco Terrero secured the save in the ninth for the Blue Rocks.

More come from behind fun on Sunday for Wilmington as the Rocks starter A.J. Puckett gave up three runs in his five innings on the mound. The righty surrendered four consecutive hits to start the game, allowing two runs before settling down and getting out of the inning. The 2016 draft pick allowed another run in the fourth frame when he gave up a pair of two-out hits, the second of which was a run scoring single by Victor Robles. Trailing 3-0, the Rocks first six hitters in the seventh inning reached base with RBI singles by Anderson Miller, Wander Franco and Chris DeVito to take a 4-3 lead and the eventual win after Richard Lovelady closed the door. Reliever Yunior Marte earned the win with his three innings of shutout pitching, striking out three against one hit allowed.

Game 1 Columbia Fireflies 3, Lexington Legends 0 F/7 Boxscore Link
Game 2 Lexington Legends 2, Columbia Fireflies 1 F/7 Boxscore Link

The Legends split a doubleheader on Sunday after their game was rained out on Saturday.

Neither game featured much offense, with just six combined runs in the two games. In game one, a mistake by Legend pitcher Travis Eckert led to a three-run home run by Mets Low-A prospect Dash Winningham to give the Fireflies a 3-0 win. Despite that mistake, Eckert put together a solid line in the loss going six innings with nine strikeouts.

In game two, lefty Andre Davis went toe to toe with Columbia starter Harol Gonzalez. The two pitchers allowed just one run each until Manny Olloque’s one-out double in the bottom of the seventh walked things off for the Legends. For Davis, it was one his better starts of the year with the lefty spinning seven innings with a career best 11 strikeouts in the win.

HR Roll Call Zane Evans (4), Jack Lopez 2 (2), Chris DeVito (13), Khalil Lee (6), Emmanuel Rivera (4)

BPKC Hitter of the Day Jack Lopez 3-4 2HR, 3R, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Jake Junis 7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 12 K 2-3 GO-FO 100p/70k

Omaha Storm Chasers 8 Nashville Sounds 3 F/11

The Chasers bullpen blew a stellar Jake Junis start prior to the offense blowing open an extra inning game.

It was as dominant of an outing as the Chasers have seen in quite a while with the righty working over the Nashville offense for seven scoreless innings. In that time Junis allowed just two singles and a walk, striking out a career-high tying 12 hitters in that time.

The Omaha starter would leave with a 3-0 lead that was quickly sliced to 3-1 after rehabbing Scott Alexander would give up a run on a pair of hits. Lefty Eric Stout would give up a pair of runs in the ninth to send the game to extras after loading the bases and nearly earning the double play ball to end things.

In extras, Omaha would threaten in the tenth before finishing things off in the eleventh. A Cam Gallagher rbi single to drive in pinch runner Billy Burns would put Omaha up 4-3 before a hit by pitch and an error would load things up for Raul Mondesi. The shortstop in the midst of a 15 game hitting streak would quickly unload the bases with a triple to put Omaha out in front 7-3. A wild pitch would bring Mondesi home to push the final margin of victory to five.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 3-6 2R, 3b, 3 RBI, SB (11), CS (2)
Ramon Torres 2-4 R, 2b, RBI, BB
Cam Gallagher 2-4 2R, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 11 Midland RockHounds 10

The Naturals bullpen put them in a difficult position in game one of their series with Midlands.

Heading into the fifth inning starter Zach Lovvorn was given a 4-0 lead by the NW Arkansas offense thanks in part to Jack Lopez and his solo home run and then scoring off an Elier Hernandez double. With that lead, Lovvorn would give up a pair of runs on a solo home run and a pair of extra base hits.

From there the teams would exchange runs with the Naturals taking a 6-3 lead into the seventh frame. That’s when things got away from the NW Arkansas bullpen. After Jared Ruxer walked a pair of hitters lefty reliever Tim Hill entered and was unable to calm things down, walking another and giving up three consecutive singles following an error on a double player throw. With bases loaded and three runs already in to tie the inning manager, Vance Wilson would turn to reliever Jake Newberry to try to slow things down. That didn’t work as Newberry would give up a grand slam to Viosergy Rosa to put the Naturals behind 10-6.

The Naturals wouldn’t go away without a fight, getting two runs in the eighth on Lopez’s second home run of the game to pull within 10-8. In the ninth the Naturals wouldn’t get a hitter retired in the inning, getting a rbi single by Alfredo Escalera prior to a walk-off two-run scoring double by Donnie Dewees to win it the home squad.

Boxscore Link

Zach Lovvorn 5 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 5 K 5-3 GO-FO 70p/47k
Donnie Dewees 3-4 2R, 2 RBI, BB
Zane Evans 2-4 HR, 3 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 Potomac Nationals 2

The Rocks got solid starting pitching and some late runs for a comeback win in game two.

Over six innings Scott Blewett gave up just three singles and three walks in his six innings. Both runs came in the third inning after a strikeout that reached base following a Chase Vallot throwing error. A one out single following a sac bunt before a wild pitch brought home the other run to put Wilmington down 2-1.

The Rocks evened things up in the fifth after D.J. Burt singled, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error before coming home on Hunter Dozier’s rbi single. Tied 2-2 the Rocks would come through for a pair of runs in the sixth by connecting on four singles with Jecksson Flores and Burt driving in the runs.

Reliever Jacob Bodner would earn the final three outs for the save.

Boxscore Link

Scott Blewett 6 IP 3 H 2 R 0 ER 3 BB 5 K 7-3 GO-FO 96p/56k
D.J. Burt 3-3 R, RBI, Sb (14)
Hunter Dozier 1-3 RBI

Potomac Nationals 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 

The Rocks lost the continuation of their suspended game versus Potomac on Friday night despite leading 1-0 prior to the suspension.

The bullpen combo of Andres Machado and Richard Lovelady gave up the lead. It was Machado who was given credit for all three runs allowed, giving up single runs in the fourth and fifth before allowing a double in the seventh that came around when Lovelady gave up a single.

The Blue Rocks would get a run in the ninth on Chris DeVito’s thirteenth home run of the season.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 0-3 BB extends on-base streak to 25 games by reach base in both games
Chris DeVito 1-4 HR
Cody Jones 1-3 3b, RBI

Lexington Legends 5 Columbia Fireflies 2

The Legends hit a pair of two-run home runs while on their way to a series tying win over the Mets Low-A squad.

The first home run came in the first inning via third baseman Emmanuel Rivera with two outs in the inning to give Lexington a 2-0 lead. That lead would be held up until the fourth frame by starter Garrett Davila. A one-out walk prior to a double allowed the Fireflies to cut the lead in half.

With the game at 2-1 into the fifth Khalil Lee would break out of a month long slump with his sixth home run of the year, a bomb to right-center that would score Marten Gasparini to make the score 4-1. That lead would hold firm until the Legends tacked on in the seventh with a rbi double from Kort Peterson that would score Lee after his single earlier in the inning.

Reliever Anthony Bender would run into trouble in the eighth after a defensive error by second baseman John Brontsema, loading the bases with no outs. The righty was able to work his way through it though, allowing just one run and going on to finish out the game.

Boxscore Link

Garret Davila 5 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 2K 6-5 GO-FO 82p/49k
Emmanuel Rivera 1-4 HR, 2 RBI
Khalil Lee 3-4 3R, HR, 2 RBI, SB (13)

HR Roll Call Raul: Mondesi (4), Chris DeVito (12) 

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Raul Mondesi 3-5, 3R, HR, 2-2b, 3 RBI, SB, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Eric Skoglund 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 K, 10-3 GO-FO, 93p/58k

Game 1
Tacoma Rainiers 7, Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The first game of the doubleheader between the Royals and Mariners Triple-A affiliate featured power by the Rainiers and more lackluster offense on the part of the Chasers.

The Chasers couldn’t get the offense going early, failing to score in the first four innings, while Tacoma opened up their half of the first inning with a two-run home run by Dan Vogelbach. The score remained 2-0 until the fourth frame when an error by Raul Mondesi on a throw from deep in the hole opened up an inning that eventually featured a three-run home run by Dario Pizzano to push the score to 5-0.

The Chasers got on the board in their half of the fifth with an RBI triple from Corey Toups before Ramon Torres made the score 6-2 with a run-scoring single in the sixth inning.

The Rainiers capped the scoring with a mammoth 445 foot home run by Leonys Martin in the seventh to finish off the final inning of the shortened doubleheader.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups 2-3, 2b, 3b, RBI
Raul Mondesi 1-3, R, 2b
Ramon Torres 2-3, 2b, RBI, hit streak at 11 games

Game 2
Omaha Storm Chasers 4, Tacoma Rainiers 2

In game two, the Chasers starter did a good job of limiting damage while the Royals Raul Mondesi did some damage of his own.

In the first frame, Mondesi created some offense on his own, walking to take first, quickly stealing second and scoring on a Ramon Torres single.

Starter Eric Skoglund was solid, tossing a complete game in the seven-inning shortened game, but the lefty did get knocked around for a pair of back to back solo home runs in the third that gave Tacoma a 2-1 lead. From there, Skoglund found a groove working the final five innings with the minimum hitters faced, allowing just a walk in the sixth that was quickly erased by a double play.

Fortunately for Skoglun, his shortstop, Mondesi, was there to quickly tie things up in the bottom half of the third with a solo home run. With the game knotted up, it was Mondesi once again in the fifth inning with a double to bring in a pair of Chasers; eventually giving them enough runs for the win.

Boxscore Link

Bubba Starling 1-1, 2BB, 2 CS
Ramon Torres 1-3, RBI
Parker Morin 1-2, R

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Arkansas Travelers 1

The Naturals got a run-scoring bunt and bases clearing double by Donnie Dewees in the second inning and made that stand up for the win.

Starter Emilio Ogando earned his second Double-A victory despite just one strikeout. The lefty spun six innings while navigating around six hits thanks to six groundouts which included a pair of double plays. From there, relievers Reid Redman and Sam Selman shut the door, with Selman striking out four hitters in just 1.2 innings.

The first place Naturals will attempt to finish off the four game series sweep tomorrow.

Boxscore Link

Donnie Dewees 1-5, 2b, 2 RBI
Elier Hernandez 1-3, R
Samir Duenez 0-5, K

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5, Potomac Nationals 2

The Blue Rocks kept their winning ways going in Potomac on Wednesday night, getting plenty of extra base pop along the way.

The Rocks offense connected for seven doubles and a home run from Chris DeVito to put five runs across despite a 4 for 18 night with runners in scoring position. Second baseman D.J. Burt came through with a pair of doubles that plated solo runs in the seventh and ninth innings to push out their advantage.

The Royals 2016 2nd round pick A.J. Puckett was the beneficiary of all the offense as the right-handed starter found a groove after allowing a first-inning solo home run. From there, the righty stayed on schedule, allowing just a fourth inning walk before a double in the sixth came around to score.

Reliever Gabe Cramer earned the save while striking out four over the final 2.2 innings. Those four K’s pumped the righties total to 22 on the season in just 11.2 innings of work while sporting a sub 1 WHIP.

Boxscore Link

Gabe Cramer 2.2 IP, 1 H, o R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 2-2 GO-FO
A.J. Puckett 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 12-0 GO-FO
D.J. Burt 3-5, 2-2b, 2 RBI, SB (12)

HR Roll Call: Anderson Miller (4), Chase Vallot (4), Wander Franco (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Anderson Miller 3-5, 2R, HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Sam Selman 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3-3 GO-FO, 40p/24p

Omaha Storm Chasers 6, Salt Lake Bees 1

The Chasers offense finally got some things going on Sunday while getting a solid spot start from Christian Binford to even the series in Salt Lake at a game apiece.

Four different Chaser hitters had two hits in the game, with the team sandwiching solo runs in the third and fifth innings around a three-run fourth frame.

In that inning, Omaha received the timely hit they have been missing, getting a two-run single by Dean Anna after a sac bunt by Bubba Starling pushed the runners into scoring position. Catcher Parker Morin, playing in front of a large group of family members, would drive in Anna a couple hitters later with a two-out RBI double

Boxscore Link

Christian Binford 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 9-3 GO-FO, 88p/59k
Raul Mondesi 2-4, 2R, 2b, SB
Ramon Torres 2-4, R, RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Arkansas Travelers 0

The Naturals ran their scoreless streak versus the Travelers to over 31.2 innings with a second straight shutout versus them on Sunday.

Starter Miguel Almonte had to leave with an injury in the second, but that didn’t stop the relievers from taking over and continuing to pile up zeros. Lefty Sam Selman and Reid Redman did the majority of the work, combining to toss 6.2 scoreless innings with just one hit and a walk allowed.

The Naturals scored runs in the first and third on groundouts before a Zane Evans single capped the scoring in the fourth. It appeared Almonte’s injury was some sort of injury to his hand but it wasn’t announced following the game.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 1-4, RBI
Donnie Dewees 3-4, R, CS (4)
Humberto Arteaga 1-4, R

Wilmington Blue Rocks 10, Down East Wood Ducks 4

The Rocks offense came up big towards the end of their finale versus Down East.

With the team trailing 4-3 entering the eighth inning, Wilmington tagged the Rangers affiliate for seven runs in the final two frames to take home a series win.

It was Anderson Miller with a solo blast in the eighth that tied things up. One inning later, Wilmington applied pressure with a pair of walks to start the frame before D.J. Burt’s double gave them a lead. After a Miller single tacked on an extra run, it was Chase Vallot’s grand slam that pushed the lead to six and made a winner out of Wilmington.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 1-5, HR, 4 RBI, 3K
Nicky Lopez 1-4, R, BB
Cristian Castillo 5 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 4-3 GO-FO, 84p/51k

West Virginia Power 9, Lexington Legends 3

The Legends struggled to push runners home to drop the third game in their foursome with West Virginia.

The visiting Legends went just 2 for 14 with runners in scoring position, while starter Nolan Watson dropped to 1-5 on the season after allowing four of his six runs in the sixth frame.

Catcher Meibrys Viloria continued his decent run of starts with a 3 for 4 day that included a double.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 3-4, 2b, RBI
Khalil Lee 1-3, 2BB, CS (6)
Nolan Watson 5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2K 5-4 GO-FO, 88p/51k

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HR Roll Call Brandon Downes (11), DJ Burt (4), Ismaldo Rodriguez (1)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – D.J. Burt 4-4 HR, 5 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Andres Sotillet 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 9-1 GO-FO

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Chasers struggles at home continued with a 2 for 11 performance with runners in scoring position that lead to a 4-1 defeat. Despite 10 hits and a pair of walks it wasn’t enough as Colorado Springs plated a pair or runs in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie before a ninth inning home run proved as another insurance run. The loss was credited to Brooks Pounders after giving up both of the seventh inning runs. The last six home games have featured just six runs by the home team who will likely be quite enthused to head out on the road for eight games.

Boxscore Link

Reymond Fuentes 2-4
Tony Cruz 1-3 R, Bb
Whit Merrifield 2-4

Corpus Christi Hooks 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Naturals missed a few scoring opportunities in their Wednesday loss. Starter Ashton Goudeau gave up four runs in just two innings to drop his record to 4-12 at Double-A while the offense had 12 hits, but went 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Trailer 5-2 into the sixth inning NW Arkansas would pull within a run and get the tying run on in the last four innings, but fall short in each inning in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Alfredo Escalera 3-5 R, 2b
Ryan O’Hearn 2-4 R, 2b
Jack Lopez 2-4 2b

Frederick Keys 6 Wilmington Blue Rocks 5

Outfielder Brandon Downes staked the Rocks to a 4-1 early lead only to watch the pitching staff salt it away. The former Virginia centerfielder connected on his 11th home run of the season in the 2nd inning to tie the game up at 1-1. Just one inning later it was Downes connecting on a bases loaded double that cleared the bags and expanded the lead to 4-1. In the sixth inning Downes would connect on a ground-rule double and come around on Elier Hernandez single to push the lead to 5-2. Starter Matt Tenuta would give up a pair of runs in the seventh to cut the lead to 5-4 when Kyle Kubat couldn’t clean up the two singles he allowed. In the eighth it was Kubat who created his own mess and gave up two more runs to put the Rocks behind 6-5. The first two hitters for Wilmington would reach in their half of the eighth, but a double steal try would gun down Brian Bien and the Keys would work around Downes with a base open before stranding the bases loaded. That would be the last rally for Wilmington as they would fail to win their third game in a row over Frederick.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 3-3 2R, 2-2b, HR, 4 RBI, BB
Elier Hernandez 1-3 RBI
Brian Bien 2-4 R, CS (3)

Asheville Tourists 8 Lexington Legends 6

The Legends made a comeback from 6-2 down only to watch the game slip away in the ninth. Second baseman, DJ Burt, lead that comeback with a grand slam in the seventh inning as part of a 4 for 4 day that included an earlier RBI in the day. Tied at 6-6 reliever Mark McCoy gave up a pair of runs in the ninth that the offense couldn’t counter in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Emilio Ogando 5.1 IP 7 H 5 R 4 ER 1 BB 6 K 4-3 GO-FO 82p/61k
Ben Johnson 1-3 2R, BB, SB (7)
Colton Frabasilio 1-4 R

Billings Mustangs 6 Idaho Falls Chukars 1

The Chukars offensive struggles continued in Billings on Wednesday evening. An 0-13 performance with runners in scoring position lead to just one run while starter Jace Vines dropped his fourth decision of the season. The Texas A&M product gave up five runs (4 ER) on eight hits and a pair of walks while not being able to strikeout one hitter on the night. Catcher Meibrys Viloria went hitless for the the second night in a row for the first time this season.

Boxscore Link

Yeison Melo 2-4 2b
Luke Willis 3-4 R
Richard Lovelady 1 IP 1 H 0 R 1 BB 1 K

Princeton Rays 3 Burlington Royals 1

The Royals lost one late when a two out error in the eighth inning opened the door for the Rays. That error by second baseman Gabriel Cancel brought Oscar Rojas to the plate and he quickly doubled in two runs to push Princeton ahead 3-1. The Royals brought the tying hitter to the plate in both the eighth and ninth inning, but were unable to getting anything done in dropping the game to the second place Rays.

Boxscore Link

Kort Peterson 1-3 2b, RBI
Nicky Lopez 1-4 R
Travis Eckert 5 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 5-4 GO-FO

DSL Rays1 14 DSL Royals 5

The Royals lost the game the restart of a suspended game they were trailing by a large margin at the time of the suspension

Boxscore Link

Esteury Ruiz 2-3 2b, RBI
Freddy Fermina 1-3 2b
Angel Medina 2-2 BB

DSL Royals 7 DSL Rays1 0

The Royals dominated the second game that was shortened due to rain. Starter Andres Sotillet tossed five scoreless innings while Esteury Ruiz went 2 for 2 with a a triple and two runs driven in. Between his last two game Ruiz has seven hits in his last seven at bats.

Boxscore Link

Esteury Ruiz 2-2 R 3b, 2 RBI
Angel Medina 3-3 R
Ismaldo Rodriguez 1-3 HR