BPKC Hitter of the Day: Jose Marquez 4-5 5R, 2b, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yunior Marte 2.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 4-2 GO-FO 32-21

Gm1 Down East Wood Ducks 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0
Gm 2 Down East Wood Ducks 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

Wilmington’s losing ways continued in the first game on Wednesday as they got shut out in resuming the suspended game from Tuesday. They trailed 4-0 after four innings and couldn’t muster much on offense with just four hits in the shutout loss. The second game was more of the same with the offense scoring just two runs on eight hits while their starter couldn’t keep a slim lead. Starter Andres Sotillet has struggled to miss bats since the promotion (3.35 per 9) and this game was no different, striking out just one hitter in his five innings. After three shutout innings, Down East got to him in the fourth inning with a leadoff triple, sac fly and a single before Alex Kowalczyk homered to take a 3-1 lead and hung on for the win.

Meibrys Viloria: 2-4
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-6
Travis Jones: 1-5 RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 3 Springfield Cardinals 2

The Naturals got a late win to pull within a half of a game of .500. New starter Jon Perrin gave up a couple runs in five innings. Those second of two runs evened up the game after the Naturals plated a pair in the fourth with a pair of doubles from Alex Liddi and Alfredo Escalera. Reliever Yunior Marte kept it even with two and two-third innings of shutout work with just a hit allowed. Those three innings kept it scoreless while Samir Duenez led off the eighth with a double before Kelvin Gutierrez’s single moved him to third. A double play off Alex Liddi’s bat gave the Naturals a 3-2 lead before Andres Machado tossed a scoreless ninth inning despite a couple of singles allowed.

Kelvin Gutierrez: 1-2 R, BB, HBP
Alfredo Escalera: 1-4 2b, RBI
Jon Perrin: 5 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 5 K 80p/49k 4-2 GO-FO

Oklahoma City Dodgers 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Starter Jake Kalish gave the Chasers a quality start but it wasn’t enough in this one as the offense was limited to just two runs. The lefty gave up a two-run home run in the second before getting to the seventh inning. In the seventh inning, Kalish opened the frame with a hit by pitch before Jason Adam gave up a double to Travis Taijeron. A fielding error by Nicky Lopez plated a pair. The offense didn’t threaten much over the final two innings in taking the loss.

Cam Gallagher: 2-4 R
Humberto Arteaga: 2-3 HR, 2 RBI
Jake Kalish: 6 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 5 K 4-7 GO-FO 97p/68k

Burlington Royals 18 Johnson City Cardinals 8

All nine Burlington hitters had at least one hit as the offense dominated for a second straight night. One night after connecting on 17 hits and 13 runs the Royals upped their game with 22 hits and 18 runs. Infielder Jose Marquez one night after scoring four runs, tallied five times in this one with his four hits while driving in a run. Outfield thumper Juan Carlos Negret doubled and hit his ninth home run while driving in six runs. Reliever Ismael Maldonado tossed three scoreless innings to earn the win.

Juan Carlos Negret: 2-6 2b, HR, 6 RBI
Isaiah Henry: 2-6 3R, 2K
Matt Morales: 3-6 2R, 2b, 3 RBI, K

Idaho Falls Chukars 5 Billings Mustangs 3

The Chukars plated three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game 3-3 after the fifth inning. An inning later Kyle Kasser and Jose Caraballo each singled in a pair to give C.J. Eldred a lead after his six innings of three-run ball (2 ER). Reliever Ted Cillis tossed the final three innings scoreless to secure his first save in his first appearance with the club, striking out three with a pair of walks.

Ted Cillis: 3 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 3 K 6-0 GO-FO 45p/25k
Kyle Kasser: 2-3 R, 2 RBI, BB
Jose Caraballo: 2-4 R, RBI

Wednesday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Jose Marquez 3-4 4R, HR, 4 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Emilio Ogando 7 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K 9-1 GO-FO 92p/56k 

Lexington Legends 2 Lakewood BlueClaws 1

Starter J.C. Cloney bounced back from his first loss of the season to position the Legends for a win Tuesday night. The lefty tossed seven scoreless innings, working around a leadoff double in the sixth, a one-out double in the fourth and a two-out triple in the fifth to keep the Phillies Low-A club off the board. A Brewer Hicklen double drove in Nick Pratto in the first inning to give Lexington a 1-0 lead. An insurance run was provided in the seventh inning by Ricky Aracena with a one-out single that scored Cristian Perez after he started the inning with a leadoff single. Reliever Janser Lara gave up a run in the eighth but closer Tad Ratliff shut the door in the ninth to secure the series sweep for the Legends.

Brewer Hicklen: 1-3 2b, RBI
Nick Pratto: 2-3 R, BB, SB, CS
J.C. Cloney: 7 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 4 K 7-4 GO-FO 79p/46k

NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Springfield Cardinals 1 

The Naturals Emilio Ogando continued his incredibly odd season by improving his scoreless streak to 31 innings with seven shutout innings in this one. Working seven innings, Ogando gave up just a leadoff single in the seventh with a pair of walks over his seven shutout innings. He was backed by a two run home run by Samir Duenez and a pair of RBI singles by Kort Peterson and Erick Mejia to take a 4-0 lead. Reliever Gabe Speier worked the final two innings, allowing a run in the ninth before securing the win.

Samir Duenez: 1-4 HR, 2 RBI
Kelvin Gutierrez: 1-3 2b
Erick Mejia: 2-4 RBI

Omaha Storm Chasers 13 Oklahoma City Dodgers 2

Another good start for Arnaldo Hernandez as he makes a late push to win Royals minor league pitcher of the year. The right-hander backed up his complete game with a quality start in this one, tossing six innings of one-run ball by retiring 18 of the last 19 hitters he faced with just a walk allowed in that time. The two teams exchanged one-run first innings before Paulo Orlando connected on a solo home run in the third to take a 2-1 lead. With Hernandez tossing up zeroes, the Chasers exploded for eight runs in the fifth inning, getting a grand slam off the bat of Frank Schwindel and a pair of doubles by Ramon Torres and Donnie Dewees that drove in three more. The Chasers tacked on three runs in the ninth inning for the final margin of victory.

Frank Schwindel: 3-5 HR, 5 RBI
Arnaldo Hernandez: 6 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 5-6 GO-FO 90p/57k
Donnie Dewees: 2-5 2R, 2b, 3 RBI

Burlington Royals 13 Johnson City Cardinals 5

A big offensive night by the Royals as they clubbed 17 hits and walked seven times in a blowout win. Four different Royals hitters had at least three hits with Jose Marquez scoring four times and while driving in four runs with his three-hit including his seventh home run. Starter Yerelmy Garcia earned the win despite four runs allowed in five and one-third innings.

Eric Cole: 4-6 2R, 2b, RBI, SB (6)
Brhet Bewley: 3-6 2R, 2-2b
Chris Hudgins: 3-5 2b, 3 RBI, BB

Billings Mustangs 5 Idaho Falls Chukars 4

Idaho Falls Kris Bubic didn’t have his best start, giving up seven hits and a walk in his five innings. A pair of bunt hits in the third inning loaded the bases against him in the third inning before a single to left scored a pair. Two innings later, a two-out single scored a run after a passed ball. Infielder Nathan Eaton drove in a run in the third inning with a sacrifice fly before Chase Vallot homered in the fourth to tie the game back up. Seventh-round pick Tyler Gray gave up two runs in the eighth to put Idaho Falls behind 5-2. In the eighth inning first baseman Nick Hutchins drove in two with a one-out double to pull the Chukars within a run at 5-4. The Chukars would threaten in the ninth by walking the bases loaded but Jose Caraballo would ground out to end the threat and the game.

Kris Bubic: 5 IP 7 H 3 R 2 ER 1 BB 6 K 4-4 GO-FO 65p/46k
Nick Hutchins: 2-4 2b, 2 RBI
Chase Vallot: 1-3 HR, BB

Tuesday Boxscores

Saturday BPKC Hitter of the Day: MJ Melendez 4-5 HR, 3b, 2 RBI, SB
Sunday BPKC Hitter of the Day: Michael Emodi 3-5 2R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI

Saturday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Lynch 5 IP 3 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 8 K 5-3 GO-FO 81p/54k
Sunday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Rito Lugo 6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 11 K 4-3 GO-FO 89p/59k

Saturday Lexington Legends 4 Lakewood BlueClaws 1
Sunday Lexington Legends 3 Lakewood BlueClaws 2

The battery of Daniel Lynch and MJ Melendez led the way to a victory on Saturday night. The catcher connected on his 16th home run of the season as part of his four-hit game. That two-run blast in the third inning by Melendez staked Lynch to a lead after an unearned run scored the inning prior. That would be the only run allowed on this night for the Legends as Lynch gave another good performance with eight strikeouts over five innings before turning it over to Janser Lara and Tad Ratliff to finish the job with three more strikeouts over the final three scoreless innings. The Sunday game was a low scoring affair with Lexington getting a pair of runs in the first on a Manny Olloque single. A Nick Pratto single in the fifth that scored Kyle Isbel pushed the game to 3-0. Starter Yefri Del Rosario struggled with misty air to keep the ball in the strike zone, walking five but he was able to keep Lakewood off the scoreboard for five innings as he limited them to just two hits. With Del Rosario limited to five innings, the bullpen was required to do more work but they were up to the task with Collin Snider allowing a run in two innings, before Danny Hrbek gave up a run in the eighth. Closer Tad Ratliff gave up a leadoff double in the ninth but Cristian Perez cut that runner down two hitters later after a sac bunt with a throw to the plate to preserve the lead and later the win.

MJ Melendez: 5-8 2R, HR, 3b, 2BB, 2SB
Kyle Isbel: 3-10 2R
Yefri Del Rosario: 5 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 5 BB 3 K 4-6 GO-FO 88p/47k

Saturday Winston-Salem Dash 12 Wilmington Blue Rocks 11 F/11 Suspended Game
Sunday Gm 1 Winston-Salem Dash 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3
Sunday Gm 1 Winston-Salem Dash 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

The Rocks resumed a suspended game from July on Saturday but couldn’t stop their current losing streak, dropping the game in extra innings. Twice the Rocks used three-run innings to even the game up getting a game-tying double by Emmanuel Rivera in the seventh to tie things up and a two-run Vance Vizcaino single as part of the three-run tenth. It wouldn’t be enough though as the team went scoreless in the eleventh inning after the Dash brought their free runner around to finish off the loss that put them three and a half games back of first place in the standings. The Blue Rocks couldn’t stop the losing streak in the doubleheader as the bullpen gave up runs late in both losses. Game one featured saw Yermin Mercedes drive in all five runs for Winston-Salem, connecting on a pair of home runs including the deciding three-run blast in the eighth to walk it off on reliever Julio Pinto. Starter Gerson Garabito was lifted after four innings in the second game with the score tied 2-2. Reliever Justin Camp couldn’t keep the dash off the board yielding a run in the sixth to tie things up before putting a pair on in the seventh that eventually yielded the winning run when Mercedes walked it off with a single off Bryan Brickhouse.

Gerson Garabito: 4 IP 4 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 6 K 4-1 GO-FO 68p/48k
Gabriel Cancel: 2-6
Meibrys Viloria: 0-1 R, BB

Sunday Gm 1 NW Arkansas Naturals 6 Frisco RoughRiders 3
Sunday Gm 2 Frisco RoughRiders 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 5 F/7

The Naturals Foster Griffin continued his winning ways on Sunday despite giving up a pair of home runs in the first game. The lefty gave up those two home runs in the fourth inning just after the Naturals had hit their two home runs earlier in the inning to keep things tied 3-3. NW Arkansas quickly countered with an RBI single by Alfredo Escalera to take the lead back and Griffin combined with Andres Machado to hold Frisco scoreless the final three innings while tacking on a pair of insurance runs. The nightcap saw Jace Vines give up five runs in just an inning and one-third, turning a 3-1 lead turn into a 6-5 deficit and eventual loss. Starter Scott Barlow started his assignment back with the Naturals after his injury, tossing four innings with three hits allowed with one run while striking out four hitters.

Foster Griffin: 5 IP 7 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 1 K 3-8 GO-FO 89p/61k
Scott Barlow: 4 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-1 GO-FO 50p/37k
Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-8 3b

Saturday Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2
Sunday Colorado Springs Sky Sox 17 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers went into Colorado Springs with a very small opportunity to get into the playoff chase with nine of their next twelve games versus the top two teams in the division. That opportunity seems to have slipped past them now with their second loss in a row against the Brewers farm club. Quality pitching was the order of the day once again in the usually high scoring run environment as Zach Lovvorn matched two Sky Sox pitchers with seven innings of two-run pitching. Omaha’s Jack Lopez had given the team a 2-0 lead after his single in the seventh inning but Lovvorn gave up a pair of two-out hits in the bottom half of the inning including a two-run blast by Richie Shaefer to even the game. An inning later Lopez’s throwing error during Tyler Saladino’s triple allowed him to score the lead and eventual winning run that put Omaha six games behind the Sky Sox for second place. The Sunday game got out of hand as Colorado Springs connected on 17 hits including four home runs to put 17 runs on the board in a blowout. The Chasers hit three home runs themselves with two coming from Brian Goodwin but they could score just five runs with a 2 for 8 effort with runners in scoring position.

Zach Lovvorn: 7 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 1 HR 0 BB 3 K 100p/60k
Nick Lopez: 3-9 HR 2 RBI
Brian Goodwin: 2-3 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB

Saturday Burlington Royals 5 Bristol Pirates 1
Sunday Danville Braves 12 Burlington Royals 7

Burlington’s Elvis Luciano gave them a second solid start in a row with his six innings of shutout ball on Saturday night. The hard-throwing former Diamondbacks farmhand worked around four free passes with six strikeouts. It was a dominating night for Luciano as he picked up 19 swinging strikes among his 54 strikes in 90 pitches. The offense gave him his second win with a pair of RBI singles by Rafael Romero and Matt Morales alongside some poor Pirates defense yielding a couple other runs. Pitchers Josh Dye and Bryar Johnson got knocked around for 11 runs between the two of them during Sunday’s game one of the series with the Braves. Those runs were too much to overcome despite the offense’s 11 hits and seven runs that included Michael Emodi’s big night at the dish that included three hits and three runs driven in.

Jose Marquez: 3-9 3R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI
Juan Carlos Negret: 2-9 R, 2b, BB, K
Elvis Luciano: 6 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 4 BB 6 K 19 swinging strikes 5-4 GO-FO 90p/54k

Saturday Idaho Falls Chukars 6 Great Falls Voyagers 5
Sunday Great Falls Voyagers 8 Idaho Falls Chukars 5

Each team scored in just two innings on Saturday but it was the Chukars six runs between the sixth and seventh innings that earned them the win. Starter Jon Heasley allowed four runs between the second and third innings as extra base hits in each inning helped lead to two runs. The starter did earn three strikeouts and eight groundouts in an efficient five innings that he completed on 74 pitches. The offense got him off the hook for the loss with the four-run seventh frame that included a two-run single by Jose Caraballo, an RBI double by Chase Vallot and a sacrifice fly. Reliever Domingo Pena tossed the final four innings with just a run allowed in the ninth before stranding the tying run in scoring position to secure the win. Lefty Rito Lugo was the story during Sunday’s game as the lefty put together a second consecutive outstanding start for Idaho Falls. After giving up a solo home run in the first inning Lugo found his groove, striking out 11 hitters in six innings while working around four other hits to hold the Voyagers to just that one run. The Chukars had a 4-1 lead after three innings that held up at 4-3 into the ninth when Jose Ramirez blew his first save of the year. During that inning, an error started the action as Great Falls put five runs on the board with the final blow coming with a three-run home run to build a lead for the win.

Nathan Eaton: 4-8 2R, 2b, 2 BB, RBI
Jose Caraballo: 3-10 3R, 2b, 3 RBI
Chase Vallot: 2-6 R, 2b, RBI, 3BB, 4K

Saturday Boxscores
Sunday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day Chris Hudgins 3-4 3R, 2b, 2-HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Jackson Kowar 4 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K 5-0 GO-FO 58p/38k

Lexington Legends 15 Hagerstown Suns 3

The Legends bats erupted in a blowout win over Hagerstown on Friday night. All nine starters had at least one hit with all but Ricky Aracena connecting on two hits as the squad put together 18 hits. Outfielder Brewer Hicklen connected on a two-run home run in the first before Kyle Isbel’s seventh home run in the third made it 3-0. The score was 6-0 after five when the Legends really blew it open in the sixth inning with an eight-run frame that featured a Marten Gasparini three-run blast. That lead was plenty for Lexington with starter Jackson Kowar on the mound and Garrett Davila backing him up. The 1st round pick from Florida had his best outing yet, striking out five hitters in four innings while allowing just three hits against no walks. It wasn’t Davila’s best outing, allowing three runs with six hits and a pair of walks allowed in three innings before Garrett Suchey toss the final two innings to secure the win.

Nick Pratto 2-4 2R, 3b, 3 RBI, BB, SB
Kyle Isbel 2-5 2R, HR
MJ Melendez 2-6 R, 2-2b

Winston-Salem Dash 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

It couldn’t have been a worse time for Wilmington to hit a losing streak but that’s the case as the Rocks dropped their fourth game in a row on Friday. The offense jumped out of the gate against struggling Alec Hansen for two runs in the first inning with a rbi single by Gabriel Cancel and a rbi triple by Emmanuel Rivera. That lead wouldn’t last long though with starter Andres Sotillet giving up a run in the first and a two-run bomb as part of a three-run second inning to fall behind 4-2. From the two pitching staff’s stood firm until the ninth when Wilmington put the first two runners on with a walk and a single that moved Vance Vizcaino to third. Catcher Meibrys Viloria would score Vizcaino with a sacrifice fly but Jackson Lueck would hit into a double play to end the threat and the game.

Blake Perkins 2-4 R, 2b
Gabriel Cancel 2-4 R, RBI
Emmanuel Rivera 1-4 3b, RBI, 2K

NW Arkansas Naturals 8 Frisco RoughRiders 2 

Starter Scott Blewett backed up a complete game outing last time out with seven innings of quality pitcher. The right-hander allowed just four hits and a pair of walks while giving up just two runs with five strikeouts. After four shutout innings, the offense came alive in the fifth inning with an Alfredo Escalera two-run home run. That offense kickstarted the offense, getting a run in the sixth inning prior to five runs over the final two innings to blow the game open as two relievers tossed the final two innings scoreless.

Samir Duenez 2-5 2R, 2b
Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5 R
Scott Blewett 7 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 5 K 6-6 GO-FO 89p/56k

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers received a quality start from Trevor Oaks as the right-hander tossed two-run ball over six innings but the bullpen struggled in a loss. His replacement, Josh Staumont, struggled mightily while on the hill giving up a single, a pair of walks and a double. A pair of wild pitches and a throwing error would score three of those runners before Staumont’s replacement, Eric Stout would give up a two-run home run to put the Chasers down 7-2. Omaha would attempt a rally in the ninth, scoring three runs with four walks and a Frank Schwindel single but the seventh inning damage had put them too far down to complete the comeback.

Frank Schwindel 1-4 2 RBI, BB
Trevor Oaks 6 IP 7 H 2 R 1 ER 0 BB 2 K HR 8-8 GO-FO 99p/63k
Nicky Lopez 1-4 RBI, BB

Bristol Pirates 14 Burlington Royals 9

The Burlington pitching staff couldn’t hold off the Pirates for the second straight night as their rookie squad piled up 14 runs on 13 hits and 14 free passes handed out by Royals pitching. All four Burlington pitchers walked at least two with lefty Marlin Willis getting touched up for the most damage, allowing six runs on five hits and five walks. The Royals did plenty of damage on their own with nine runs on 10 hits including three home runs. First baseman Chris Hudgins did much of the heavy lifting on that side with a pair of home runs and a double but it wasn’t enough in the loss.

Austin Cox 2 IP 1 H 2R 1 ER 3 BB 4 K 1-1 46p/25k
Jose Marquez 1-4 HR, BB
Juan Carlos Negret 0-5 5K

Great Falls Voyagers 3 Idaho Falls Chukars 2 F/10

The Chukars lost a pitching duel Friday night when their defense let them down in extra innings. Three Idaho Falls pitchers combined to allow just one earned run in the ten inning affair with starter Connor Mayes giving up a second-inning solo home run that tied the game after a Jose Caraballo triple gave Idaho Falls the lead in the first. The game was tied until the tenth when the Chukars defense committed back to back one out throwing errors, the second by pitcher Jordan Floyd which allowed two Great Falls runs to score. The Chukars answered by scoring their free runner in the tenth and placing the tying run at second but back to back strikeouts of Nathan Eaton and Reed Rohlman ended it.

Connor Mayes 5 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 6 K 6-2 GO-FO 89p/56k
Nathan Eaton 1-5 R, 2b, 3 K
Jose Caraballo 1-4 3b, RBI

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day Meibrys Viloria 2-4 HR, 2b, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Arnaldo Hernandez 7 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-7 GO-FO 79p/54k

Lexington Legends 4 Kannapolis Intimidators 2

Lefty J.C. Cloney continued his winnings ways with Lexington on Friday, falling behind early before righting the ship and earning a win. The lefty gave up a home run on his very first pitch at Low-A and struggled in the first frame, allowing three more hits and a walk to give up a second run. From there he worked into the seventh innings with just two more hits allowed before turning things over to Tad Ratliff. While Cloney was tossing up zeros the offense was backing him with a run in the first on Cristian Perez’s rbi single and a three more in the third inning when MJ Melendez doubled in a pair and scored on Marten Gasparini’s single. Cloney and Ratliff took it from there with the reliever backing the starter with two and one-third innings of perfect ball with four strikeouts to earn his fourth save of the season.

Tad Ratliff 2.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 4 K 1-1 GO-FO 27p/22k
J.C. Cloney 6.2 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 3 BB 3 K 9-3 GO-FO 96p/61k
M.J. Melendez 1-2 R, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 6 Wilmington Blue Rocks 5

The Rocks Nolan Watson ran into trouble in the 3rd inning, giving up three home runs in the frame turning a 2-0 lead into a 5-2 deficit. Catcher Meibrys Viloria provided the first two runs with a two-run home run in the second inning before a two-run double off his bat in the sixth cut the deficit to one. Reliever Justin Camp gave up a run in the sixth that increased the deficit back to two which ended up being just enough insurance for Myrtle Beach after the Rocks fell a run short after Brewer Hicklen’s solo home run in the ninth.

Brewer Hicklen 1-4 HR
Emmanuel Rivera 1-4 R
D.J. Burt 1-4 R, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 12 Frisco RoughRiders 1

The Naturals offense drilled the Rangers Double-A squad Friday night with a full lineup effort and a complete game from starter Scott Blewett. A three-run first inning courtesy of a two-run double by Kelvin Gutierrez and a run-scoring single by Alex Liddi put the Naturals up early. A pair of run-scoring hits by Jecksson Flores and Samir Duenez added two more the next inning before Alfredo Escalera left the yard in the third to push the advantage to 6-0. While NW Arkansas was pounding out 18 hits starter Scott Blewett was working around eight hits, allowing just one run while earning 11 groundouts to earn his first complete game of the year and fourth of his career. The offense continued to tack on behind Blewett scoring a run in the sixth before putting five more across in the lopsided victory.

Jecksson Flores 2-4 2R, RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB
Samir Duenez 3-5 R, 2b, RBI
Scott Blewett 9 IP 8 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 3 K 11-7 GO-FO 96p/67k

Omaha Storm Chasers 2 Round Rock Express 0 

After a rough outing, last time out Arnaldo Hernandez came back with one of his best starts of the year. The right-hander put away the first 17 hitters he faced in this one before yielding a pair of hits in the sixth inning prior to retiring the final four hitters he faced. The seven shutout innings featured an efficient amount of work with 79 pitches, 54 for strikes while striking out four hitters to no walks allowed. The Chasers offense didn’t do much on their end but did just enough getting a pair of runs on three hits with a run in the second and another in the ninth prior to the bullpen Blaine Boyer and Richard Lovelady finishing off the shutout.

Nicky Lopez 1-3 R, BB
Frank Schwindel 1-4 – 17 game hitting streak
Donnie Dewees 0-2 R, BB, SB

Pulaski Yankees 9 Burlington Royals 5

The Royals offense couldn’t get much done against Yankees pitching despite some early help and the pitching staff didn’t do all that well themselves in a lopsided game. Starter Austin Cox gave up a pair of runs on two hits and four walks in four innings while his relief partner Marlin Willis got roughed up for nine hits, two walks, and six runs in just four frames to turn a 3-2 lead into a 9-3 deficit and an eventual loss. The Royals offense was provided by Jose Marquez as he sacrificed one run in during the second inning as part of a three-run frame. The infielder doubled later in the game before tripling in a run and scoring in the last inning.

Austin Cox 4 IP 2 H 2 R 2 ER 4 BB 6 K 4-1 GO-FO 75p/44k
Jose Marquez 2-4 2R, 2b, 3b, RBI
Juan Carlos Negret 0-4 R, K, SB (3)

Great Falls Voyagers 12 Idaho Falls Chukars 7

Much like Thursday’s game, the Chukars built a large lead only to watch the bullpen give it away. On this night it was 7-1 after five innings with Hunter Strong and Nathan Eaton each driving in a pair of runs. Starter Connor Mayes ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up a pair of runs to shrink the lead to 7-3. That lead was quickly given away in just one-third of an inning after reliever Jaret Hellinger got touched up for four runs to even the game up. The Voyagers continued to pile on with five runs in the eighth to with four hits and a hit by pitch and an Idaho Falls error to create too large of a gap for the Chukars to overcome.

Nathan Eaton 3-5 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Hunter Strong 3-3 HR, 2 RBI, BB
Tyler James 1-4 R, BB, SB (34)

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5 HR, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Lynch 5 IP 3 H 1 R 0 ER 2 BB 7 K 2-3 GO-FO 80p/54k

Lexington Legends 5 Lakewood BlueClaws 1

First-round pick Daniel Lynch kept the good vibes going on Sunday as the lefty twirled five innings with just an unearned run against him. Working five innings on 80 pitches, Lynch put away seven hitters via strikeout while spreading around the three hits and a pair of walks. The unearned run in the bottom of the fifth put Lexington down 1-0 but they quickly countered with a pair of singles in the sixth and an MJ Melendez sacrifice fly to tie it up. A second sac fly off the bat of Cal Jones broke the tie in the seventh before a three-run ninth broke the game open and salvaged a split in the series for Lexington.

Jeison Guzman: 1-3 2R, 2b, BB, SB (11)
Janser Lara: 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 2-3 GO-FO 45p/28k
Ricky Aracena: 2-4 R, RBI

Frederick Keys 6 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0

The Rocks were shut down on offense during Sunday’s game while starter Andres Sotillet struggled in defeat. The right-handed pitcher failed to strike out a hitter over five innings while giving up nine hits and five runs. The offense managed just four hits while going 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position in the loss. Reliever Justin Mitchell encountered a brutal injury to his plant leg while making a pitch needing to be carted off and put his leg in an air cast on removal.

Blake Perkins: 1-3 BB, K, SB (24)
Meibrys Viloria: 1-4 2b
Carter Hope: 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 2 K 4-0 GO-FO 17p/12k

NW Arkansas Naturals 5 Springfield Cardinals 4

The Naturals fell behind 4-1 after a three-run fifth inning off starter Luis Lugo. From there, reliever Yunior Marte shut the door and the offense started a comeback with a Kelvin Gutierrez solo home run in the sixth. An inning later Erick Mejia and Samir Duenez drove in runs with a pair of singles to tie it up. After Marte’s two and one-third scoreless innings he handed the game off to Walker Sheller who continued on the effort with two more scoreless. Into the bottom of the ninth with the game tied 4-4, a balk moved Erick Mejia into scoring position which allowed Gutierrez to drive home the walk-off run with an opposite-field single that secured the sweep for NW Arkansas.

Samir Duenez: 1-4 RBI, BB
Yunior Marte: 2.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 2-2 GO-FO 26p/16k
Anderson Miller: 2-4 R, 2b

Salt Lake City Bees 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 0 

The Chasers offense went missing with just three hits in their shutout loss to Salt Lake. It was the fourth straight home loss for Omaha as starter Jake Kalish gave up three runs in five innings on six hits and a pair of walks. The lefty managed four strikeouts in five innings but a two run double by Matt Thaiss broke the tie before Taylor Ward’s brought Thaiss in. Relievers Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady were tagged for three more runs late while the offense couldn’t get anything going. For Lovelady, the two ninth-inning runs on four hits were the first run he has allowed since July 1st. Chasers first baseman Frank Schwindel increased his hit streak to 13 games with a double and a single, he’s hit .397/.417/.845 during that stretch.

Frank Schwindel: 2-3 2b
Donnie Dewees: 1-3
Nicky Lopez: 0-4

Gm1 Burlington Royals 4 Princeton Rays 3
Gm2 Princeton Rays 2 Burlington Royals 1

Lefty Marlin Willis kept the Rays off the board for three innings following starter Austin Cox’s four innings which allowed the Royals offense to come back for a win. Trailing 3-2 after three innings, Jose Marquez connected on his second double of the game in the fourth inning to drive in catcher Michael Emodi to tie things up. An inning later it was Emodi’s double that placed him in position to score for the third time in the game to take a 4-3 lead and earn the win. The offense couldn’t get much going in the second game which ruined a solid outing by starter Elvis Luciano who worked six innings with just two runs allowed on a solo home run and a Wander Franco rbi triple in the sixth. The only run that scored for the Royals came via a sac fly by Jackson Lueck to drive in Marquez during a three-hit offensive effort.

Jose Marquez: 3-6 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI, K
Marlin Willis: 3 IP 3H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3K 2-2 GO-FO 69p/47k
Elvis Luciano: 6 IP 4H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 3 K 11-3 GO-FO 66p/46k

Grand Junction Rockies 5 Idaho Falls Chukars 1 

The bullpen and a lack of offense made a mess of C.J. Eldred’s quality start. The former Hawkeye right-hander worked seven innings around six hits, allowing just one run in the fifth inning on a leadoff triple and a rbi single. That tied the game after Nathan Eaton’s first-inning home run but that would be the last run Idaho Falls would score. The Rockies piled on late to hand Idaho Falls the loss with a run off Jackson Klein in the eighth and three more off Jordan Floyd in the ninth.

Nathan Eaton: 3-4 HR
C.J. Eldred: 7 IP 6 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 8-4 GO-FO 87p/62k
Andres Martin: 1-4 SB

Sunday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kyle Isbel 4-5 3R, 2b, 2 HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Holden Capps 3 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 6 K 3-0 GO-FO 43p/32k

Lexington Legends 7 Greenville Drive 5

Starter Charlie Neuweiler had a rough second inning due to some rough defense behind him but settled himself down and gave his squad time to make a comeback. After Ricky Aracena singled in a run in the second inning, Greenville scored five runs (2 ER) in the home half, getting four hits and a pair of errors from the Lexington defense to put the five runs on the board. The fourth inning saw Marten Gasparini get his big offensive night jump started with an RBI single. After the second, Neuweiler found a groove, working around a leadoff error in the third inning to retire the final nine hitters he would face. In the sixth, the offense would bail him out of the loss with a rbi triple by Manny Olloque to cut the lead to two before Gasparini went deep to tie things up at 5-5. Lefty reliever Holden Capps tossed three consecutive shutout innings to keep the game tied and Gasparini would be back at it, doubling to lead off the ninth to help set up a two-run inning that would complete the comeback and ultimately give the Legends the win.

Marten Gasparini: 3-3 2R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Cristian Perez: 2-5 RBI
MJ Melendez: 0-4 BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Salem Red Sox 2

Starting pitcher Nolan Watson had one of his best outings of the season in leading the way for a Wilmington win Monday night. The former 1st round pick worked seven innings for the second consecutive start, working efficiently with 59 strikes on 89 pitches with his High-A high seven strikeouts. The Red Sox used sacrifice flies in both the second and third innings to plate runs versus Watson but could do more against him or the bullpen. The Rocks trailed 2-1 through five but took the lead back with a pair of runs in the sixth, scoring on a wild pitch and a single by Nick Heath. An eighth inning RBI single by D.J. Burt and a run-scoring double by Gabe Cancel added a pair of insurance runs which were more than enough with reliever Tyler Zuber tossing a scoreless ninth frame.

Gabe Cancel: 1-4 2b, RBI
Nick Heath: 1-4 R, 2 RBI, SB (29)
D.J. Burt: 2-4 R, RBI, SB (23)

Springfield Cardinals 10 NW Arkansas Naturals 6 F/10

The two teams exchanged five runs in the first six innings to push the game into extra innings after a pair of scoreless innings by Walker Sheller. The Naturals took the lead in the tenth with a two-out single by Nick Dini to score their free baserunner but that lead wouldn’t last long. Struggling reliever Bryan Brickhouse got two outs in the tenth but tossed a pair of wild pitches that allowed the Cardinals free baserunner to score before Victor Roache connected on his second home run of the game to walk things off, giving Brickhouse his fourth loss in just eight Double-A appearances.

Jecksson Flores: 3-5 2b, 2 RBI, SB (14)
Nick Dini: 2-4 R, RBI
Jace Vines: 4.2 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER 5 BB 3 K 2 HR HBP 5-2 GO-FO 104p/53k

Nashville Sounds 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 4 F/11

The Sounds overcame the Storm Chasers scoring their free baserunner in both the tenth and eleventh innings before walking the game off in the eleventh. In a spot start, Arnaldo Hernandez struggled with his control, walking five against five strikeouts. The right-hander worked five innings, giving up a pair of runs with three hits allowed leaving the game with runners on that scored to tie it up with Richard Lovelady on the mound. The game stayed knotted at 2-2 until the tenth when Nicky Lopez walked with the bases loaded to give Omaha the lead. The Sounds tied it up in the bottom half with no outs and then connected with a pair of singles in the eleventh to tie the game up and take the win home against reliever Kevin Lenik.

Nicky Lopez: 1-3 BB, CS
Ryan O’Hearn: 1-5 R, 2b
Arnaldo Hernandez: 5 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 5 BB 5 K 4-4 GO-FO 99p/56k

Burlington Royals 6 Johnson City Cardinals 5

A four-run ninth led to a walk-off win for Burlington over the Cardinals rookie squad. The Johnson City lineup plated a pair of runs on four hits against rehabbing right-hander Janser Lara despite four strikeouts from him in his two innings of work. Catcher Freddy Fermin homered to cut the lead in half in the second but after the two teams exchanged runs in the next two innings the Cards tacked on a pair in the seventh. With things looking gloom for the home team the Royals got off to a quick start with a leadoff walk to Fermin and a double by Brhet Bewley to put a pair of runners in scoring position. A pair of groundouts would put the game on the edge but a Jeison Guzman two-run single kept things alive while putting the tying run on base. That tying run would come on home when second baseman Jose Marquez blasted a 1-0 pitch out to right for a walk-off home run to win things for the Royals.

Jose Marquez: 2-5 HR 2 RBI
Freddy Fermin: 1-3 2R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Juan Carlos Negret: 1-3 R, BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 9 Missoula Osprey 0

After Missoula shut down the Chukars offense for two games in a row, the Idaho Falls pitching staff returned the favor on Monday night. Starter J.C. Cloney spun six innings of shutout ball with just four hits allowed before turning things to the pen which kept the shutout going until the end. While the pitching staff kept things quiet, the offense did the opposite, connecting on 18 hits with a pair of hitters collecting four apiece. 2018 draftee Kyle Isbel led the way driving four runs in with a double and two home runs as the offense scored nine runs in the convincing win.

Reed Rohlman: 4-5 R
Tyler James: 1-3 R, 2b
Angel Medina: 3-4 R, CS

Monday Boxscores

Tuesday Probables
Omaha – Zach Lovvorn 5-5 5.10 ERA 1.46 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Emilio Ogando 5-6 7.15 ERA 2.22 WHIP
Lexington – Jackson Kowar

HR Roll Call: Jorge Soler (24), Michael Gigliotti (4), Jose Marquez (2)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Michael Gigliotti 3-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, SB (9)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jason Adam 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 34p/21k

Omaha Storm Chasers 9, Nashville Sounds 3

The Chasers top six hitters all had two or more hits while Christian Binford navigated around five walks allowed in seven innings. This allowed Omaha to beat Nashville for the second night in a row.

After Nashville tied the game up at two apiece after four innings, Omaha answered with three straight innings of two or more runs, starting the scoring with another Jorge Soler home run, his 22nd of the season for Omaha. Those runs gave Binford enough cushion as he navigated around his walks by limiting the damage to just five hits in earning his sixth Triple-A win.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 2-4, R, 2b, 2 RBI, SB (21)
Jorge Soler 3-5, HR, 2 RBI
Cam Gallagher 2-5, R
Frank Schwindel 2-5, R, 2b, RBI

Tulsa Drillers 9, NW Arkansas Naturals 3

A starter that the Naturals had come to count on struggled on Tuesday as Emilio Ogando gave up seven runs in 3.1 innings, giving up a pair of home runs in the process. A couple of unearned runs in the sixth off Matt Tenuta pushed the deficit to 9-1 which ended up being far too big of a lead to overcome.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 2-3, R, 2 BB
Ryan O’Hearn 2-4, R, RBI

Augusta GreenJackets 7, Lexington Legends 6

The Legends built a 6-3 lead after four innings only to watch reliever Matt Wynne fail to shut the door in the ninth.

Lexington built their lead with a five-run fourth inning that featured RBI doubles by Meibrys Viloria and Marten Gasparini along with a sac fly by Angelo Castellano. Centerfielder Michael Gigliotti’s RBI single finished the scoring for the Legends as part of his 3 for 3 day that included a solo home run.

The game would stay 6-3 until the ninth when Wynne, pitching his third inning of work, failed to survive the frame when he gave up a two-run home run and allowed two others to reach. With both runners in scoring position and two outs, the reliever gave up a single through the right side that allowed both runners to score and eventually give the Legends another loss.

Boxscore Link

Michael Gigliotti 3-3, HR, 2 RBI, SB (6), CS (4)
Vance Vizcaino 2-4, Hit streak 15 games
Emmanuel Rivera 2-4, R

Ogden Raptors 9, Idaho Falls Raptors 7

The Chukars built a 7-4 lead after the top of the fifth inning, but starter Dillon Drabble couldn’t keep Ogden from coming back. The Raptors scored three runs off the starter in the bottom of the fifth to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 2-5, 2 R
Travis Jones 1-2, 2b, RBI, BB
Brewer Hicklen 2-5, R, 2b, RBI

Burlington Royals 13, Bristol Pirates 12

Each team in this game had an inning where they scored six runs and an inning with five but it was the Royals’ two innings with one run that made the difference. The Burlington squad had just one more baserunner than Bristol despite outhitting them 17 to 10, thanks to 11 free passes giving by the pitching staff.

Eight of the nine Royals hitters had a hit in the game, with only Seuly Matias going hitless. Outfielder Jose Marquez led the way with a 4 for 5 effort that included a double and a home run.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 0-5, RBI
Jeison Guzman 1-4, 2 R, BB
Cal Jones 1-6, R, 2b, RBI

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