HR Roll Call None

BPKC Hitter of the Day Cody Jones 4-4 R, 2-2b

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Eric Stout 3.2 Ip 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 58p/38k 3-4 GO-FO

Memphis Redbirds 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 4

The struggles for Josh Staumont continued with the Royals prospect able to record just four outs in his latest start on Friday versus Memphis.

With a pair of hits allowed and six walks, the righty allowed four runs (3 ER) before leaving while tossing just 25 strikes among his 61 pitches thrown. While Staumont wavered reliever Eric Stout continued his stellar run of late, toss three and two-third innings scoreless, lowering his ERA to 2.35 while striking out three on the night.

The offense trimmed the deficit to two runs but former Cardinal prospect Seth Maness gave up three runs to his former Triple-A squad to put the game out of reach for Omaha.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 2-5 R, 2b, 3b, RBI
Jorge Soler 1-3 2R, 2BB
Bubba Starling 0-5

Tulsa Drillers 8 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The defense behind lefty Emilio Ogando was sub par which amplified his own mistakes in the NW Arkansas loss.

Up 1-0 at the time a two-out error by first baseman Zach Walters on what would’ve been the third out allowed a run in and extended the inning. The Drillers quickly took advantage with a double to plate the runner that reached on the error, taking a 2-1 lead. After the Naturals plated a run with a sac fly in the fourth to tie the game back up Ogando allowed a solo home run to fall behind once again.

The Drillers would pile three singles together in the fifth off Ogando for a run before getting an error and a two run home run in the sixth to push their advantage to 6-2. The Naturals offense went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position to fail to keep up and Andrew Edwards struggles after his DL stint continued with a pair of runs allowed while he was on the hill.

Boxscore Link

Emilio Ogando 6 IP 8 H 6 R 2 ER 0 BB 5 K 8-4 GO-FO 91p/67k
Donnie Dewees 3-4 R, 3b
Nick Dini 1-2 R, RBI, BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 Salem Red Sox 3 

The Rock mounted a late rally to take down the 1st half champs in Salem.

Trailing 3-0 after three innings the Rocks bullpen settled things down, tossing six straight zeros to give the offense some time to get back in the game.

A run in the sixth on four singles got things started with Roman Collins rbi single to drive in Chris DeVito accounted for the run in that inning. The next inning featured a pair of rbi hits as DeVito once again was in the middle of things, singling to drive in Wander Franco before Nathan Esposito’s two-bagger plated Chase Vallot. In the eighth inning, Cody Jones connected on his fourth hit of the night to start off the inning, doubling and then advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jecksson Flores. The Red Sox would walk All-Star Nicky Lopez before striking out D.J. Burt to get within an out of escaping the jam but Wander Franco would line a single to left to plate the lead run for Wilmington.

Wilmington’s Yunior Marte would retire two in the eighth after getting his club out of a seventh-inning jam before turning the ball over to Richard Lovelady. The hard-throwing southpaw would spin his way through four outs to record the save while earning his seventh save of the season.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 2-4 R, 2b, BB
Chris DeVito 2-5 R, 2b, RBI
Richard Lovelady 1.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K 1-2 GO-FO 10p/8k

Orem Owlz 10 Idaho Falls Chukars 6 

The Chukars starter put them behind the eight ball which lead to a home opening loss to the Angels rookie squad.

Starting pitcher Christopher Marte got tuned up for 10 hits and seven runs in just four innings while recording just one strikeout on the day.

Trailing 8-0 the Chukars would plate six runs to get back in the game but failed to get any closer, dropping their home opener in the process.

Outfielder Cristhian Vasquez had a good day at the plate going two for four with a pair of runs scored and two driven in.

Boxscore Link

Robby Rinn 2-4 RBI, BB
Tyler Straub 3-3 R, 3b, BB
Cristhian Vasquez 2-4 2R, 3b, 2 RBI

Kingsport Mets 16 Burlington Royals 1 

An ugly second game for the Burlington Royals against the Mets.

The pitching staff gave up 22 hits and 16 runs with five runs coming off starter Michael Messier with just one out recorded before Yerelmy Garcia gave up another five in two and two-third innings.

While the pitching staff was getting knocked around the Royals offense was getting little done on their own, collecting just four hits and one run in the blowout loss. Position player Ryan Dale finished off the night on the mound by tossing the final two innings while allowing five runs in the process.

Boxscore Link

Jeison Guzman 1-4 3b
Michael Gigliotti 1-3 R, BB, SB
J.C. Cloney 2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 3 K 2-1 GO-FO 20p/16k

DSL Royals 11 DSL Marlins 10

A wild one in the normally pitcher friendly Dominican League on Friday.

The Royals scored eight runs in the first five innings before being forced into making a comeback late. A pair of Royals pitchers worked five innings while limiting the Marlins to two runs with that five run lead. Catcher Felix Familia helped the Royals to an 8-2 lead through that time, doubling in a run in the first and scoring before scoring again in the fifth after reaching on a hit by pitch.

A pair of relievers couldn’t hang onto that lead, allowing eight runs in the seventh frame to put the Royals behind 10-8. Fortunately, the offense wasn’t done plugging the scoreboard for three runs with a Nicholas Febres rbi double before crossing the plate two more times on Marlins wild pitches to take the lead and the eventual win.

Boxscore Link

Maikel Garcia 3-3 R, 3b, 3 RBI, BB
Reynin Reynoso 2-3 2R, BB, 2 SB(3)
Nicolas Febres 2-4 2R, 2-2b, 2 RBI

HR Roll Call Ryan O’Hearn (9), Corey Toups (5), Kort Peterson (2), John Brontsema (2), Rudy Martin (2)

BPKC Hitter of the Day John Brontsema 4-4 5R, HR

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Scott Blewett 6 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 10 K 4-4 GO-FO 90p/58k

Omaha Storm Chasers 10 Oklahoma City Dodgers 6

For the second night in a row, the Chasers offense thumped their way to a win over the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate.

All nine Omaha hitters reached base in the game and middle of the order answered the bell with seven RBI in the game. The hitter in that group with the biggest night was designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn who slugged a three run home run in the first as part of a five run frame before doubling in a pair in the fourth inning.

The beneficiary of the 10 runs was pitcher Yender Caramo who got the win despite giving up 10 hits and five runs while striking out just one in six innings. Lefty reliever Eric Stout was solid as he has been all year, working two and two-third innings while allowing just one run in the time to calm things down before Seth Maness earned the save by recording one out in the ninth with the bases loaded.

Boxscore Link

Ruben Sosa 3-5 3R, 2-2b, 3b, BB
Jorge Soler 2-3 2R, RBI, 2BB
Ryan O’Hearn 2-5 2R, 2b, HR, 5 RBI

Suspended Game NW Arkansas Naturals 3 Tulsa Drillers 2 F/10
NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Tulsa Drillers 0 

The Naturals finished off a four game sweep of the Tulsa Drillers to pull within a game clinching the first half division win.

In extra innings of the suspended game shortstop, Humberto Arteaga drove in Donnie Dewees after his leadoff double to give NW Arkansas a 3-2 lead. Reliever Sam Selman worked the final three innings with just two baserunners allowed to earn the win.

In the second game starter, Zach Lovvorn worked six and two-third scoreless innings before handing things off the Tim Hill to close things down. Infielder Corey Toups homered in the first and scored in the fifth on a Samir Duenez double to help put the Naturals up 2-0.

Outfielder Donnie Dewees tripled in Arteaga in the sixth before scoring himself on an errant throw for a little league home run. From there Hill finished off the final two and one-third innings perfect to secure the win.

Boxscore Link G1
Boxscore Link G2

Corey Toups 2-4 2R, 2b, HR, RBI
Zach Lovvorn 6.2 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 8-7 GO-FO 101p/63k
Tim Hill 2.1  IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 2-4 GO-FO 23p/18k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 7 Salem Red Sox 0

The Blue Rocks continued their stellar pitching on Friday night to win another easy one, this time versus Salem.

Right-handed starter Scott Blewett put together likely the best start of his career, working six shutout innings. Dominating the Salem lineup that time while working around two singles and three walks by matching his career high with 10 strikeouts.

While Blewett was dominating the Wilmington offense was attacking, scoring seven runs from the second through the fifth. Infielder Wander Franco drove in a pair of runs with singles in the second and third innings.

Outfielder Anderson Miller paced the offense with three hits including a double and a triple while scoring one run and driving in another. The Carolina League All-Star has raised his average to .291 while improving his on-base percentage to .382 this season.

Reliever Matt Tenuta was just as strong as Blewett, working three perfect innings with six strikeouts to push the Rocks scoreless streak to 35.2 innings.

Boxscore Link

Matt Tenuta 3 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 6 K 2-1 GO-FO 49p/35k
Anderson Miller 3-5 R, 2b, 3b, RBI
Kort Peterson 2-3 2R, HR, BB

Lexington Legends 14 Hagerstown Suns 3

The Lexington offense exploded over the final three innings against Hagerstown in the first game of their series.

With the game tied 3-3, the Legends put up 11 runs in their final three frames with the team with the team pounding out 12 of their 18 hits including a pair of home runs from John Brontsema and Rudy Martin. For Brontsema that home run was part of a 4 for 4 game with five runs scored.

Starter Ofreidy Gomez earned the win with a season-high nine strikeouts.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-5 R, 2b, RBI, BB
Yeison Melo 3-4 3R, 2b, 4 RBI
Rudy Martin 2-5 HR, 5 RBI

DSL Astros 2 DSL Royals 0

The DSL Royals offense couldn’t muster any offense, going 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position while collecting just two hits in the game.

Starter Delvin Capellan took the tough luck loss despite giving up just an unearned run in five innings. The 18-year-old righty improved his line to 15 innings without an earned run allowed in his three starts with eight hits allowed, one walk against 16 strikeouts.

Boxscore Link

Delvin Capellan 5 IP 5 H 1 R 0 ER 0 bb 4 K 1-4 GO-FO
Daytan Biegel 1-3 2b
Edickson Soto 1-3

HR Roll Call Jorge Soler (7), Bubba Starling (4), Ruben Sosa (3), Khalil Lee (9)

BPKC Hitter of the Day Angelo Castellano 4-5 R, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Foster Griffin 7 IP 3 H 1 R 0 ER 2 BB 6 K 8-4 GO-FO 92p/59k

Omaha Storm Chasers 7 New Orleans Pelicans 1

The Chasers provided the offensive firepower while the pitching staff limited New Orleans to just one run.

After Jon Dziedzic gave up a solo home run in the second inning the Omaha offense scored a pair courtesy a Mike Aviles error, a run scoring single from Garin Cecchini and a sac fly from Terrance Gore.

The Chasers opened up the game in the third inning, scoring three runs courtesy of three home runs. Newcomer Ruben Sosa opened the inning with his first home run as a member of the Storm Chasers before Jorge Soler cleared the fence in left-center. After a walk to Ryan O’Hearn outfielder, Bubba Starling finished the scoring in the frame with his fourth home run of the season to push Omaha up 6-1.

Relievers Matt Peterson and Seth Maness combined with Dziedzic to keep the Marlins Triple-A affiliate off the board the rest of the night while Raul Mondesi capped the scoring for Omaha with a rbi single in the seventh.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 2-4 RBI, SB (14)
Jorge Soler 1-3 HR, 2K, BB
Bubba Starling 1-4 2R, HR, 2 RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 5 Springfield Cardinals 1

The Naturals received another outstanding start to finish off the series with Springfield and get back into a first place tie with the St. Louis Double-A squad.

One night after a complete game shutout by Corey Ray lefty Foster Griffin tossed six straight shutout innings to start the night. Attacking with his fastball and curveball Griffin walked just one before a fifth inning leadoff double put a runner in scoring position for the first time on the night for Springfield. That jam was navigated with an inning eating double play to keep the Naturals ahead.

NW Arkansas had built a lead in the first inning with a rbi sac fly by Mauricio Ramos and a single by Humberto Arteaga that scored Samir Duenez. That hit by Arteaga was one of two on the night to continue a stellar season of hitting at home for the shortstop, improving his home average to .362 on the year in 29 games.

The Naturals tacked on runs in the second and third inning, in the third, it was Ramos again driving in a run this time with a single. Those runs would be more than enough for Griffin and the Naturals as the lefty would allow just an unearned run in the seventh frame before turning things over to the bullpen.

The bullpen closed things out with Pedro Fernandez working a clean inning before Sam Selman k’d two to finish off the game. The two strikeouts by Selman gives him 44 in 27.1 innings this season, possibly putting him in a position to earn an audition at the major league level later this season.

Boxscore Link

Sam Selman 1 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 20p/13k
Humberto Arteaga 2-4 RBI
Samir Duenez 1-3 R, BB

Buies Creek Astros 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 4

The Blue Rocks had their four game win streak snapped after another inconsistent start from A.J. Puckett.

The Pepperdine product was in trouble throughout this one, giving up at least two hits in every inning that he completed before leaving with one on and no out in the fifth. A solo home run scored gave the Astros a 1-0 lead in the first before Puckett navigated back to back singles in both the second and third innings. In the fourth frame though Puckett was unable to get out of the trouble he caused, walking the leadoff batter and hitting a pair of batters around two singles allowed. Two more singles allowed by A.J. lead to four Buies Creek runs in the inning to push their advantage to 5-0.

Wilmington would charge back with four runs from the fifth through seventh innings. That would be as close as the Rocks would get however as reliever Yunior Marte’s control wavered leading to four walks and a couple runs allowed by the usually reliable relief pitcher.

Boxscore Link

A.J. Puckett 4 IP 11 H 5 R 5 ER 1 BB 5 K 4-3 GO-FO 96p/62k
Nicky Lopez 2-4 2b, 2RBI, BB
Anderson Miller 2-5 R, RBI

Lexington Legends 4 Hickory Crawdads 3

The Legends were three outs away from dropping their fourth game in a row Friday night on the road in Hickory.

Up to that point the only run, Lexington had scored was on a home run from leadoff hitter Khalil Lee, the 18-year-olds ninth of the season.  Prior to that home run, the Crawdads had taken a 2-0 lead with a rbi double from Yeyson Yrizarri and another single that brought him home one hitter later. Another rbi double by the Rangers Low-A squad in the fourth inning off Lexington starter Andre Davis pushed the score to 3-1.

That score held up until the ninth inning when the single train got started for the Legends. Leadoff man Rudy Martin started things off for Lexington with a line drive to right before Lee pushed him into scoring position with another single. Shortstop Angelo Castellano connected on his fourth hit of the night to score Martin, push Lee to third and pull the Legends within a run. A sacrifice fly by Gabe Cancel brought home the tying run before an attempted play at the plate missed out and allowed Castellano to get in and Lexington to take the lead.

After a blown save in his last outing, Grant Gavin worked a scoreless outing by sandwiching a pair strikeouts around a double to secure the win.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-5 2R, HR
Angelo Castellano 4-5 R, RBI
Andre Davis 4.2 IP 7 H 3 R 2 ER 1 BB 2 K 4-3 GO-FO 63p/39k

DSL Rays1 6 DSL Royals 4

The Dominican Royals squad took the lead three different times on Friday but were unable to hold onto it.

The Rays1 evened up the score in the sixth innings before taking the lead and eventually tacking on an insurance run to earn a series split.

Boxscore Link

Felix Familia 2-4 R, RBI, BB
Rubendy Jacquez 2-5 R, RBI
Reynin Reynosa 2-4 2R, 3b

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

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Donnie Dewees 2-4, 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, SB (8)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Corey Ray 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 13-6 GO-FO, 88p/60k

Omaha Storm Chasers 4, Nashville Sounds 2

Starter Luke Farrell tied a career high in strikeouts while the Chasers scored some late runs to take home a win over the Sounds.

After watching the Sounds knock six home runs off Omaha starters the last two nights, Farrell kept the ball in the park, allowing two runs on seven hits in his 6.2 innings. Those seven hits were limited to just two runs thanks to 10 strikeouts by the starter as he pounded the zone with 77 strikes on a career-high 116 pitches before leaving with his team trailing.

The Chasers would quickly get their starter off the hook, getting a two-out ground rule double from Raul Mondesi that was quickly cashed in on an error on a ball off the bat of Jorge Soler. Back to back singles by Ryan O’Hearn and Bubba Starling would score Soler to give Omaha 3-2 lead after seven innings.

The Chasers would tack on an insurance run in the eighth on a Garin Cecchini solo home run before reliever Malcom Culver closed things out in the ninth.

Boxscore Link

Luke Farrell 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 3-4 GO-FO, 116p/77k
Raul Mondesi 2-5, R, 2b
Bubba Starling 1-4, RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 5, Springfield Cardinals 0

The Naturals jumped on Springfield early and received a terrific effort on the mound to pull within one game of the first-place Cardinals.

The Naturals first two hitters in the lineup, Jack Lopez and Humberto Arteaga, both singled to start the game. After Lopez advanced to third on Arteaga’s single he was brought home via the groundout from Corey Toups to give NW Arkansas the 1-0 lead. A Mauricio Ramos single pushed Arteaga 90 feet away, from where he would score on a wild pitch. With the Cardinals starter wavering, Donnie Dewees would double up the score with his fifth home run of the year.

Those runs would be all that righty Corey Ray would need. Working his first complete game of his career, Ray kept the ball on the ground and navigated around just four hits. The Cardinals had just five at-bats with a runner in scoring position, going hitless while the former Aggie didn’t walk a hitter for the first time this season.

The Naturals tacked on a run in the eighth while their starter used just 88 pitches to complete the game and put his squad in position to even the standings tomorrow night.

Boxscore Link

Jack Lopez 2-3, R
Corey Toups 1-4, R, RBI
Mauricio Ramos 1-4, R

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Buies Creek Astros 3 F/15

The Blue Rocks needed extra innings to take game one with the High-A farm club of the Astros Thursday night.

Shortstop Nicky Lopez helped Wilmington to a 2-0 advantage early. The rising prospect walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on a wild pitch in the first. One inning later, it was a Lopez triple that pushed the advantage to two runs.

Starter Colin Rodgers worked five scoreless, allowing just a pair of a singles and two walks. The lefty put away four Astros with strikeouts and six with groundouts in the process, placing himself in a position to earn the win. That wouldn’t happen unfortunately, as lefty reliever Jacob Bodner struggled in his two innings, giving up three runs on five hits to put the Rocks behind 3-2.

That score would remain until the bottom of the ninth when an error and a pair of back to back singles helped the Rocks tie the game.

The two offenses would be put on ice for the next five innings until the bottom of the 15th. Still tied at three, the Rocks would get a one out single by Jecksson Flores to kickstart their inning. The infielder was pushed into scoring position on a walk of Chase Vallot. From there, Flores would come racing home on a Roman Collins double to walk things off for Wilmington.

Boxscore Link

Richard Lovelady 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 2-0 GO-FO, 47p/33k
Nicky Lopez 2-6, R, 3b, BB, RBI, 2SB(13)
Colin Rodgers 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 6-4 GO-FO, 86p/47k

Columbia Fireflies 8, Lexington Legends 0

The Legends didn’t have much going well in Columbia Thursday night in getting swept.

The offense put together just four singles while getting shut out, and the pitching staff was knocked around for 12 hits. Starter Travis Eckert took the loss, allowing four runs in four innings including a home run by Dash Willingham. The bullpen didn’t fare much better with Arnaldo Hernandez giving up a second home run to Willingham, and Geoffrey Bramblett allowing three runs to finish off the game.

Boxscore Link

Vance Tatum 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 14p/9k
Angelo Castellano 2-4
Rudy Martin 1-3

DSL Royals 3, DSL Rays1 2 f/10

The DSL Royals won a game in extra innings over the Rays squad to improve to 4-1.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning after a Brayant Aponte double that scored Edickson Soto. The Rays quickly answered in the eighth, scoring a run on a Royals throwing error.

The game went to extras where the new rule of starting a runner on second base was employed. The Royals, in their half on defense, quickly cut down the runner from second on a fielder’s choice when the catcher, Felix Familia, tossed out a runner at third. Back to back errors followed though, and the Rays took a lead on a single.

Trailing by one, the Royals started their inning with a sac bunt that was good enough to allow the runner to reach first. A hit by pitch and a sac fly error allowed the Royals to even the score and load the bases once again. After a pop out, catcher Felix Familia walked things off for the Royals with another sacrifice fly.

Boxscore Link

Brayant Aponte 2-3, 2b, BB, RBI
Wilmer Jimenez 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1-2 GO-FO
Kelvin Gonzalez 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 4-0 GO-FO

HR Roll Call Samir Duenez (8), Nick Dini (3), Gabe Cancel (5)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nick Dini 3-3 HR

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Anthony Bender 3 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 1-6 GO-FO 45/29k

Nashville Sounds 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 0 

Nashville starter Chris Smith combined with three Sounds relievers to no-hit the Omaha Storm Chasers on Wednesday night.

The Chasers offense didn’t threaten much the entire night as Smith worked six innings on 93 pitches, earning four strikeouts and seven groundouts before turning things to the bullpen. That pen featuring rehabbing Sean Doolittle worked three perfect innings before Simon Castro walked Ruben Sosa in the ninth. That walk would play no factor after Raul Mondesi and Jorge Soler would each groundout to finish the no-hitter.

Omaha’s Christian Binford took the loss after giving up four runs in five and one-third innings on seven hits. A day after Nashville, the league’s top home run hitting team, touched up Josh Staumont for four home runs they would send two out off Binford.

It was the first no-hitter at Werner Park and the first one versus an Omaha club since 2001.

Boxscore Link

Seth Manness 1 IP 0 H 0 BB 1 K
Raul Mondesi 0-3 BB
Christian Binford 5.1 IP 7 H 4 R 4 ER 3 BB 5 K 2 HR 5-3 GO-FO 102p/62k

Game 2
NW Arkansas Naturals 5 Springfield Cardinals 4 F/7

The Naturals made a final inning comeback to take the second game of their doubleheader with Springfield.

A solo home run from Nick Dini and a two-run job by Samir Duenez gave NW Arkansas a 3-2 lead at the end of the third inning. That lead held up until the fifth when rehabbing reliever Andrew Edwards gave up a pair of runs when he allowed a couple singles, hit a batter and walked another. The second run came in via a bases-loaded walk from reliever Tim Hill who was trying to get the Naturals out of the jam.

Down one run in the final inning, Duenez reached with a one out single. After a second out Donnie Dewees and Humberto Arteaga each singled, the second of which tied the game. Outfielder Logan Moon would walk to load the bases and setting up Alfredo Escalera. The outfielder came through with an infield single to the right side which allowed Dewees to score and walk things off for NW Arkansas.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-4 HR, 2 RBI
Donnie Dewees 2-4 R
Humberto Arteaga 2-4 RBI

Game 1
Springfield Cardinals 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 1 F/7

Lefty Emilio Ogando got off to a rough start in game one of the doubleheader, allowing four runs in the first. After a leadoff walk, the Cardinals Magneuris Sierra doubled to put a pair in scoring position. A pair of flyball outs gave the appearance that Ogando may get out of the inning with just one run allowed but a two out single brought in Sierra before a two run home run by Alex Mejia gave Springfield the four spot.

Those runs proved to be plenty with the Naturals getting just two runs on a two out single by Mauricio Ramos in the fifth inning.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups 1-3 R, SB
Emilio Ogando 6 IP 8 H 5 R 4 ER 1 BB 3 K 4-5 GO-FO 92p/59k
Mauricio Ramos 1-2 2 RBI

Columbia Fireflies 5 Lexington Legends 1

The Legends didn’t have much luck facing off against Mets pitching prospect Merandy Gonzalez on Wednesday afternoon.

The starter improved to 8-1 while pushing his ERA to 1.56 with just six innings of shutout ball while allowing just three Lexington singles and a walk while on the hill. Lexington starter Garrett Davila couldn’t match that output on his end, allowing 10 hits in five innings including five doubles which allowed Columbia to push five runs across.

The lone Legends run came via a ninth inning home run by Gabe Cancel, his fifth of the season.

Boxscore Link

Garett Davila 5 IP 10 H 5 R 5 ER 1 BB 1 K 3-5 GO-FO 95p/61k
Gabe Cancel 2-4 HR
Manny Olloque 2-4

DSL Marlins 6 DSL Royals 3

The DSL Royals dropped their first game of the season despite taking a 3-1 lead after four innings.

That lead was built on bases clearing double from Rubendy Jaquez that gave the Royals a two run lead. The Marlins answered back with a pair of runs in the fifth and the Royals bullpen couldn’t hold things down, giving up three more runs in the loss.

Boxscore Link 

Rubendy Jaquez 1-3 2b, 3 RBI
Felix Familia 1-4 R
Reynin Reynosa 2-3 BB

HR Roll Call: Jorge Soler (6), Donnie Dewees (4), Chase Vallot (6), Travis Maezes (3), Cody Jones (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Jorge Soler 2-3, HR, 2b, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Ofreidy Gomez 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 9-6 GO-FO, 97p/65k

Nashville Sounds 7, Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Josh Staumont got touched up by the A’s Triple-A squad Tuesday afternoon and took the loss in game two of the series.

The Nashville bats connected on four home runs off the hard throwing right-handed pitcher, getting a pair from Jaff Decker who came into the game with zero on the year. The home runs helped account for seven runs in five innings off Staumont, whose record dropped to 3-5 on the year.

Recently demoted outfielder Jorge Soler hit his second home run in as many days in the loss for Omaha.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 1-4, R, 2b, SB
Hunter Dozier 1-4, R, 2b
Ramon Torres 2-4

Springfield Cardinals 4, NW Arkansas Naturals 2

Naturals starter Zach Lovvorn danced around baserunners most of the night, allowing 10 hits and a pair of walks, but a couple runs in the second put him and his team behind early.

The offense could never dig out of the hole, getting a run in the second before scoring in the seventh after another Cardinals run, this one off reliever Jake Newberry.

The Cardinals tacked on another insurance run in the ninth which proved to be plenty as the Naturals lineup went silent in their half of the frame. The loss put NW Arkansas two games back of Springfield in the division.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 1-4
Donnie Dewees 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Humberto Arteaga 2-4, CS

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3, Down East Wood Ducks 2

The Rocks were held scoreless for eight innings, but erupted in the ninth for a comeback win over Down East to finish off the three-game sweep of the Rangers affiliate.

A run in the first on a sac fly off starter Jared Ruxer and another in the seventh with a run-scoring double via reliever Matt Tenuta put Wilmington down 2-0 heading into the ninth.

Facing reliever Tyler Ferguson in just his second High-A appearance of the year, the Wilmington bats came alive. First, it was pinch hitter Cody Jones with a leadoff homer in the ninth, lining a ball out to right-center to trim the lead in half. Just two hitters later,Chase Vallot knocked one out to left-center to tie the game up before Travis Maezes homered on a ball to center with two outs to give Wilmington the lead.

Reliever Yunior Marte came in and worked a scoreless ninth to finish off the three-game sweep for Wilmington, their second of the year.

Boxscore Link

D.J. Burt 2-3, BB, SB
Cody Jones 1-1, HR
Chase Vallot 1-4 HR

Columbia Fireflies 5 Lexington Legends 3

The usually reliable Grant Gavin struggled in relief to drop the Legends back to .500 in Columbia in game one of Lexington’s series.

Lexington built a 3-0 lead with an RBI single from Kort Peterson in the fourth inning and a two-run double from Meibrys Viloria in the seventh.

Things looked good heading into the eighth with Grant Gavin and his minuscule 0.34 ERA taking the hill, but the righty’s control wavered, walking three in the inning and giving up a two-out single that tied the game. Manager Scott Thorman turned to Matt Wynne but he was unable to escape further damage, giving up two more singles that brought home two more runs to put Lexington behind 5-3. The bullpen blow-up ruined a scoreless seven inning start from Ofreidy Gomez.

The Legends threatened in the ninth, putting the tying run on with no out, but failed to advance them home with a pair of strikeouts and a Manny Olloque flyout to end the game.

Boxscore Link

Kort Peterson 2-4, 2b, RBI
Emmanuel Rivera 2-3, R, BB
Meibrys Viloria 1-4, 2b, 2 RBI

DSL Royals 4 DSL Marlins 1

The DSL Royals pitched another quality game against the Marlins squad, improving to 3-0.

Three pitchers combined to limit the Marlins to one run on seven hits with seven strikeouts on the day. Designated hitter Felix Familia connected on a pair of hits whiles scoring one run and knocking in another.

Boxscore Link

Felix Familia 2-3, R, RBI, BB
Hector Pineda 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Rovaldis Cabrera 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 8-1 GO-FO

HR Roll Call: Jorge Soler (5), Bubba Starling (3), Brandon Downes (4), Ismaldo Rodriguez (2)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Bubba Starling 2-3, HR, 2b

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Miguel Almonte 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 75p/49k

Omaha Storm Chasers 4, Nashville Sounds 2

The Chasers scored a couple late runs to win the first game of their home series with Nashville.

Starter Miguel Almonte missed out on the win despite leaving with a 2-0 lead. The Royals righty worked five innings with eight strikeouts on just 75 pitches, navigating around five hits and a pair of walks. He did this with the strikeouts, but also got some help from his backstop Brayan Pena after he threw out a pair of would-be base stealers.

The lead was given to Almonte on home runs by Bubba Starling and Jorge Soler in the second inning. After reliever Brian Flynn gave up the lead on a two-run home run in the sixth, Omaha struck back with a run in their half of the inning. Prospect Hunter Dozier drove in that run with a single. In the seventh, Starling’s double pushed Terrance Gore to third where he would score on the next groundout from Dean Anna.

Reliever Malcom Culver worked a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save of the year.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4, RBI
Ramon Torres 2-4, R, SB
Jorge Soler 1-4, HR

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5, Down East Wood Ducks 4

The Rocks secured a series win in Kinston, North Carolina with a second win over the Rangers affiliate.

Wilmington built a 4-0 lead with a two-run single by catcher Nate Esposito in the second inning and solo runs in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Brandon Downes hit a 422 foot home run to left center, his third since coming off the disabled list on May 31st. An error pushed the advantage to four in the fourth before starter Andres Machado ran into some trouble in his half of the inning.

Starting just his second game of the year, Machado worked six innings, giving up three runs in the fourth on a pair of singles sandwiched around a triple and a hit batter. He got out of the inning with a double play to keep the lead.

In the seventh, Esposito came through with a one out RBI ground out to push the Wilmington lead back to two, giving reliever Franco Terrero just enough wiggle room to earn the save after giving up a solo home run in the ninth.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 2-4, HR, BB
Nathan Esposito 3-4, 3 RBI
Anderson Miller 2-4, 2-2b, BB, OF Assist

DSL Royals 2, DSL Red Sox 0

The Royals improved to 2-0 with a two run shoutout. First baseman Ismaldo Rodriguez hit his second home run in as many games while Delvin Capellan worked five scoreless innings for the win.

Boxscore Link

Delvin Capellan 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 5-3 GO-FO
Felix Familia 1-3, R, BB
Ismaldo Rodrigues 2-4, HR

HR Roll Call – Chris DeVito (8), Gabriel Cancel (4)
BP Kansas City Hitter of the Day – Chris DeVito: 2-3, HR, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI
BP Kansas City Pitcher of the Day – Randy Acevedo: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Nashville Sounds 12 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Jason Vargas moved up to Triple-A to continue his rehab assignment, and the Sounds welcomed him to the park by racking up five hits and three runs off of him in three innings of work. Andrew Edwards entered the game after Vargas, but didn’t fare any better, giving up five runs in less than one inning. Dillon Overton stymied Chasers’ bats for six innings, and Whit Merrifield was the only man to get an extra-base hit all night. Merrifield also was caught stealing for just the second time this season. The loss eliminated the Storm Chasers from postseason contention.

Boxscore Link

Orlando Calixte: 3-5, RBI
Dusty Coleman: 2-3, BB, R
Andrew Edwards: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

   Hagerstown Suns 3 Lexington Legends 1

Gerson Garabito matched Suns starter Taylor Guilbeau in allowing just one run over six innings, but unlike the Suns, the Legends bullpen could not keep the opponent off the board. Mark McCoy allowed eight baserunners in his 2.2 innings, with two of them scoring. The Legends offense simply could not muster anything after their one-run first inning, collecting just four hits while striking out 15 times. Chase Vallot did hit his 17th double, and a pair of walks bumped his on-base percentage up to .351 on the year.

Boxscore Link

Gerson Garabito: 6 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Roman Collins: 1-4, R
Chase Vallot: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 4 Grand Junction Rockies 5

A four-run seventh inning made it appear the Chukars would be able to pull out a victory, but a two-run home run in the eighth from Hunter Melton gave the Rockies the lead for good. Meibrys Viloria picked up his 22nd double of the year, driving in two. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get quite enough help from the rest of the lineup, as they went 2-10 with men in scoring position. Andres Machado delivered five innings, allowing three runs (one earned), and Alex Luna struck out three in two innings of work.

Boxscore Link

Nick Dini: 2-4, R
Meibrys Viloria: 1-2, 2B, BB, 2RBI
Andres Machado: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Greeneville Astros 3 Burlington Royals 7

Three Royals pitchers combined to strike out 16 Astros on the night, and a big night from 2016 draftee Chris DeVito was enough to power the offense to another victory. DeVito hit a two-run dinger, his eighth of the summer, while also scoring three runs. Nathan Esposito chipped in a pair of singles and two RBIs, while Nicky Lopez stole his 23rd base of the year as well. That’s 23 stolen bases in 53 games for the Creighton product. Alex Close picked up six strikeouts in 2.1 innings en route to picking up the win.

Boxscore Link

Gabriel Cancel: 1-4, HR, R, RBI
Alex Close: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Nathan Esposito: 2-4, R, 2 RBI (batting .344)

AZL Brewers 11 AZL Royals 10

The Royals were running wild on Brewers pitchers, swiping eight bags in this crazy affair. Most of the Royals runs were produced by the 9-1-2 portion of the batting order, with Jose Marquez, Jeison Guzman, and Cal Jones combining to go 10-15 with seven runs and sixRBIs. And they needed every bit of that offense, because Grant Gavin only went three innings, giving up seven hits and digging his team into a five-run hole. The Royals broke through in the middle innings to move ahead but, it wasn’t enough. Staked to a three-run eighth inning lead, Nathan Webb and Gustavo Tejada couldn’t hold the Brewers as they coughed up five runs in the frame.

Boxscore Link

Cal Jones: 4-4, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 3 SB
Jose Marquez: 4-5, 3 runs, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B, 2 SB
Jeison Guzman: 2-6, 1 run, 3 RBI

DSL Dodgers 3 DSL Royals 2 (11)

A strong performance from Randy Acevedo was not enough to extend the Royals win streak to six games, and a strange play allowed the Dodgers to take the game in the eleventh. It’s not often you see a strikeout, a wild pitch, and an errant throw by the first baseman, all on the same play, but that’s what it took to put the Dodgers in front. Four Royals had two hits on the day, however a 1-11 line with runners in scoring position kept them from doing more damage.

Boxscore Link

Juan Peguero: 2-3, 2B, RBI
Randy Acevedo: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (1.15 ERA this season)
Ismaldo Rodriguez: 2-3

HR Roll Call: D.J. Burt (3), Chris DeVito (2), Jecksson Flores (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day – Chris DeVito, 1-3, 2 R, HR, BB, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day – Kris Medlen 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Omaha Storm Chasers 4, Nashville Sounds 2

Omaha’s offense smacked 13 hits, overcoming three errors by the defense, for a win in the Music City. Kris Medlen, making his first rehab start at Omaha, limited the Sounds to two hits and a walk in 4 2/3 innings, while striking out five. He threw 69 pitches, 49 for strikes. The only run he allowed was unearned due to a throwing error by shortstop Ramon Torres. Meanwhile, Reymond Fuentes picked up three hits, while four different Storm Chasers had two hits. Irving Falu had the big hit, cracking a bases-loaded single in the fifth to break a 1-1 tie. And a hat tip to Kevin McCarthy, who struck out the rehabbing Josh Reddick to end the game with the tying runs on base for his second save of the year.

Boxscore link

Reymond Fuentes: 3-5, R
Jorge Bonifacio: 2-5, 2 R, 2B
Irving Falu: 2-4, 2B, 3 RBI

Tulsa Drillers 2, Northwest Arkansas Naturals 0

Despite outhitting Tulsa, the Naturals were shut out. Northwest Arkansas collected eight hits, but six were singles. Starter Ashton Goudeau allowed five hits and three walks in six innings of work while striking out just one batter. Tulsa pushed across single runs in the second and fourth innings, giving them just enough of a cushion. The Naturals went 1-11 with runners in scoring position and left the bases loaded in the fourth. They also lost a scoring chance when Terrance Gore grounded into a double play (pitcher to home to third) with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh.

Boxscore link

Frank Schwindel: 2-4
Cam Gallagher: 1-2, 2 BB
Corey Toups: 1-4, 2B

Winston-Salem Dash 4, Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

Wilmington starter Matt Tenuta left the game in the second inning with a sore shoulder, and reliever Colin Rodgers allowed two inherited runners to score as Winston-Salem put up a four-spot in the frame to cruise to victory. Tenuta had allowed a walk and a single, but with two flyouts was almost out of trouble with only one run scoring. But he walked one more hitter before being removed in the middle of an at-bat. Rodgers finished that at-bat by walking the hitter and then gave up a bases-loaded double to give the Dash a 4-0 lead. On the bright side, that was the only hit Rodgers allowed in 5 1/3 innings of relief. The Blue Rocks could only manage six hits, with their lone run coming in the fourth as Brandon Downes walked and Elier Hernandez doubled. Raul Mondesi, in the first game of his rehab assignment following his 50-game suspension, went 0-4 with three strikeouts.

Boxscore link

Elier Hernandez: 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB
Humberto Arteaga: 2-3, BB
Colin Rodgers: 5 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K

Hagerstown Suns 7, Lexington Legends 2

Another rough start for Nolan Watson, who allowed eight hits and four runs in just 3 2/3 innings. That put the Legends in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Watson fell to 2-7 with an 8.18 ERA for the season. Torey Deshazier allowed three more runs in 3 1/3 innings of relief pitching to put the game out of reach. Lexington could only muster six hits, although two of them were home runs. Unfortunately both were solo shots, one by D.J. Burt in the first inning and the other by Jecksson Flores in the third.

Boxscore link

Anderson Miller: 2-4, 2B
Roman Collins: 0-2, 2 BB
Gabe Cramer: 2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Grand Junction Rockies 4, Idaho Falls Chukars 2

The Chukars fell behind early and couldn’t come back from a 3-0 deficit. Starter Andres Machado worked four innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks, although he did pick up five strikeouts. Drew Milligan followed with 2 1/3 innings of relief, giving up a run on two hits and two walks while striking out four. The Chukars took advantage of a wild pitch and a passed ball to score two runs in the fourth. With two outs and one on, Nick Heath struck out but reached on a passed ball. Ryan Dale doubled to drive in two but Idaho Falls could not add any more runs.

Boxscore link

Yeison Melo: 3-4, 3B
David Edwards: 2-4, R
Ryan Dale: 1-3, 2B, BB, 2 RBI

Burlington Royals 5, Princeton Rays 0

Burlington picked up its first win of the young season with an easy 5-0 victory. Three Royals combined on the six-hit shutout, with Garrett Davila earning the win by holding Princeton to three hits in 5 2/3 innings. On offense, Burlington collected nine hits, including Chris DeVito’s second home run of the year. Every starter except Nicky Lopez had at least one hit, but Lopez drew two walks.

Boxscore link

Chris DeVito: 1-3, 2 R, HR, BB, 2 RBI
Tyler Straub: 2-3, R
Garrett Davila: 5 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 5 K

DSL Royals 6, DSL Phillies 4

The Royals jumped out to a nice early lead, scoring four runs in the first three innings. After the Phillies closed the gap to 4-3, the Royals responded with two more runs in the sixth for an insurmountable lead. The Royals pounded out 10 hits, including two doubles and two triples and also stole three bases. The Royals improved to 11-6 on the season with the win.

Boxscore link

Janser Lara: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Esteury Ruiz: 2-5, R, RBI, 3B
Angel Medina: 2-5, R, RBI, 3B
Andres Martin: 2-4, 2 R, 2B
Juan Peguero: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B

HR Roll Call: Ryan O’Hearn (10)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Mike Hill 3-5, 2-2b, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Corey Ray 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 8-2 GO-FO, 88p/56k

New Orleans Zephyrs 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Chasers offense has gone on a trip. Unfortunately, it’s not on the same trip that Omaha is on currently. The offense mustered just four hits Saturday, scoring a first inning run prior to getting blanked for the final eight. For the Chasers it was the fourth time in the last five games they have scored two runs or fewer while seeing their losing streak extend to five games. Starter John Lannan missed a quality start by 1/3 of a inning with three runs allowed and falling to 5-5 with the loss. Jorge Bonifacio knocked in Omaha’s only run with a single in the first.

Boxscore Link

Irving Falu 1-4, 2b, R
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4, RBI
Joe Beimel 1 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Arkansas Travelers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Naturals built a three run lead in the first on the back of a two-run home run by Ryan O’Hearn, only to watch the pitching staff give it up over the course of the game. Pedro Fernandez made his first start in nearly a month, working 3.2 innings while allowing a pair of runs before giving way to the pen. Reliever Matt Alvarez surrendered a pair of runs on three hits in his first Double-A outing, giving up the lead in the fourth inning. The game stayed there until the ninth when a single by Jack Lopez drove in Bubba Starling to tie it up. The Travelers quickly ended it in the bottom half on a one-out bases-loaded single.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Carlos Garcia 1-4, R, BB
Pedro Fernandez 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 5-5 GO-FO, 67p/36k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 Salem Red Sox 1

The Rocks were no-hit for 4.2 innings before a Brandon Downes broken bat single gave the team a heartbeat. With the pitching staff limiting the potent Red Sox lineup to just one run, it gave the offense enough time to mount a rally. That came in the seventh, when a two out rally took place with a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk, the second single off the bat of Nick Dini drove in Downes to knot the game up. One hitter later, Rocks newcomer Brian Bien drove in Josh Banuelos to give Wilmington the lead. Lefty Colin Rodgers who had entered the previous inning, worked the final two innings scoreless to give Wilmington the win and a 2-1 series lead.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 2-4, R, SB (7)
Nick Dini 1-3, RBI
Colin Rodgers 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Lexington Legends 8 Hagertown Nationals 5

The Legends offense woke up after a long slumber to snap their seven game losing streak. Every hitter in the lineup had at least one hit on the night. Struggling shortstop Marten Gasparini led the charge by reaching base four times, scoring a run and driving in another. Third baseman Mike Hill has been one of the bright spots in the lineup, hitting .375 since May 1, and he continued his hot hitting with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Starter Nolan Watson was the beneficiary of the  scoring for Lexington, earning his second win despite four runs (3 ER) allowed over five innings of work.

Boxscore Link

Marten Gasparini 2-3, R, 2BB, 2SB (7), RBI
Nolan Watson 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, 6-4 GO-FO, 69p/50k
Samir Duenez 2-5, R, 2b, 3 RBI

DSL Astros 2 DSL Royals 1

A pair of runs late gave the Royals their second consecutive loss.

Boxscore Link 

Christopher Marte 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 5-5 GO-FO
Freddy Fermin 2-3, 2b
Andres Martin 1-4, RBI