BPKC Hitter of the Day Samir Duenez 4-4 R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Elvis Luciano 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 9 K 6-4 GO-FO 89p/61k

Lexington Legends 11 Hagerstown Suns 1

The Legends offense had a big night on Friday to gain a victory over the Nationals Low-A club. Three hitters did much of the heavy lifting with Nick Pratto, Manny Olloque, and Cristian Perez each reaching base four times while combining for 10 of Lexington’s 15 hits. With the game tied 1-1 in the third inning Pratto’s eleventh home run of the season gave Lexington a lead, they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night. After MJ Melendez drove in a run an inning later with a groundout Pratto upped the lead to 4-1 with a double. In the fifth, it was a Perez double pushing the advantage to 5-1 before a six-run seventh blew the game wide open. Starter Daniel Lynch worked just three innings due to a limited workload, giving up the first home run of his young career while striking out two. Rule 5 draftee Daniel Duarte was outstanding in replacement of Lynch, tossing three hitless innings with five strikeouts to earn the win.

Daniel Lynch 3 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 2K 4-1 GO-FO 32p/23k
Manny Olloque 4-5 2R, RBI
Cristian Perez 4-5 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Salem Red Sox 2

The Rocks broke their losing streak on Friday with a big night at the dish by a few different hitters. The 1-2 hitters in the lineup Blake Perkins and Rudy Martin accounted for three runs apiece with Perkins scoring three, Martin scoring one and driving in a pair. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera joined those two with four runs driven in with three doubles to help Wilmington score eight runs. Those runs were plenty for Ofreidy Gomez who went seven innings with just a run allowed before turning things to Justin Camp and Tyler Zuber for the win.

Ofreidy Gomez 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 8-4 GO-FO 91p/66k
Emmanuel Rivera 3-5 3-2b, 4 RBI
Rudy Martin 3-4 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Springfield Cardinals 3

The ten players that made it up to bat in this one for NW Arkansas each reached base at least once with Samir Duenez and Xavier Fernandez leading the charge. Fernandez tripled in a run and scored in the second inning before Duenez doubled in a run during the three-run frame. The two each hit home runs in the middle innings with Fernandez connecting on a solo home run in the fourth before Duenez hit a two-run job in the fifth. An inning later Nick Heath tripled in a pair and scored to put NW Arkansas up 9-3 for their eventual winning margin.

Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5
Xavier Fernandez 3-5 3R, HR, 3b, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin 6 IP 11 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 0 K 9-4 Go-FO 86p/59k

Iowa Cubs 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Scott Barlow got roughed up by the ICubs in his first rehab start back, giving up three home runs and eight runs in just an inning and one-third. Those runs were too much to overcome for the Chasers with the team going 4 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

Nicky Lopez 2-3 R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Frank Schwindel 2-5
Donnie Dewees 2-5 2b, RBI

Burlington Royals 5 Kingsport Mets 1

The Royals received another solid start from Elvis Luciano as the pitcher the Royals acquired in the Jon Jay deal set new career highs in strikeouts and innings. Working seven innings of one-run ball in this one while striking out nine hitters with 17 swinging strikes on the evening. After allowing a first-inning run the Royals got a run back in the third inning with an Eric Cole single before scoring two more in the fourth. In the seventh, a wild pitch moved the lead to 4-1 prior to Cole singling in another. Reliever Kyle Hinton worked the final two innings scoreless with four strikeouts.

Eric Cole 2-5 2 RBI
Jose Marquez 2-3 2R, 2-3b, 2 BB
Freddy Fermin 3-5 R, 2b

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Khalil Lee 3-4, R, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Gerson Garabito 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 9-3 GO-FO, 99p/65k

Round Rock Express 5, Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The four-run sixth frame against starter Zach Lovvorn pushed the Chasers deficit to 5-1, which proved too much to overcome on Sunday. It was Lovvorn’s third consecutive loss and his third outing in a row of five runs or more allowed as the righty gave up five hits, four for doubles, and two walks in his six innings. The Chasers went 0-4 with runners in scoring position, scoring their only runs with solo home runs by Frank Schwindel and Donnie Dewees.

Josh Staumont: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 22p/14k
Frank Schwindel: 1-4, HR
Donnie Dewees: 1-3, HR, BB, 2K

NW Arkansas Naturals 5, Tulsa Drillers 2

The Naturals received a second consecutive quality start from Emilio Ogando while the Naturals bats did enough against Mitchell White, the Dodgers #9 prospect (Baseball America), to earn the win. A four-run third inning that featured four Naturals hits and a leadoff error by the Drillers was the key. Samir Duenez drove in a pair with a single and scored on Alex Liddi’s double to put the Naturals up 4-0. A Khalil Lee RBI double countered the Drillers run in the fifth. From there, Ogando and the bullpen did the rest with three relievers tossing the final three innings to earn the win.

Erick Mejia: 1-4, R, SB (26)
Samir Duenez: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, BB
Anderson Miller: 1-3, 2b, BB, SB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8, Frederick Keys 1 – F/7

The Rocks used some erratic Frederick pitching in the first inning to build a lead and starter Gerson Garabito made it stand up in a complete game effort. A leadoff walk to Blake Perkins was the first of four walks in an inning that also featured a pair of hit by pitches and two singles during the six-run first inning. A leadoff walk to Emmanuel Rivera in the second led to another run and Gabe Cancel’s double in the third pushed the advantage to 8-0. The only blemish on Garabito’s line was a third-inning solo home run as the Dominican right-hander completed the seven inning game with just one run allowed on five hits. It was Garabito’s third start of seven innings in his last four.

Gabe Cancel: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B
Blake Perkins: 1-3, R, RBI, 2BB
D.J. Burt: 2-3, R, RBI, BB

Gm1 – Burlington Royals 9, Greeneville Reds 2
Gm2 – Greeneville Reds 6, Burlington Royals 1

Eight runs in the first three innings keyed the Royals victory in the first game with leadoff hitter Jeison Guzman scoring a pair of runs and Eric Cole driving in three while scoring two of his own. Starter Austin Cox earned the win while pitching five innings with two runs (1 ER) allowed during that time. The second game went the other route with starter Marlin Willis giving up five runs (4 ER) on four hits and five walks in just 3.1 innings. The offense was unable to counter, connecting on just three hits in the seven inning shortened game.

Eric Cole 2-7, 2R, 2b, 3 RBI, BB
Jose Marquez 2-6, 3R, 2-2b, 2BB, 2 SB
Jeison Guzman 3-4, 2R, BB, SB

Idaho Falls Chukars 12, Missoula Osprey 8

The Chukars offense built a big lead early and hung on for a win late. The lineup put up 14 hits, walked eight times and scored 12 runs with an 11-4 lead through five innings. Outfielder Jose Caraballo keyed the way with two runs scored and four runs driven in with his 3-5 day at the plate. Starter Jon Heasley struggled in the first inning surrendering four runs (3 ER), with three of those runs coming on a home run. The right-hander finished off his four innings before giving way to Domingo Pena who tossed the final five innings around four runs given up.

Offerman Collado: 3-6, R, 2b, RBI
Jose Caraballo: 3-5, 2R, 2b, 4 RBI, BB
Angel Medina: 2-5, R, 2-2b, 2 RBI

Sunday Boxscores

Monday Probables

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

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

Lexington Legends 2 Greensboro Grasshoppers 1

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

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

Frederick Keys 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

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

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

Corpus Christi Hooks 15 NW Arkansas Naturals 6

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

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

Greeneville Reds 4 Burlington Royals 2

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

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

Monday Boxscores

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

BPKC Hitter of the Day Emmanuel Rivers 4-6 2R, 2-2b, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Andres Sotillet 9 IP 7 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 10 K 7-6 GO-FO 113p/79k

The Royals signed a pair of international prospects in OF Jaswel De Los Santos and Japanese 16 year old pitcher Kaito Yuki.

Lexington Legends 5 Greensboro Grasshoppers 0

The Legends received one of their best pitching performance of the season on Saturday night as right-hander Andres Sotillet dominated the Greensboro lineup for a complete game shutout. Setting a new career high in strikeouts the Venezuelan born 21-year old put away 10 hitters via strikeout while allowing just seven hits on 113 pitches (79 strikes) during the outing. The offense was led by Sotillet’s batterymate, MJ Melendez as the catcher drove in four of the team’s five runs with a solo home run in the second, a two-run double in the second and a rbi groundout in the seventh.

MJ Melendez 2-4 HR, 2b, 4 RBI
Brewer Hicklen 2-3 2R, HR, RBI, BB, 2 SB
Cal Jones 2-3 R

Wilmington Blue Rocks 9 Lynchburg Hillcats 7 F/13

The Rocks welcomed Emmanuel Rivera back in the lineup with the third baseman helping lead the way to an extra-inning win. The third baseman connected on four hits including a pair of doubles while driving in three and scoring two himself. The two teams were tied after nine innings where they exchanged runs through 12 innings before D.J. Burt’s twelfth inning singled scored two and reliever Tyler Zuber closed out the inning to earn the save.

Gabe Cancel 1-5 3R, BB
Rudy Martin 1-5 3K
Jace Vines 6 IP 7 H 2 R 2 ER BB 3 K 7-3 GO-FO 84p/57k

Corpus Christi Hooks 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 0

Starter Scott Blewett got off to a slow start, giving up three consecutive hits to start the game including a two-run double. After recording one out Blewett walked the bases loaded before giving up a two-out single to put the Naturals down 4-0. From there Blewett would give up just one hit over his final four innings of work while the NW Arkansas offense mustered just six singles in a shutout loss.

Khalil Lee 1-4
Grant Gavin 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 1 K 2-1 GO-FO 33p/17k
Scott Blewett 5 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 4 K 5-2 GO-FO 82p/55k

Memphis Redbirds 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The two teams exchanged multiple run innings but Memphis did a tad more in this win. Three consecutive hits to start the second inning off Jake Kalish led to three runs in that inning with Oscar Mercado’s double and a one-out single by Alex Mejia accounted for all three Memphis runs. The Chasers countered with a pair of runs in the fifth on a rbi single by Donnie Dewees and Billy Burns but had just one hit over the final four innings to drop the game.

Nicky Lopez 1-4
Donnie Dewees 1-3 RBI
Jake Kalish 7 IP 9 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 5 K 4-4 GO-FO 95p/71k

Burlington Royals 2 Greeneville Reds 1

The Royals got a late home run from Jackson Lueck to snap their losing streak after receiving some quality pitching. Starter Malcolm Van Buren who came in with seven runs allowed in two and two-thirds innings tossed five one-run innings. The hard-throwing right-hander struckout five hitters in that time while allowing five hits and one walk. The two teams exchanged runs in the fifth inning before Lueck’s eighth-inning home run gave Burlington the eventual lead and the win.

Jackson Lueck 1-4 HR, 3K
Jose Marquez 2-3 2b
Malcolm Van Buren 5 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 4-4 GO-FO 72p/46k

Idaho Falls Chukars 11 Orem Owlz 8

For the second night in a row, the Chukars broke out the big bats in Orem. A pair of two-run home runs by Reed Rohlman and Nick Hutchins helped lead the way as the combined nine hits, four walks with three Orem errors to help put up three runs in the second and six more in the fifth as they built a 9-1 lead. Second-round pick Jonathan Bowlan did plenty with that lead, tossing five innings with just one run allowed on two hits and two walks while striking out six on just 61 pitches. The Hutchins home run in the seventh pushed the advantage to 11-1. The relief corp of Nathan Webb and Christopher Marte struggled, giving up seven runs in two and two-thirds innings before Jaret Hellinger closed out the game.

Jonathan Bowlan 5 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 6 K 6-3 GO-FO 61p/41k
Reed Rohlman 2-5 2R, HR, 2 RBI
Nick Hutchins 2-4 3R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI

Saturday Boxscores

Sunday Probables
Omaha – Glenn Sparkman 7-3 3.96 ERA 1.27 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Foster Griffin 3-10 6.00 ERA 1.58 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 2-7 4.06 ERA 1.55 WHIP
Lexington – Yefri Del Rosario 0-4 6.95 ERA 1.68 WHIP
Burlington – Austin Cox 0-1 0.00 ERA 0.90 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Jon Heasley 0-0 4.66 ERA 1.86 WHIP
Surprise – Adrian Alcantara 1-0 5.68 ERA 1.89 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Luis Villegas 1-1, 2RBI, BB, SAC

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jace Vines 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 9-4 GO-FO, 96p/59k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1 – F/7
Myrtle Beach Pelicans 10, Wilmington Blue Rocks 1 – F/7

The Rocks Khalil Lee scored a pair of runs early and starter Jace Vines made it stand up in the first game of the doubleheader, throwing a complete game. The former Texas A&M pitcher negotiated five hits and three walks in his seven innings thanks to his usual high number of groundouts, collecting nine to earn his second win.

In game two, Anthony Bender struggled with his control while failing to limit contact as well. Despite the right-hander regularly working in the mid to upper 90s, he’s failing to capitalize on that velocity, striking out just 5.3 hitters per nine. Additionally, Bender is walking 6.8 per nine while giving up more than a hit per inning which all speaks to a firm fastball. Wednesday, it was more of the same with Bender walking four and allowing seven hits which led to seven runs. The Rocks got a run on a single, a walk and a groundout in the second, but didn’t get another hit until the sixth inning in the loss.

Khalil Lee: 1-4, 2R, BB, HBP, SB (8), 2K
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-5, R, BB
Meibrys Viloria: 1-5, RBI, BB, 0-1 CS-Att

NW Arkansas Naturals 5, Arkansas Travelers 4 – F/8

Three consecutive singles jump-started the fourth inning for the Naturals. The third single came off the bat of Jecksson Flores, scoring Nicky Lopez. A throwing error by the pitcher on an Anderson Miller bunt scored another and pushed Miller and Flores into scoring position. A passed ball and another single, this one by Luis Villegas, scored both runners to flip a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead. Starter Zach Lovvorn gave up two runs the next inning but was able to get through six innings for a quality start before handing things off to the bullpen. A Villegas sac fly scored Miller in the sixth as insurance before the rain came in the eighth, ending the game early, in a Naturals win.

Nicky Lopez 1-4 R
Jecksson Flores 1-4, R, RBI
Franco Terrero 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 14p/9k

Thursday Probables
Omaha – Scott Barlow 1-1, 2.66 ERA, 1.33 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Scott Blewett 1-3, 5.19 ERA, 1.82 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 1-3, 5.40 ERA, 1.88 WHIP
Lexington – Nolan Watson 2-3, 7.88 ERA, 1.81 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Erick Mejia 4-5 2R, 2b, 2 HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Garrett Davila 7 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 10-6 GO-FO 96p/57k

Recent Transactions Lexington – Activated IF Ricky Aracena, Dennicher Carrasco from DL. Optioned to Idaho Falls IF Julio Gonzalez, activated from Arizona LHP Robert Garcia.

Wilmington – LHP Josh Mitchell, Oli Nunez promoted from Lexington, RHP Jared Ruxer and OF Brandon Downes promoted to NW Arkansas

NW Arkansas P Jacob Bodner retired, received RHP Andres Machado from Omaha

Omaha RHP Glenn Sparkman promoted from NW Arkansas

Lexington Legends 7 Greenville Drive 3

The Legends starter Garrett Davila did his job on Sunday, working seven innings of one-run ball. The lefty who had struggled with his control last year at the same level walked just one hitter in the game while tossing 57 strikes on 96 pitches and keeping the ball low in the zone to also earn 10 groundouts. With the game tied 1-1 after six, the Legends broke things open with a two-run triple by Jeison Guzman in the seventh to take a 3-1 lead before putting it away in the eighth. In that eighth frame, Nick Pratto opened the inning with his sixth home run of the season before Dennicher Carrasco’s fourth pushed the advantage to 7-1. The Drive scored a couple in the ninth off Tyler Zuber but it was already over after Lexington’s power display.

Seuly Matias: 0-1 R, 2BB, HBP
Nick Pratto: 1-4 HR
Sebastian Rivero: 2-4 R

Carolina Mudcats 6 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

The Rocks offense struggled for the second game in a row against the Brewers High-A squad, getting just a three-run home run by Emmanuel Rivera for the offense in their second consecutive loss. The loss was also the fifth in their last six games for Wilmington with starter Cristian Castillo surrendering five runs in six innings on eight hits, five of which were of the extra base variety.  Outfielder Kort Peterson continued his hot hitting with two hits, improving his average to .327 on the season with a .908 OPS on the season.

Khalil Lee: 0-3 R, BB
Emmanuel Rivera: 1-4 HR, 3 RBI
Kort Peterson: 2-3 R, SB, HBP

NW Arkansas Naturals 11 Tulsa Drillers 8

The Naturals hot hitting offense was back at it again on Sunday, jumping on Tulsa starter Devin Smeltzer in his four innings of work. Again it was the top four hitters in the lineup doing much of the damage for the Naturals with Erick Mejia leading the charge with a multi-home run game, the second of his career. The bottom third of the order chipped in with six hits including Anderson Miller’s second home run of the season. Starter Emilio Ogando couldn’t escape the fifth frame to earn the win, allowing five runs before yielding to Walker Sheller who allowed a run for the first time at Double-A on a two-out single in the sixth. The NW Arkansas 10-1 lead was eventually slashed to 11-7 on Franco Terrero’s seventh home run allowed in 14 appearances, Tulsa’s fifth against him. Reliever Jake Newberry gave up a run in the ninth before getting a strikeout to end the threat.

Donnie Dewees: 2-5 2R, 2b
Nicky Lopez: 1-5 R, 2b, RBI
Elier Hernandez: 2-4 R, 2b, RBI, SB (4)

Omaha Storm Chasers 4 New Orleans Baby Cakes 2

The Chasers received a quality start from Glenn Sparkman in his first appearance with Omaha on Sunday in New Orleans. After working through Double-A with just one walk allowed in seven starts Sparkman walked a pair in this one but also limited the Baby Cakes offense to just four hits, allowing only a sixth inning run on a pair of two-out hits. The struggling Chasers offense did enough for Sparkman to earn that first Triple-A win, manufacturing a pair of runs in the fifth with a sac fly and bunt single that scored another. A fielding error in the ninth on a ball hit by Cam Gallagher led to another run before a double play scored the Chasers fourth in the game. Reliever Josh Staumont walked the bases loaded in the ninth but Eric Stout helped him out of the jam by getting the final two outs of the inning with just a run allowed to secure the save for the Chasers.

Cam Gallagher: 2-4 R, RBI, 1-3 CS-Att
Josh Staumont: 0.2 IP 0 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 1 K 0-1 GO-FO 28p/11k
Ryan O’Hearn: 1-3 2R, BB

Sunday Boxscores

Monday Probables
Omaha – Trevor Oaks 2-3 3.67 ERA 1.40 WHIP
NW Arkansas – TBD
Lexington – Dan Tillo 1-1 3.72 ERA 1.13 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Seuly Matias 2-4 2HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jon Dziedzic 7 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 8 K 8-2 GO-FO 96p/65k

Delmarva Shorebirds 9 Lexington Legends 5

Coming into this game Janser Lara was exhibiting better control, having walked fewer than 3 per 9 innings while showing off the good fastball and breaking ball combination to miss bats. That wasn’t the case on this night though as the Latin right-hander struggled with the zone, throwing just 39 strikes among his 70 pitches while walking three and allowing six hits in just three innings of work. It wasn’t a ton of hard contact with four of the five singles coming on the ground and the other as a soft line drive but the high pitch counts and the wild pitch and errors drove him out of the game early. Piggyback partner Andres Sotillet was also knocked around on his arrival into the game, allowing three runs on eleven hits over the final six innings. The closest the Legends got after the third inning was a three-run deficit in the eighth inning on Seuly Matias’s second two-run home run on the night.

Nick Pratto: 1-4 R, 2b
Jeison Guzman: 3-4 2R, HR
Brewer Hicklen: 2-4 2b

Carolina Mudcats 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

Hard throwing Ofreidy Gomez struggled with the zone and threw a few too many hittable pitches in Carolina in game one of the series with the Mudcats. The right-hander that works in the low to mid 90s hit the zone with just 53 of 99 pitches, walked three and gave up six hits and four runs in four and two-thirds. Trailing 4-1 after a rain delay Emmanuel Rivera doubled to left-center to bring Wilmington within a run but Xavier Fernandez and Chris DeVito would fail to advance him home, ending the rally in the inning and eventually the game.

Emmanuel Rivera: 2-4 2b, 2 RBI
Khalil Lee: 1-4 2k, SB(7)
D.J. Burt: 1-4 R, BB

Tulsa Drillers 9 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

The Drillers got to Foster Griffin early and late while the offense had plenty of hits but didn’t do enough damage with them in a loss. Three separate two-out doubles plated a single run in the first and two more in the second against Griffin while the Naturals answered with just a run-scoring double by newly promoted Brandon Downes over the first two innings. Zeroes went up over the next three innings before another two-out two run double in the sixth added to the tally against Griffin. From there the Drillers tacked on against the bullpen while the Naturals added a couple of late runs in a loss.

Nicky Lopez: 2-5
Brandon Downes: 2-4 2b, HR, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin: 7 IP 10 H 5 R 5 ER 1 BB 5K 8-3 GO-FO 97p/62k

Omaha Storm Chasers 3 Iowa Cubs 2

The Chasers received an outstanding start from Jonathan Dziedzic to snap their losing skid. The lefty spun seven innings of scoreless ball allowing just three hits while filling the zone with 65 strikes on 96 pitches in that time. The eight strikeouts for Jon was a season high and a nice rebound effort from the seven runs he allowed against New Orleans. The game was scoreless until the seventh when Paulo Orlando unloaded on a three-run home run to give the Chasers all they would need to secure a win.

Hunter Dozier: 1-3 BB
Ryan O’Hearn: 1-3 BB
Cam Gallagher: 1-4 R

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Heath Fillmyer 2-2 5.46 ERA 1.54 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 0-3 5.90 ERA 1.45 WHIP
Wilmington – Gerson Garabito 1-2 2.12 ERA 1.18 WHIP
Lexington – Nolan Watson 2-2 6.33 ERA 1.74 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day Nick Pratto 3-5 3R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI 

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Janser Lara 4 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K 2-2 GO-FO 55p/33k

Lexington Legends 11 Charleston RiverDogs 4

The Legends offense liked their first visit to the Yankees Low-A stadium in Charleston with the club connecting on fifteen hits Friday night. The squad scored runs in six of the nine innings including a five-run third frame that included back to back doubles by Seuly Matias and MJ Melendez. A Nick Pratto two-run blast in the sixth inning pushed the advantage to 10-4 which was more than enough for Andres Sotillet and Janser Lara. In his piggyback role, Lara struckout five hitters against just one hit allowed over the final four innings to earn the save.

Seuly Matias 2-5 R, 2-2b, RBI, 2K
MJ Melendez 2-4 2R, 2b, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
Marten Gasparini 2-5 R, 2-2b

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Frederick Keys 5

The Carolina League’s most patient squad was back at it against Frederick in the first game of their series. The offense walked eight times on the night with three different hitters walking twice while the also connected on eleven hits to push across eight runs despite a 2 for 10 effort with runners in scoring position. Infielder D.J. Burt drove in three runs on the night while also connecting on his first extra-base hit with a double that drove in a run in the fifth. That two-run inning was the first of four consecutive two-run innings that led to the eventual win. Newly promoted reliever Carter Hope got the win with two innings of one-run ball (0 ER) as his comeback effort jumped to the next level before handing things off to Matt Wynne for the win.

Jace Vines 6 IP 5 H 4 R 4 ER 3 BB 2 K 12-2 GO-FO 80p/46k
Emmanuel Rivera 2-3 HR, 2BB
D.J. Burt 2-4 2b, 3 RBI, BB

Springfield Cardinals 9 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

Starter Foster Griffin struggled the second time through the lineup Friday, giving up a pair of runs in the third before running into more trouble in the fifth. The lefty made an error in the fifth which opened up a five run frame, tagging him with six runs on the night. That was more than enough to put the game out of reach while the Naturals offense collected just six hits and one run.

Nicky Lopez 2-3 BB
Anderson Miller 2-4 2b, RBI
Foster Griffin 4.2 IP 6 H 6 R 4 ER 3 BB 1 K 6-3 GO-FO 79p/47k

New Orleans Baby Cakes 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 4

The Chasers Jon Dziedzic struggled in the sixth inning, giving up five singles and a walk before reliever Wily Peralta gave up a triple that allowed two runners still on base when he left. That run of hits pegged seven runs to Dziedzic’s line and left the Omaha offense too far behind. Leadoff Adalberto Mondesi struggled in his first game back at Werner Park going 0-4 with four strikeouts while the offense went 3-11 with runners in scoring position.

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4
Hunter Dozier 1=4 2 RBI
Humberto Arteaga 2-3 R, BB hitting .288

Friday Boxscores

Saturday Probables
Omaha – Andres Machado 0-3 7.91 ERA 2.02 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 0-3 5.84 ERA 1.34 WHIP
Wilmington – Anthony Bender 1-0 3.79 ERA 1.74 WHIP
Lexington – Nolan Watson 2-1 5.79 ERA 1.59 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Weekend: Elier Hernandez 7-13 3R, 2-2b, 4 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Weekend: Ofreidy Gomez 6 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 9 K 5-3 GO-FO 85p/56k

Sunday Lexington Legends 9 West Virginia Power 4
Saturday West Virginia Power 4 Lexington Legends 2
Friday West Virginia Power 6 Lexington Legends 0

The Legends were far too concerned with the umpire’s strikezone on Friday night, regularly talking to him after they were caught looking in a fifteen strikeout evening. Starter Dan Tillo was hurt by well-placed groundballs, giving up five runs in four and two-thirds innings while walking four, the lefty will need to miss more bats to succeed at upper levels. Saturday’s game saw the Legends limited to just five hits in defeat. In Sunday’s series finale the Pirates Low-A affiliate fumbled away multiple opportunities to end the first inning helping Lexington score seven runs in the frame. Starter Nolan Watson was the recipient of the run output to improve his record to 2-1 with a quality start from the former 1st rounder. Top five prospects Seuly Matias (7) and MJ Melendez (3) hit back to back home runs in the fourth inning to put the game away.

Hot – Sebastian Rivero, primarily thought of as a defensive catcher Rivero has hit well in his introduction to Low-A ball with a .344 average over his last ten games prior to Sunday. In addition the average he has also flexed his muscle with a pair of home runs while also just missing one on Saturday, hitting one to the wall. The defense is already strong for the nineteen-year-old and should he prove he can hit then he’ll move up the Royals organization charts quite quickly.

Not – 2017 11th round selection Sal Biasi has given up runs in his last three appearances including home runs in his last two. The righty has missed bats with 13 strikeouts in 8.1 innings but seven walks to go with eight hits has yielded far too much damage in the early going.

Sunday Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Winston-Salem Dash 0
Saturday Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Winston-Salem Dash 1
Friday Winston-Salem Dash 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0

The Rocks and Dash swapped pitching performances on Friday and Saturday with three pitchers limiting the Blue Rocks to just four hits on Friday before Jace Vines and company held the Dash to five on Saturday. It was a solid start for Vines, limiting the opponent to just a solo home run over five and two-thirds innings, his second solid outing in a row after a very rough start to his season. On Sunday the Rocks used a three-run blast from Brandon Downes and excellent pitching by Ofreidy Gomez to take the series win. The Dominican born Gomez struckout nine hitters in six innings as he was commanding his curveball and fastball, reaching as high as 95 mph according to the stadium gun. He often misses plenty of bats but with his erratic control, he often doesn’t see the results one would expect.

Hot – Emmanuel Rivera, the third baseman has a hit in 11 of 13 games going into Sunday which has raised his average to .280 from .182 following the April 13th game. The Royals #10 prospect in my preseason rankings has played excellent third base defense for the Rocks and is now showing the bat they expected as he takes advantage of the spacious confines of Wilmington’s stadium.

Not – Khalil Lee, after a fast start in his first 10 games of the season, the nineteen-year-old has slowed up hitting just .091 in his last ten games. Going into the season strikeouts were a concern for the outfielder but he’s dropped his k-rate (down 6%) some while upping his walk rate (20.7%). Turning more contact into production is the next step for Lee.

Sunday Tulsa Drillers 3 NW Arkansas Naturals 2
Saturday NW Arkansas Naturals 6 Tulsa Drillers 2
Friday Tulsa Drillers 2 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

The Naturals received quality pitching efforts on both Friday and Saturday against the Dodgers affiliate. Friday’s two-run start by Glenn Sparkman was wasted with the offense limited to just one run on three hits. Building innings for Sparkman and getting his legs underneath him should be a big priority as he hasn’t broken 100 innings since 2014. Saturday’s performance by Foster Griffin was one of his best with the lefty striking out nine hitters over seven innings while yielding just an unearned run. The Naturals backed Griffin with four runs off starter Dennis Santana including three runs scored on the evening by Elier Hernandez. On Sunday the Naturals plated a pair in the first on an Elier Hernandez single but could do no more, going 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. A two-run double off of starter Zach Lovvorn gave Tulsa a 3-2 advantage in the fourth and would ultimately decide the game. The Royals prospect thought he had k’d hitter Will Smith a pitch earlier and was visibly upset.

Hot – Elier Hernandez, the 2011 signee has got the bat rolling over his past nine games going into Sunday, hitting .382 with six doubles in that time. Last season Hernandez appeared to have it going before a collision in the outfield wiped out his season. It’s easy to forget that he still hasn’t reached his 24th birthday and shouldn’t be given up on by Royals fans.

Not – Alredo Escalera, the 2012 draftee may have maxed out his talent at Double-A. In his third season with the Naturals, Escalera has gotten off to a brutal start, hitting just .120 in his first 14 games with 23 strikeouts in 50 at-bats.

Sunday Colorado Springs 7 Omaha Storm Chasers 3
Saturday Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2
Friday Omaha Storm Chasers 6 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 5 F/10

The Chasers won in extra innings on Friday after reliever Brandon Maurer had given up the lead in his inning and two-thirds of work, allowing three runs in that time. Just four hits for Omaha on the night but they made every one of them count and pushed a pair of runs across in the extra inning before Jason Adam shut things down. Saturday the Chasers managed more hits but went just 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position to be limited to just two runs. Starter Jon Dziedzic gave up three runs in the second innings to take the loss, all three were unearned after a leadoff error but the lefty hurt his own cause with a wild pitch that plated one of the runs as well. Forced into a spot start Seth Manness got knocked around for four runs in four and two-thirds innings on eight hits before giving way to Wily Peralta who gave up three runs in just an inning and two-thirds. Reliever Josh Staumont gave up a hit which allowed an inherited run in but struckout five of the other six hitters he faced, giving him 22 K’s in 10.1 innings for the season.

Hot – Jason Adam, back with the Royals after injury-plagued seasons with the Twins and Padres the former ’10 draftee looks better than ever. Up to 98 mph by multiple reports, Adam is dominating hitters with 22 strikeouts in 15.1 innings against just 12 baserunners allowed in that time.

Not – Brandon Maurer, the move to Triple-A for the reliever was supposed to help him get things corrected but that hasn’t happened yet as he’s given up eight hits, six walks, and seven runs in just five and two-thirds innings for Omaha.

Sunday Boxscores
Saturday Boxscores
Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Rudy Martin 1-1 2R, HR, SB (9), PO (1), 3BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yunior Marte 2.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 0-1 GO-FO 33p/22k

Transactions – Cal Jones (6th Rd 2016) and Janser Lara were promoted to Lexington from extended spring training while Dillon Drabble was moved to the Burlington Royals roster.

Lexington Legends 6 Augusta Green Jackets 5

The Legends continued their winning ways with a win in the opening of Augusta’s new SRP Park. The early season recipe has been to fall behind and then come back with a big inning to take back the lead and the eventual win. That’s the recipe and with a pair of mistakes that led to a three-run frame and a 5-1 deficit after five innings. Lexington scored in the sixth on a Seuly Matias RBI single to pull within three runs. One frame later came the big inning with an error helping to load the bags with no outs for the Legends. At that point, Nick Pratto singled in a pair, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch that also scored Marten Gasparini to tie the game. A walk of MJ Melendez and an error on a pickoff throw allowed Pratto to score, giving Lexington the lead in the sixth. The pen shut things down over the final four frames with Andrew Beckwith finishing the final one and one-third scoreless to secure his first save of the season.

Nick Pratto: 1-4 R, SB, 2 RBI, BB
Jeison Guzman: 2-4 R, RBI, SB
Seuly Matias: 1-4 RBI, BB, SB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 Lynchburg Hillcats 2

The Rocks home opener turned into the Rudy Martin show on Thursday evening for Wilmington. The speedster was on base all night long, took attention each time and showed off a little power. After leading off the game with a walk, Martin was picked off on the second pickoff attempt by starter Zach Plesac, the first time he’s been picked off this season. Starter Anthony Bender would work around baserunners most of the night, allowing five hits and a pair of walks in his four innings but yielding just an unearned run in that time. Plesac would no-hit the Rocks for five innings, yielding four walks, including a pair to Rudy Martin who stole his ninth base in the third inning but was left stranded. Trailing 1-0 into the sixth and still without a hit, Martin would jump on a 0-1 pitch, taking it out to right-center for his first home run of the season to knot up the game 1-1. The Rocks took a brief 2-1 lead but Ofreidy Gomez’s control got lost, and it was quickly tied at 2-2. With the game tied into the bottom of the eighth, Martin walked for the third time in the game, continuously drew throw after throw to first before advancing first to third on a single by Emmanuel Rivera that drew a throw, allowing Rivera to advance to second. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Chris DeVito would connect on a line drive to right to drive them both in, giving Wilmington a lead that Walker Sheller would secure in the ninth for the win.

Rudy Martin: 1-1 2R, HR, 3 BB, SB (9), PO (1)
Khalil Lee: 0-3 BB, OF Assist
Emmanuel Rivera: 1-4 R

Corpus Christi Hooks 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The Naturals pitching wavered and the bats couldn’t push runners around the bases despite 11 hits on the night. Starter Zach Lovvorn could muster just three and two-thirds innings as he nibbled around the zone, walked four, gave up three hits and a pair of runs. That second run had tied the game up after Alfredo Escalera had given the Naturals a 2-1 lead with his two-run double in the top of the fourth inning. Tied at 2-2 NW Arkansas squandered runners on second with no outs in both the fifth and sixth innings before going silent for the rest of the game. Reliever Yunior Marte kept things silent for the next two innings, but Corey Ray couldn’t match that effort, quickly giving up a run after facing just three hitters before giving up another run and taking the eventual loss.

Donnie Dewees: 3-4 R
Samir Duenez: 1-4 2b
Nicky Lopez: 2-4

Memphis Redbirds 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 4

Jonathan Dziedzic’s defense didn’t do him any favors in another loss on Thursday for the Chasers. Errors in both the first and third innings led to runs, with a Tyler Collins error on what should’ve been the second out without any baserunners opening things up for a three-run inning. The Chasers offense ,which hadn’t scored more than two runs in any game coming in, woke up slightly with a pair of solo home runs by Frank Schwindel and Nick Dini in addition to a pair of RBI by Hunter Dozier. That wouldn’t be enough after Wily Peralta gave up a run in his inning of work and the Chasers stranded Jack Lopez at second in the ninth after a one-out double.

Ryan O’Hearn: 1-4
Frank Schwindel: 2-4 HR
Hunter Dozier: 1-3 2 RBI