HR Roll Call: Frank Schwindel (22), Khalil Lee (17), Joe Dudek (9), Reed Rohlman (4), Cal Jones (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Frank Schwindel 3-3 2R, HR, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Travis Eckert 7 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 3 K 7-6 GO-FO 86p/50k

Round Rock Express 10 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Chasers pitchers didn’t have much luck limiting Round Rock’s offense on Monday night, allowing 18 hits and a pair of walks in a 10-3 romp. Starter Onelki Garcia got touched up early and often, allowing eight runs in the first three innings of this one. It was a run of singles with just two extra base hits allowed, but it was death by many cuts of the two Chasers pitchers.

On offense Frank Schwindel led the way with another big night on offense, going 3 for 3 while hitting his 22nd home run of the season.

Boxscore Link

Frank Schwindel 3-3 2R, HR, BB
Raul Mondesi 0-3
Ramon Torres 0-4
Hunter Dozier 1-3 R, 2b, BB

Lexington Legends 3 Asheville Tourists 2

Starter Travis Eckert had a solid night, allowing just a second inning run while allowing only two singles over seven innings. With that quality pitching, the Legends offense rewarded him with three runs. After Vance Vizcaino scored on a two out error in the fourth inning Joe Dudek homered in the fifth and Khalil Lee went deep in the sixth to give Lexington a 3-1 lead.

Reliever Collin Snider gave up a solo home run in the eighth, but finished off the game to secure his first save for Lexington.

Boxscore Link

Emmanuel Rivera 1-3 BB
Khalil Lee 1-4 HR
Gabe Cancel 0-4 K

Grand Junction Rockies 17 Idaho Falls Chukars 6

A rough night of pitching for the Chukars with all three pitchers giving up four runs or more in a blowout at the hands of the Rockies rookie squad.

The Chukars squad couldn’t match the power the opposition put up connecting on four doubles compared to the nine extra base hits by Grand Junction including three home runs.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 0-4 R, BB
Travis Jones 3-5 2R, 2b, RBI

Bluefield Blue Jays 12 Burlington Royals 4

The Blue Jays kept the Royals offense at bay thanks to 15 strikeouts spread among their four pitchers.

The Royals hit a pair of home runs, but had limited opportunities to score beyond that, going 1 for 4 with runners in scoring position. This while Bluefield connected often with an 8 for 18 effort, scoring a run on all four Royals pitchers.

Boxscore Link

Cal Jones 2-5 HR, 3 RBI
Seuly Matias 1-4 3K

AZL Royals 5 AZL Padres 1

A couple relievers followed up starter Charlie Neuweiler with scoreless work after the 2017 draftee tossed four and one-third innings of one run ball. The right-handed 5th round pick allowed five baserunners in his time, allowing the one run allowed on three mistakes that he made in the third inning. In that inning, Neuweiler hit the leadoff man, Denzell Gowdy, advanced him on a pickoff throwing error and then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed him to score once he had moved to third on a groundout.

The game was tied at 1-1 until the ninth when the Royals plated four runs, two of which came in on a Cristian Perez double.

Boxscore Link

Cristian Perez 2-4 2b, 3 RBI
MJ Melendez 1-4 3b, BB
Nick Pratto 0-3 BB

DSL Astros Blue 3 DSL Royals 2

The Royals fell behind when three straight singles in the third inning led to a pair of Astros Blue runs. After a fourth inning sac fly and a rbi single in the seventh by Paul Mondesi tied the game up the Astros reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the seventh on their own sacrifice fly. The Royals threatened in the eighth but failed to score before going down in order in the ninth to take the loss.

Boxscore Link

Angel Zerpa 3.2 Ip 2 H 1 R 1 ER 4 BB 2 K HBP 2-2 GO-FO
Kember Nacero 0-4

HR Roll Call: Raul Mondesi (8), Angel Medina (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Joe Dudek 2-3, R, 2b, RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Anthony Bender 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3-3 GO-FO, 58p/40k

DSL Royals 3, DSL Braves 2

The DSL Royals walked off for another win in the 10th inning.

Each team exchanged solo runs in the third and fifth innings, with the Royals scoring on a wild pitch in the third and on a Felix Familia single in the fifth frame. The two teams were scoreless until the tenth when the teams were provided runners on second base. The Royals worked around the Braves runner in the tenth by earning a double play to get out of the inning scoreless. In their half of the tenth inning, a single pushed runner Reynin Reynoso to third base where he would score on Ismaldo Rodriguez’s walk-off single.

Boxscore Link

Felix Familia 2-5, RBI
Adrian Alcantara 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 6-0 GO-FO
Ismaldo Rodriguez 1-3, RBI, 2 BB

AZL Padres 7, AZL Royals 6

The AZL Royals fell behind early and came up just short late in a second consecutive loss.

Righty Malcolm Van Buren got back on the mound after Tommy John surgery, but lasted just three batters, walking a pair and giving up a hit before getting tagged for two runs in the inning and getting lifted. The Royals tied it up, but the Padres kept the pressure on, scoring two runs in the fourth and fifth innings before pushing their lead to 7-2 in the seventh.

The Padres gave some back in the Royals half of the seventh, allowing three runs in the inning, two of which came via a passed ball and a wild pitch. The Royals pulled within a run after an RBI single from Cristian Perez but could get no closer when Nick Pratto flew out to end the game.

Boxscore Link

Nick Pratto 1-5
Esteury Ruiz 1-4 R
Charlie Neuweiler 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HR, 3-0 GO-FO

Burlington Royals 4, Bluefield Blue Jays 2

After winning their first game of the year by completing their suspended game, the Royals added to the win column in game two.

In this one, they received good pitching from three different pitchers with JC Cloney, Tyler Falwell and Kevin Lenik each working three innings, with Falwell allowing the only two runs among the threesome.

In the fourth, Julio Gonzalez created his own offense by walking and stealing a pair of bases before scoring on groundout. Two innings later, Gonzalez scored the second run in the inning, stealing third again to set up a sac fly off the bat of Sebastian Rivero. The Royals scored in the seventh on a passed ball to pad their lead and take home a win despite being outhit 10-6.

Boxscore Link

Sebastian Rivero 2-3, RBI
Cal Jones 2-5, R, SB
Julio Gonzalez 0-4, 2R, 3 SB, BB

Grand Junction Rockies 14, Idaho Falls Chukars 3

The Rockies pummeled the Chukars pitching staff, connecting on 18 hits and scoring 14 runs in a rout.

The Idaho Falls lineup connected on just six hits of their own, while the Rockies had six extra base hits as part of their 18-hit output. The two teams combined for nine errors in the ugly affair that took three and a half hours to complete.

Boxscore Link

Andres Sotillet 3.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, HR
Amalani Fukofuka 2-5, R
Darrell Miller 2-5, 2 RBI

Lexington Legends 6, Columbia Fireflies 5

The Legends gave up a lead in the ninth only to come back and walk it off in their half of the inning.

Starter Andre Davis made it just 2.2 innings after Columbia ran his pitch count up in the third, leaving with one run allowed and six strikeouts before giving way to Anthony Bender. The righthander gave the Legends four quality innings, striking out six with just an unearned run allowed while leaving with the lead.

A pair of walks and an RBI single by Joe Dudek prior to an error that scored another run in the fourth helped Lexington take a 2-1 lead. Catcher Meibrys Viloria quickly expanded the lead to 4-1 with a two-run double on a line drive to right field.

Things were going swimmingly with two outs in the ninth but an ejection and a long drawn out walk off the field may have ruined reliever Matt Wynne’s groove. After the ejection, the reliever gave up a single to bring up the leading run to the plate. That run was quickly converted with a three-run home run by Milton Ramos to give Columbia a brief lead.

It was brief because the Legends quickly came back in the home half, getting a Joe Dudek double prior to a run-scoring single by Gabe Cancel. After a sac bunt by Meibrys Viloria pushed Cancel into scoring position, outfielder Yeison Melo connected on a line drive to right that brought home Cancel to walk it off for the Legends.

Boxscore Link

Yeison Melo 2-4, RBI
Joe Dudek 2-3, R, 2b, RBI, BB
Meibrys Viloria 1-3, 2b, 2 RBI

Frederick Keys 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

Starter Scott Blewett continued to get a few strikeouts, but the Orioles High-A affiliate connected plenty to limit him to just 4.2 innings.

The O’s big time hitting prospect Ryan Mountcastle homered in the first inning and doubled in the third ahead of another home run by the Keys. A pair of doubles in the fifth did Blewett in and gave the Frederick a 5-0 lead. All of these extra base hits were sandwiched around eight strikeouts for the big righty. That gives him 20 strikeouts in his last 16.2 innings.

The Wilmington offense was no-hit until two outs in the eighth when Cody Jones singled to break up the no-no. The shutout ended in the ninth when the Rocks scored a run on a double play.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 1-3, 2b, BB, 1.105 OPS in 15 games
DJ Burt 1-3, BB
Scott Blewett 4.2 IP, 7H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 2 HR, 3-3 GO-FO, 101p/65k

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 14, Omaha Storm Chasers 6
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 10, Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Chasers pitching staff continued their struggles in Colorado Springs, giving up 24 runs in just 12 innings of pitching in the doubleheader on Tuesday.

While the Sky Sox were bashing Christian Binford, Seth Manness and Jon Dziedzic for five home runs and 28 hits in the two games, the Chasers offense wasn’t doing near the damage. The Omaha offense connected on 15 hits and eight runs total, with Raul Mondesi connecting on the only home run in the two game sweep.

Boxscore Link G1
Boxscore Link G2

Raul Mondesi 2-6, HR, 2 RBI
Jorge Soler 1-3, BB
Ryan O’Hearn 2-7, R, 2 K

HR Roll Call Jorge Bonifacio (19), Brandon Dulin 2 (8)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Brandon Dulin 2 gms 3-6 3R, 2b, 2 HR, 4 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Garrett Davila 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 4 K 5-5 GO-FO

Round Rock Express 7 Omaha Storm Chasers 3 

Lefty John Lannan was knocked around in his relief inning of Jake Junis to stretch a 2-1 deficit into a 7-1 hole during the Chasers loss. A solo home run by Jorge Bonifacio provided Omaha their only run through eight innings before landing a pair of runs in the ninth. Starter Jake Junis tossed five innings, giving up a two run home run to Matt Duffy, getting the loss.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Bonifacio 2-3 HR, BB
Daniel Nava 1-3 R, 2b, BB
Jake Junis 5 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 3 K 6-4 GO-FO 67p/41k

NW Arkansas Naturals 5 Tulsa Drillers 4 F/11

The Naturals and Drillers exchanged runs until extras in game two of their series. The Naturals answered a three-run fourth with a three-run inning of their own, getting three consecutive singles to plate one and a two-run double from Humberto Arteaga to tie the game up. A single by Alfredo Escalera in the sixth gave NW Arkansas a short-lived lead after Tulsa tied it in the eighth. The game would head to the eleventh inning where a bases loaded single by Frank Schwindel would walk it off for the Naturals to tie things up in the division race with Arkansas.

Boxscore Link

Josh Staumont 6 Ip 6 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 8 K 4-3 GO-FO 90p/56k
Samir Duenez 3-5 R, 2b, RBI, SB (25)
Alfredo Escalera 2-6 R, RBI, SB (10)

Carolina Mudcats 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 

The Rocks offense had trouble making contact in their loss Wednesday. Over nine innings, the offense collected seven hits and a pair of walks, scoring both of their runs in the seventh inning. The offense struggled to plate those two runs due, in part, to 15 strikeouts as the starter for Carolina, Matt Withrow, put away 11 Rocks in six innings. The lack of run support gave Wilmington starter Matt Tenuta his tenth loss after giving up three runs in six innings.

Boxscore Link

Matt Tenuta 6 IP 8 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 1 K 3-8 GO-FO 89p/60k
Robert Pehl 2-3 RBI, BB
Chad Johnson 2-4 R, 3b

Game 1
Augusta GreenJackets 4 Lexington Legends 3

A game went the GreenJackets way when they outscored the Legends and shut down a rally in the seventh inning Wednesday. Each teams starting pitchers were solid in their six innings, both working around five base runners to get through six innings with the game knotted at 2-2 after both teams plated a pair in the fourth inning. Reliever Matt Ditman entered in the seventh frame, and things didn’t go well, allowing a solo home run to the leadoff hitter before giving up a single, a steal and a sac fly to put Lexington behind 4-2. The Legends would threaten with a pair of doubles and plate a run, but strikeout would leave the tying runner at second.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Dulin 2-3 2R, HR, 2b, 2 RBI
Xavier Fernandez 1-3 R
Emilio Ogando 6 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 8 K 3-7 GO-FO 96p/66k

Game 2
Lexington Legends 4 Augusta GreenJackets 3

In game two, Scott Blewett worked four scoreless to help the Legends out to a 2-0 lead. After giving up a run in the fifth inning, the Legends first baseman Brandon Dulin blasted a two run home run to build the lead to 4-1. The game would get to the seventh at 4-1 where Blewett would give up a home run and a double before turning things over to the bullpen. That double would come across to score with Franco Terrero on the hill by way of a pair of singles, but the righty reliever would finish of the game with a pair of ground outs.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Dulin 1-3 HR, 2 RBI
David Edwards 2-3 R, 3b
Scott Blewett 6 IP 5 H 3 R 2 ER 3 BB 6 K 11-0 GO-FO 85p/56k

Ogden Raptors 9 Idaho Falls Chukars 5

The Chukars fell into a big deficit and fell short despite a comeback in the third game versus Ogden. Idaho Falls Alex Luna was knocked around in his 4.2 innings, giving up nine runs on 10 hits including a pair of two run home runs to put his team behind 9-1 before he left. From there, Idaho Falls received shutout baseball by reliever Reinaldo Cepin over 4.1 innings, but the offense couldn’t close the eight run gap entirely, coming up four runs short with their two run ninth frame.

Boxscore Link

Luke Willis 3-5 2R, RBI
Yeison Melo 3-5 R, 2b
Joe Dudek 2-3 2b, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Burlington Royals 4 Danville Braves 0

The Royals kept their winning ways, improving to 42-25 with their win in Danville. Nine hits and two walks lead to four Burlington runs while the pitching staff spun another shutout. Lefty Garrett Davila improved to 7-0 with six scoreless innings, striking out four against four singles and a pair of walks. A bullpen of Alex Massey and Michael Silva finished off three innings with just a walk allowed while striking out three hitters to earn Burlington’s eleventh shutout of the year.

Boxscore Link

Michael Silva 2 IP 0 H 0 R 1 BB 2 K
Kort Peterson 2-4 3 RBI, BB, SB (7)
Garrett Davila 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 BB 2 BB 4 K 5-5 GO-FO

Playoffs

AZL Angels 5 AZL Royals 0

The Royals stay in the AZL playoffs didn’t last long, getting shutout Wednesday in a 5-0 defeat. Local product Cole Duensing combined with five other Angels pitchers to keep the Royals bats silent over nine innings, allowing just four hits and three walks while the group of six pitchers earned 14 strikeouts. A pair of second inning errors by Khalil Lee and Wander Franco lead to two unearned Angels runs off starter Anthony Bender that stood up until the ninth inning. In the ninth, the Angels put the game away with three runs to expand their eventual winning margin to 5-0. Despite the loss the Arizona Royals had a solid season finishing 31-25.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 1-4
Jeison Guzman 1-2 2b, 2BB
Anthony Bender 6 IP 3 H 2 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 8-3 GO-FO

HR Roll Call: Orlando Calixte (11), Ryan O’Hearn (21), Joe Dudek (5)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Ryan O’Hearn 3-5, HR, 5 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Corey Ray 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 4-5 GO-FO, 101p/60k

Round Rock Express 2 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

A pair of pitching staffs kept the two offenses at bay, except for one inning in the Chasers loss Tuesday night. The Express plated two runs off Jonathan Dziedzic with a sac fly and a run-scoring triple in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead. The Chasers answered with a solo home run from Orlando Calixte before both offenses went cold and failed to cross the plate the rest of the night. The Royals Wade Davis pitched the sixth for Omaha, giving up a one-out double before striking out two hitters to complete a scoreless frame. He was followed by rehabbing Kris Medlen who also tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. The Chasers have six games left in their season.

Boxscore Link

Wade Davis 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GO/AO, 15p/13k
Jorge Bonifacio 3-3, BB
Orlando Calixte 2-4, HR

NW Arkansas Naturals 11 Tulsa Drillers 6 

The Naturals exploded in the game’s opening three innings for 10 runs to walk away with an easy win in the opener with Tulsa. A first inning wild pitch, plus a double from Frank Schwindel and a single by Samir Duenez, gave NW Arkansas a 3-0 lead. That lead quickly expanded to 7-0 in the second on Alfredo Escaper’s run-scoring single and a Ryan O’Hearn three-run home run, his 21st of the year. The hits kept coming in the third inning when Mauricio Ramos connected on a double to plate Humberto Arteaga and run-scoring singles from O’Hearn and Schwindel to push the advantage to 10-0. The waiting for the offense to finish their innings may have drained starter Yender Caramo who gave up four runs in the fifth, but he managed to finish the frame to earn his fifth Double-A win. The victory allowed the Naturals to keep pace with first place Arkansas who also won. There are three games left in this series before the Naturals turn to a possible division-deciding series with the Travelers.

Boxscore Link

Frank Schwindel 4-5, R, 2 RBI
Samir Duenez 2-5, RBI
Humberto Arteaga 3-4, 2R, SB (15)

Game 1
Wilmington Blue Rocks 9 Carolina Mudcats 1

The Rocks dominated game one with three Wilmington players doing plenty of damage to Carolina. Outfielder Anderson Miller plated the game’s first run with a double to drive Cody Jones home in the first, before scoring himself on a Luis Villegas single. That would be all the offense Corey Ray would need on the day as the righty dominated the first six innings of the outing, allowing just a single and a walk while striking out seven Mudcats. Those two runs stood up until the Rocks plated three runs in the sixth with a Robert Pehl single to plate one before Miller brought Pehl home with a bases-loaded walk. Up 5-0, Wilmington put the game well out of hand in the seventh with doubles by Pehl and Miller that pushed three runs across as part of a four-run inning on the way to a 9-1 win.

Boxscore Link

Robert Pehl 3-4, 2R, 2b, 3 RBI
Anderson Miller 2-3, R, 2-2b, 3 RBI
Corey Ray 6.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

Game 2
Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Carolina Mudcats 2

In game two, the Rocks used a bullpen effort to earn a doubleheader sweep. A four-run sixth inning broke open a 1-1 game when Austin Bailey singled in front of a Robert Pehl two-run double as part of the inning. The Mudcats would plate a run in the seventh, but Brennan Henry would finish off the inning for the win.

Boxscore Link

Kyle Kubat 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Robert Pehl 1-2, R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Brian Bien 2-2, RBI

Augusta GreenJackets 2 Lexington Legends 1

The Legends could push just one run across due to a 2 for 9 performance with runners in scoring position on Tuesday, costing them a game. The Lexington pitching staff fared well, striking out 10 with starter Gerson Garabito putting away six in four innings. A run allowed by Mark McCoy in the seventh put Lexington behind 2-0 on a pair of extra base hits to start the inning. A pair of hits in the eighth quickly brought the Legends within a run and placed the tying run on base and within ninety feet after a wild pitch, but the next two hitters failed to bring him home.

Boxscore Link

Roman Collins 2-3, R, 2-2b
Chase Vallot 0-4, 3k
DJ Burt 1-3, RBI, BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 11 Ogden Raptors 10

A Chukars win in the second game of their series with Ogden displaced the Raptors from first place while pulling Idaho Falls with 2.5 games of first. The Raptors played an attrocious defensive game, making six errors and allowing 11 Chukars runs. Only four of those runs were earned as Idaho Falls knocked out 15 hits in the win. Shortstop Ricky Aracena committed his 38th error of the season in the first inning which lead to five runs for Ogden. Combined, the two teams scored 11 runs in the first, with zero earned runs in the frame.

Boxscore Link

Ricky Aracena 0-3, R, BB, E (38)
Joe Dudek 3-5, 3R, HR, 3 RBI
Angelo Castellano 2-4, 2R, 2b, RBI, BB

Game 1
Burlington Royals 9 Danville Braves 2

The Royals clinched their playoff spot in the first game of the doubleheader in Danville. The Royals ’16 draftee from Oregon State, Travis Eckert, worked five strong innings in game one, allowing just a second inning run-scoring double, while leaving the game with a lead the offense had given him that same inning. With a 2-1 lead, a run scoring double by Nicky Lopez pushed the lead to 3-1 before he added a fourth run later in the frame. That stood until the eighth, when the Braves scored before Burlington put the playoffs in hand with a five-run ninth.

Boxscore Link

Travis Eckert 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 5-3 GO-FO
Vance Vizcaino 2-5, R, BB
Jose Sanchez 4-5, 3 RBI

Game 2
Burlington Royals 9 Danville Braves 2

In game two, the Royals pitching squad worked around 12 hits while they did plenty with their 15 hits, pushing in nine runs. From the sixth through the eighth, the Royals punched out seven hits and used a pair of Danville errors to plate seven runs, turning a 2-0 game into a 9-1 lead and an eventual 9-2 win. Appalachian League pitcher of the year Cristian Castillo earned the win with five innings of shutout baseball. The win secured the Eastern Division of the Appy League for the Royals.

Boxscore Link

Cristian Castillo 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 5-8 GO-FO
Gabriel Cancel 3-4, R, 3 RBI
Vance Vizcaino 2-4, R, RBI, BB

HR Roll Call Zane Evans (6), Austin Bailey (2), Joe Dudek (4)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Chris DeVito 2-5 R, 2-2b, 4 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Alex Massey 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 4 K 4-0 GO-FO

Iowa Cubs 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 0

The Chasers are winding down the season in last place and Saturday’s offensive performance showed why as the team had just four opportunities with runners in scoring position. They missed out on all four chances while getting shutout on five singles and one double with three walks mixed in there. The Chasers used three different Royals on the hill in the loss with starter Jason Vargas giving up four runs in his six innings on six hits in five innings. The lefty didn’t walk a batter in that five innings while striking out six, allowing a two run home run in the third inning and back to back RBI hits in the fifth. In his second rehab outing Wade Davis struckout one and and gave up a hit while Kris Medlen worked two perfect innings.

Boxscore Link 

Jason Vargas 5 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER 0 BB 6 K 1-6 GO-FO 74p/49k
Wade Davis 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 11p/7k
Tony Cruz 2-3 2b, BB

Arkansas Travelers 3 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The Naturals lost their third game in a row to fall behind Arkansas in the division by a half of a game in the standings. Reliever Miguel Almonte continued his less than stellar season, giving up a run in the seventh that put the Naturals behind 3-2 in the loss. Catcher Zane Evans hit a game tying home run in the fourth, but NW Arkansas couldn’t push a run across after to fall behind in the race.

Boxscore Link

Terrance Gore 2-3 R, BB, 3SB (43), CS (5)
Zane Evans 1-4 HR
Ashton Goudeau 6 IP 10 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 9 K

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

A rough one for the Rocks on Saturday in a convincing loss. The Pelicans starter James Pugliese shutout Wilmington while limiting them to just two hits over nine innings. This occurred as starter Derek Gordon and Sam Selman were giving up seven runs in their six and two-third innings on the hill. Just four hits for Wilmington in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Austin Bailey 1-4 HR
Brandon Downes 1-4 2b
Sam Lewis 2.1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K

Delmarva Shorebirds 6 Lexington Legends 2

After no hits allowed during five innings of his last starter A.J. Puckett struggled in this one. The righty was dinged up for nine hits and six runs, giving up eight singles and a home run in that time while striking out two. The six runs were plenty for Delmarva as the Lexington hitters connected on just five hits and a pair of runs during the loss.

Boxscore Link

Ben Johnson 1-2 2b, RBI, BB
Franco Terrero 4 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 40p/29k
Chase Vallot 1-4 R

Orem Owlz 11 Idaho Falls Chukars 5

The Chukars were out thumped as the two teams combined for 22 hits and 11 walks in the game. The Owlz cashed their seven walks adn 12 hits into 11 runs thanks to four Idaho Falls errors, including Ricky Aracena’s 35th and 36th errors of the season. In the loss first baseman Joe Dudek hit his fourth home run in his twentieth game for Idaho Falls.

Boxscore Link

Joe Dudek 1-2 HR, 3 RBI
Nick Heath 2-5 R, CS (8)
Ricky Aracena 2-5 RBI

Burlington Royals 7 Pulaski Yankees 0

The Royals put up their tenth shutout of the year in another big win as the season winds down. The win kept Burlington three games ahead in the division with six runs in the first four innings. Shortstop Nicky Lopez got it started with a leadoff triple in the first prior to scoring on a Chris DeVito double. The two paired up again in the third inning when Lopez scored on DeVito’s bases clearing double prior to him scoring on a sac fly. Three pitchers tossed the shutout with Geoffrey Bramblett working five innings scoreless with just two hits and a walk allowed before turning things to Alex Massey and Walker Sheller to toss the final four innings scoreless.

Boxscore Link

Alex Massey 3 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 4 K 4-0 GO-FO
Nicky Lopez 2-3 3R, 3b, 2 BB
Chris DeVito 2-5 R, 2-2b, 4 RBI – franchise record 49 RBI

AZL Royals 6 AZL Padres 5

The Royals stepped one game closer to the second half division championship with their win Saturday night. A three run sixth inning gave the Royals a lead after trailing 3-2 before giving it back up in the seventh to tie the game at 5-5. With the game tied Khalil Lee drove in the eventual winning run with a ground out in the eighth. Reliever Matt Wynne closed things out with two K’s in a perfect ninth inning. The Royals can close the division out with a win in the final two games.

Boxscore Link

Grant Gavin 4.2 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 6 K
Seuly Matias 1-2 R, 2 BB
Jeison Guzman 2-5 R, 3b, 2 RBI

HR Roll Call Frank Schwindel (19), Ryan O’Hearn (17), Roman Collins (8), Joe Dudek 2 (2), Khalil Lee 2 (5)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Joe Dudek 3-4 2 HR, 3 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Eric Skoglund 6.2 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 2 K 8-8 GO-FO 89p/58k

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 0

The Chasers offense was kept silent by the Milwaukee Triple-A pitching staff on the way to a comfortable 3-0 win. Starter Brent Suter forced Omaha into 12 groundouts while impatient approach lead to just 77 pitches in 7.2 innings for the lefty. When they finally got a pair on in the eighth the Sky Sox turned to reliever Damien Magnifico to get out of the mini-jam before working a perfect ninth for the win. Rehabber Mike Minor was saddled with the loss after allowing a run on three hits and three walks over his 77 pitch four and one-third innings.

Boxscore Link

Mike Minor 4.1 IP 3 H 1 ER 3 BB 4 K 3-3 GO-FO 77p/49k
Luke Farrell 4.2 IP 5 H 2 R 1 ER 4 BB 5 K
Hunter Dozier 1-3

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Tulsa Drillers 1

A pair of solo home runs and solid pitching lead to a Naturals win on Sunday. Starter Eric Skoglund didn’t earn the win, but he was solid in his six and two-third innings before giving way after allowing his only run of the game. The lefty allowed just one hit in the first six innings before a double and a single placed a run against his record and pushed him into a no decision. The Naturals first baseman/designated hitter combo of Frank Schwindel and Ryan O’Hearn each hit solo home runs to provide NW Arkansas with their runs with O’Hearn’s in the eighth to stake them to a lead and the eventual win. Lefty Daniel Stump earned his first save with the Naturals by working around a fielding error to finish off the last two-thirds of an inning.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4 HR
Frank Schwindel 1-3 HR, BB
Aroni Nina 1.2 IP 0 H 0 R 2 BB 0 K

Potomac Nationals 6 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Blue Rocks scored a pair or early runs before the offense went silent and rehabber Andy Ferguson couldn’t hold the Nationals off in the series sweeper. After the Rocks scored runs in the second and third to take a 2-0 lead Ferguson gave two back in the fourth before Potomac broke it open two innings later. In that sixth inning the Triple-A rehabber got two outs after giving up a leadoff double, but was unable to finish off the inning when he gave up a walk and a run scoring single before giving way to Jake Kalish. It didn’t go well for Kalish however as he gave up a three run home run to put Wilmington down 6-2. The Rocks would threaten in the ninth, getting two on but couldn’t ring the rally bell to drop the decision. The four game series sweeping loss pushed Wilmington’s record to 4-18 versus Potomac on the season.

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Anderson Miller 1-4 R, 2b
Brandon Downes 2-4 R, 2-2b
Andy Ferguson 5.2 IP 4 H 5 R 4 ER 2 BB 5 K 6-4 GO-FO 89p/58k

Hickory Crawdads 12 Lexington Legends 7 F/10

The Legends staged a late rally only to lose the game in extras versus Hickory on Sunday. After starter Nolan Watson had put his club behind 7-0 by giving up those runs in the first three innings Lexington put on rally with reliever Yunior Marte settling things down in the late innings. Trailing 7-2 the Legends Roman Collins hit a seventh inning grand slam to pull within a run. Two innings later it was Collins again scoring on a Xavier Fernandez single to tie the game up and sending it to extras. In that extra frame Marte, who had pitched five perfect innings to that point, would load the bases before being lifted for Daniel Concepcion who quickly gave up a grand slam and another solo home run to put Lexington in a 12-7 hole that was too large to climb out from.

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D.J. Burt 2-5 2R, 2b, BB, CS (12)
Roman Collins 2-4 2 R, HR, 4 RBI, BB
Yunior Marte 5 IP 1 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 7 K 1 HBP 4-3 GO-FO 63p/43k

Idaho Falls Chukars 8 Great Falls Voyagers 6

The Chukars built a 6-0 lead before giving it up and scoring a pair of late runs to salvage the final game of the series in Great Falls. Idaho Falls first baseman Joe Dudek put the Chukars up early with his first home run, a second inning shot that registered a 1-0 lead. A four run third inning that featured four singles in front of an Angelo Castellano two run double pushed that lead to 5-0. Catcher Meibrys Viloria’s groundout in the sixth pushed the advantage to 6-0 in the fifth inning. Starter Igol Feliz danced around seven hits through five innings, but he could dance no more in giving up a four runs in his final two innings on a pair of home runs. A pair of runs off Cole Way in the eighth knotted it up, but Dudek quickly gave Idaho Falls the lead with a two run home run in the ninth to place the eventual winning margin on the board for the Chukars.

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Meibrys Viloria 2-4 R, 2 RBI, CS (1) – 20 game hitting streak
Angelo Castellano 2-4 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI
Manny Olloque 2-5 2R

AZL Royals 12 AZL Padres 5

The Royals Jason Vargas worked his first rehab for the Arizona League Royals during a rather easy win. The lefty gave up a solo home run and a run scoring sacrifice in his one and two-third innings while striking out a pair of Padres hitters. The rehabber wasn’t saddled with the loss thanks in part to an outstanding game by outfielder Khalil Lee who homered in his first two plate appearances and scored after being walked on another. It wasn’t just Lee doing damage on offense as every hitter in the lineup collected at least one hit on the night while scoring 12 runs in the win.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-3 3R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB (4)
Jeison Guzman 2-4 2R, 2 RBI
Nathan Webb 2 IP 0 H 0 R 1 BB 2 K 2-1 GO-FO