BPKC Hitter of the Day: Frank Schwindel 2-4, HR, 2b, 2 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jake Kalish 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 4-1 GO/FO, 95p/65k

Omaha Storm Chasers 6, Sacramento River Cats 2

Omaha’s Jake Kalish continued his impressive string of starts by setting a new career high with 10 strikeouts, beating the nine-strikeout mark he set his last time out. The left-hander amazingly has been far more consistent as a starter the last two seasons than he has from the pen, putting up a sub-3 ERA when he starts compared to an over 5 run ERA from the pen. On this night he pounded the zone with 65 strikes on 96 pitches, allowing a run in the first before finishing the final three innings perfect with four strikeouts. The offense staked him to a 3-1 lead with three singles around a Sacramento error. Infielder Nicky Lopez provided an RBI single in that frame while collecting four hits and scoring on Frank Schwindel’s 17th home run of the season. Reliever Richard Lovelady finished the final two innings perfect to earn his fifth save of the season.

Richard Lovelady: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-3 GO-FO, 23p/15k
Nicky Lopez: 4-5, R, RBI
Donnie Dewees: 2-3, R, 2b, BB

Game 1 – NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Tulsa Drillers 0
Game 2 – Tulsa Drillers 8, NW Arkansas Naturals 1

The Naturals added three pitchers on rehab assignments in the last two days with Eric Skoglund making the start on Monday, while Blaine Boyer and Jesse Hahn pitched in Tuesday’s doubleheader. Starting the game, Boyer tossed just 13 pitches, walking the leadoff hitter before earning a pair of outs and handing the ball to Foster Griffin. The lefty left his struggling season behind him on this day, earning the win with an efficient 6.1 innings that saw him yield just two hits and a walk. The offense backed him up with a pair of home runs from Khalil Lee and Nick Dini while Kelvin Gutierrez added an RBI single. For Lee, it was the outfielder’s second Double-A home run, coming on the first pitch he saw, traveling 393 feet with an exit velocity of 103 mph. In game two, Jesse Hahn worked a quick inning giving up a bloop single before earning a double play and a 3-1 groundout. With just 10 pitches tossed, Hahn completed the rest of his work in the Naturals pen. In relief, new Naturals lefty Luis Lugo struggled, giving up a two-run home run and two other hits while walking two in just two-thirds of an inning. Things didn’t get better for Naturals pitching as the next three pitchers gave up at least one run while the offense couldn’t counter with a 0-6 effort with runners in scoring position.

Khalil Lee: 1-5, HR, HBP, 2 E
Foster Griffin: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 5-5 GO-FO, 74p/45k
Nick Heath: 2-4, 2R, BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8, Salem Red Sox 6

The Rocks kept their winning ways going Tuesday night with a come from behind win in the first game of their series with Salem. Trailing 4-3 in the seventh inning, hot-hitting Meibrys Viloria tied the game up with an RBI single before a wild pitch allowed Emmanuel Rivera to score to give Wilmington a lead. An inning later, the Rocks put a firm grasp on the game with the Puerto Rican connection of Gabriel Cancel and Rivera doubling in runs following a D.J. Burt RBI single to give the Rocks an 8-4 lead. That was enough for the Rocks to hang onto and extend their winning streak to five games.

Gabriel Cancel: 1-2, 2R, 2b, RBI, 3 BB
Emmanuel Rivera: 3-5, R, 2b, 2 RBI
Meibrys Viloria: 2-4, R, 2 RBI

Elizabethton Twins 10, Burlington Royals 3

A pair of college bats in the Twins farm did in the Royals on this night as Trevor Larnach and Chris Williams combined for seven hits and seven RBI. Most of the damage came off 2017 draftee Bryar Johnson, with the right-hander giving up nine hits and seven runs in just 3.1 innings to take the defeat.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-3, R, RBI, BB
Jose Marquez: 2-5, R, 2b, RBI
Jackson Lueck: 1-4, K

Missoula Osprey 6, Idaho Falls Chukars 5

The Chukars defense gave them trouble in their finale in Missoula. Defensive errors in the third inning keyed a three-run inning that gave the Diamondbacks rookie squad a 4-2 lead. The league’s second best offense countered to tie the game at 5-5 but a missed catch error by first baseman Nick Hutchins with two outs in the ninth allowed Missoula to walk things off for a win.

Nathan Eaton: 1-5, HR
Angel Medina: 2-4, 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI
Andres Martin: 2-3, 2 RBI

Tuesday Boxscores

BPKC Friday Hitter of the Day Nick Dini 2-4 HR, 2b, 2 RBI
BPKC Saturday Hitter of the Day Jackson Lueck 3-4 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI

BPKC Friday Pitcher of the Day Tad Ratliff 2.2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 6 K 34p/23k
BPKC Saturday Pitcher of the Day Trevor Oaks 6.2 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 3 K 10-3 GO-FO 90p/57k

Friday Lexington Legends 3 Augusta GreenJackets 2
Saturday Greenville Drive 3 Lexington Legends 0

First-round pick Daniel Lynch earned his first Low-A victory in his first start with Lexington, tossing five innings with six hits allowed and two runs allowed. The lefty put away five hitters with strikeouts in earning the win. Outfielder Brewer Hicklen connected on his 13th home run and scored a second run after a walk and stolen base to help pace the offense to a win. During Saturday’s game right-hander Yefri Del Rosario tossed five innings of one-run baseball with just an unearned run allowed as Greenville scored their first run on an errant throw to third by catcher Sebastian Rivero. That Driver would tack on a pair of insurance runs while the Legends would be shutout on just four hits.

Yefri Del Rosario 5 IP 5 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 4-2 GO-FO 86p/54k
Daniel Lynch 5 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 5 K 4-4 GO-FO 72p/44k
Nick Pratto 3-9 SB, K, CS

Friday Salem Red Sox 10 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1
Saturday Wilmington Blue Rocks 16 Salem Red Sox 1

Not a whole lot was positive for Wilmington on Friday night as the offense went 0-11 with runners in scoring position during a 10-1 loss. Starter Andres Sotillet made his first High-A start for Wilmington, giving up three of the ten runs in his five-inning start while allowing five hits and one walk. The right-hander struckout five hitters, connecting in the zone with 62 strikes on his 86 pitches. The game got away from the pen with seven runs allowed from Corey Ray and Justin Camp. The second game in the series was all Wilmington on Saturday with all nine Blue Rock hitters collecting a rbi in the lopsided victory. With seven different Rocks collecting multiple hit games it was Meibrys Viloria who cracked the only home run for the good guys as part of a three run night for the catcher. Starter Ofreidy Gomez earned his third win of the season with five innings of one run ball giving up a solo home run to Carolina League leading home run hitter Bobby Dalbec for the only run allowed by Wilmington pitching on the night.

Meibrys Viloria 3-8 3R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Blake Perkins 2-9 2R, RBI, BB, 5K
Gabe Cancel 3-9 R, 2-2b, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Friday Tulsa Drillers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4
Saturday Tulsa Drillers 12 NW Arkansas Naturals 8

The Naturals built a 4-1 lead only to watch it disappear in the later innings. Catcher Nick Dini connected on his sixth Double-A home run. Starter Scott Blewett gave up a leadoff home run in the fourth and sixth innings during his three-run five-plus inning start. Relievers Gabe Speier and Yunior Marte each gave up a run with Marte’s coming in the eighth to hand NW Arkansas the loss. Two years removed from a 14 loss season starter Foster Griffin is on his way to besting that mark, recording his 12th loss on Saturday night after giving up six runs in six innings to Tulsa. The Naturals bullpen once again struggled with three different relievers allowing runs including two more by Bryan Brickhouse to balloon his ERA to over 9 in Double-A action. Newly acquired Kelvin Gutierrez collected a pair of extra base hits in the loss.

Kelvin Gutierrez 2-8 2b, 3b, 3 RBI
Elier Hernandez 5-9 2R, RBI
Khalil Lee 1-10 R, 2b, 3K

Friday Memphis Redbirds 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 3
Saturday Omaha Storm Chasers 1 Memphis Redbirds 0

Lefty Jake Kalish gave up six runs in the first three innings before settling down some but it was too much for the offense to overcome in the loss. Memphis centerfielder Oscar Mercado may have stolen two to three runs in the outfield with three outstanding defensive plays, shagging a deep fly from Nicky Lopez while also making two diving catches to save the game. Starter Trevor Oaks bested his Triple-A 2.00 ERA with six and two-thirds scoreless ball during Saturday night’s game, navigating around three hits and three walks with the aid of 10 groundouts. First baseman Frank Schwindel drove in the game’s only run with a groundball single up the middle.

Frank Schwindel 2-8 RBI BB
Nicky Lopez 1-7 RBI, 2BB, 2K
Ryan O’Hearn 1-7 2b, 3K

Friday Danville Braves 5 Burlington Royals 4
Saturday Burlington Royals 6 Johnson City Cardinals 5

A pair of unearned runs during a one-run loss cost the Royals in their game with the Braves on Friday. The defense committed four errors during the game, costing Yarelmy Garcia a run in his five innings as the right-hander gave up three in five innings despite recording just one strikeout in that time. Pitching in relieve Malcolm Van Buren gave up two runs to take the loss during his three innings as the hard-throwing righty struggled with the zone, walking three hitters while on the hill. Royals 5th round draft pick Austin Cox got knocked around for the first time in his young career as the lefty gave up six hits and five runs (4 ER) in five innings while striking out seven. The offense bailed him out with a pair of home runs that tied the game up, the second coming via Jackson Leuck who also scored the game-winning run when Jose Marquez was plunked with the bases loaded.

Marlin Willis 4 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 6 K 5-1 GO-FO 66p/38k
Austin Cox 5 IP 6 H 5 R 4 ER 2 BB 7 K 3-4 GO-FO 77p/50k
Jackson Lueck 4-7 3R, HR, 2-2b 2 RBI

Friday Helena Brewers 8 Idaho Falls Chukars 7
Saturday Missoula Osprey 12 Idaho Falls Chukars 0

The Chukars didn’t do as much as they could have with 17 hits in the final game of their series with Helena, going 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position to fall one run short. The Chukars’ Connor Mayes gave up seven runs in just five innings on 12 hits in the loss. The Royals 2nd round pick Jonathan Bowlan got tagged for 10 hits and seven runs in just five innings during Saturday’s game. The offense struggled to mount an attack against Missoula starter Marcos Tineo as the Arizona Diamondbacks prospect limited them to just two hits over six shutout innings. The Osprey continued to pile on against the bullpen while the offense was shutout on just two hits.

Jonathan Bowlan 5 IP 10 H 7 R 7 ER 0 Bb 2 K 9-2 GO-FO 67p/45k
Kyle Isbel 3-4 3R, 3b, K, BB
Chase Vallot 0-6 K

Friday Boxscores
Saturday Boxscores

Sunday Probables
Omaha – Jon Dziedzic 3-7 3.83 ERA 1.30 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Dallas Beeler 0-1 17.18 ERA 3.55 WHIP
Wilmington – Gerson Garabito 3-6 4.02 ERA 1.45 WHIP
Lexington – Carlos Hernandez 6-3 3.34 ERA 1.16 WHIP
Burlington – Elvis Luciano 0-3 6.48 ERA 1.86 WHIP
Idaho Falls – TBD

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: MJ Melendez 3-4 2R, HR, 1-2 CS-Att

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Janser Lara 4 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 7 K 1-1 GO-FO 64p/40k

Lexington Legends 4 Greenville Drive 3

The Legends homered their way to a series win over the Red Sox Low-A squad on Tuesday. Starter Andres Sotillet generated groundballs getting nine in five innings but also gave up a single tally in the first three innings after allowing seven hits including a solo home run in the third. Piggyback partner Janser Lara entered in the sixth and kept Greenville’s offense static the rest of the way while the Lexington offense powered their way back even. In the seventh Ricky Aracena unloaded on a home run to trim the deficit to one run, it was just Aracena’s fourth career home run but a no-doubt shot that landed some 377 feet away and cleared the left field bleachers. An inning later a double by Dennicher Carrasco allowed MJ Melendez to score from first base to tie the game up. In the ninth Lara worked around a pair of hits and a walk with the help of a Melendez caught stealing, sending the game to the home half where he as awarded with a win thanks to the bat of Cal Jones. The Alabama outfielder hitting just .162 tagged a ball to left into the left-field stands to walk the game off for Lexington.

Cal Jones 1-4 HR
Ricky Aracena 1-4 HR
Seuly Matias 0-4 K

NW Arkansas Naturals 4 Arkansas Travelers 2 F/10

NW Arkansas couldn’t continue their team run of 10 hit games going but they did receive some excellent pitching which allowed the offense time to do enough in extras to win the game. Starter Foster Griffin led the way on this night, working around eight hits and a walk while giving up two runs over seven innings. Four of the hits allowed by Griffin came in the seventh when Arkansas got a pair of infield hits in front of a line drive to left to even the game but  Anderson Miller’s assist at the plate on the trail runner kept the game even. The Naturals bullpen of Jake Newberry and Luis Vazquez kept the Trevelers off the board from the eighth on, getting six strikeouts over that time. Despite a free runner in the tenth, the Naturals had two runners tossed out trying to advance to third base. With two outs and a runner on second for the third time in the inning catcher, Nick Dini took the game in his own hands walking it off with his first Double-A home run of the season.

Nick Dini 1-4 HR, 2 RBI
Nicky Lopez 2-3 3b
Jake Newberry 2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 K 1-1 GO-FO

New Orleans Baby Cakes 16 Omaha Storm Chasers 0

A position player pitched in this one, enough said.

Frank Schwindel 1-3 BB
Ryan O’Hearn 1-4
Josh Staumont 1 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 2 K 1-0 GO-FO 25p/15

Tuesday Boxscores

Wednesday Probables
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 1-2 4.85 ERA 1.85 WHIP
Wilmington Gm1 – Jace Vines 1-5 7.08 ERA 1.81 WHIP
Wilmington Gm2 – Anthony Bender 1-1 4.81 ERA 1.85 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kort Peterson 3-4 2R, HR, SB (1), CS (1)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Scott Barlow 4.2 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 5-2 GO-FO 63p/45k

Charleston RiverDogs 3 Lexington Legends 2

The Legends offensive struggles in Charleston continued from their two shutout weekend losses, scoring two runs while going just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position. The Legends had just five hits in this one spread around by just three players. Catcher Sebastian Rivero led the way with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored while also throwing out an attempted base stealer. Starter Garrett Davila allowed just two runs, yielding six hits and a walk in his six innings of work getting a no-decision despite his solid effort. The game remained tied until the ninth when closer Tyler Zuber gave up three consecutive singles to allow the Yankees Low-A club to walk off with a win.

Brewer Hicklen: 2-4 2b, RBI, SB (2)
Sebastian Rivero: 2-4 R, 2-2b, RBI
Nick Pratto: 0-4 K

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Potomac Nationals 3

The Rocks Arnaldo Hernandez gave them his second quality start of the season, which combined with some stellar bullpen work was enough to defeat the Nats. Over six innings of work, he scattered six hits and walk, giving up just two runs (1 ER) before yielding to the pen. Returnees from last year’s club, D.J. Burt and Kort Peterson, each reached base multiple times with the two of them scoring all five of the Rocks runs. With three walks and a single Burt raised his on-base percentage to .500, scoring three runs in the process, but it was Peterson’s fourth home run of the year that gave Wilmington the lead back in the sixth. Closer Bryan Brickhouse worked the final inning and one-third for his fifth save, recording two strikeouts in the process.

Bryan Brickhouse: 1.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 0-1 GO-FO 20p/16k
Emmanuel Rivera: 1-2 3 RBI, 2 BB
Gabe Cancel: 2-4

NW Arkansas Naturals 5 Arkansas Travelers 2

The Naturals continued their stellar work from the bullpen in a series-clinching win over Arkansas on Monday. After a run in the second, Samir Duenez blasted a two-run home run in the fourth, his fifth of the season. The bullpen took over for lefty Emilio Ogando in the fifth after he gave up a couple of runs but Sam Selman stranded the tying run on base with an inning-ending flyout in that inning. From there, Selman combined with Franco Terrero and Jake Newberry to work the final four and one-third innings scoreless to lock down the win.

Samir Duenez: 1-4 HR, 3 RBI
Donnie Dewees: 2-5 R, RBI
Nick Dini: 1-3 R, 2b, 2BB

New Orleans Baby Cakes 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 4 F/10

The Royals Scott Barlow made his third start with the Chasers Monday, still on a limited pitch count between his ferrying back and forth to Kansas City and work in the bullpen. The Baby Cakes had bludgeoned the Chasers starters over the weekend, but Barlow held his own in this one, striking out five in four and two-thirds leaving with a runner on base for reliever Wily Peralta and a 3-0 lead. That lead with Peralta on the mound was quickly cut to one when he gave up a two-run home run. The Omaha offense, which had scored three runs in the first inning on a two-run double by Frank Schwindel and an RBI groundout by Paulo Orlando, went silently through the ninth, allowing New Orleans to tie it in the eighth off Peralta with a run-scoring single. The Baby Cakes took advantage of Brandon Maurer in the tenth with three runs with the free baserunner, a hit by pitch, intentional walk and a pair of singles to put the game out of reach for the Chasers.

Adalberto Mondesi: 2-5 SB (4)
Frank Schwindel: 3-4 2b, 3 RBI, BB
Hunter Dozier: 1-4 2R, BB

Monday Boxscores

Tuesday Probables 
Omaha – Kyle Lohse 0-0 11.25 ERA 2.50 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Glenn Sparkman 2-2 2.96 ERA 1.06 WHIP
Wilmington – Cristian Castillo 1-3 8.78 ERA 1.91 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nick Dini 3-4 2R, 2b, RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Dan Tillo 6.1 IP 1 H 3 R 3 ER 3 BB 10 K 6-2 GO-FO

Columbia Fireflies 4 Lexington Legends 3 F/10

Starter Dan Tillo took a no-hitter to the seventh inning for the second time this year only to make a mistake that cost him a chance at a win. The lefty was dominant early, striking out the first nine hitters he faced as he showed his low 90s control while working his slider in and away. The Fireflies started to make contact in the fourth frame, but Tillo continued to put them down, taking his no-hitter into the seventh with just a walk allowed in that time. Despite this pitching effort, the offense wasn’t creating any separation, getting no-hit on their own until the sixth when they finally broke through with a Travis Jones single to break up the dual no-no’s and giving Lexington a 1-0 lead. One inning later, Seuly Matias pushed the advantage to 2-0 with his eighth home run of the season. With that 2-0 lead, Tillo got a quick groundout to start the seventh frame before he lost the strike zone, walking a pair and elevating his pitches more than he had in the previous innings. With two on, Tillo elevated a pitch to left-handed Quinn Brody and he did the rest, driving it out the opposite way for Columbia’s first hit on the night, giving them a 3-2 lead in the process, and ending Tillo’s night. The game remained a one-run deficit until the ninth when Nick Pratto unloaded on his third home run of the season to tie the game and send it into extra innings. The Legends free baserunner, Jeison Guzman, made a baserunning mistake in the tenth before Columbia doubled to end the game with just their second hit of the affair.

Seuly Matias: 1-4 HR
Nick Pratto: 1-4 HR
Josh Mitchell: 1.2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 1-1 GO-FO

Potomac Nationals 12 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

Starter Cristian Castillo’s struggles continued with the lefty watching his ERA balloon to nearly nine after a seven-run three-inning effort. Nationals talented prospect Juan Soto kept his hit parade going with two home runs, his fourth and fifth against the Royals organization in just the nine games against this season. The talented outfielder and possibly Top-10 overall prospect has nine home runs in just 25 games this season while hitting .375 across the Low-A and High-A levels. The Rocks managed just five hits in this one with three coming from Kort Peterson while struggling with runners in scoring position again in the loss.

Khalil Lee: 1-3 RBI, BB
Kort Peterson: 3-5
Emmanuel Rivera: 0-4

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Springfield Cardinals 2

Starter Glenn Sparkman continued his solid season, working a career-high innings in this one while continuing his walkless run. The right-hander worked eight innings, allowing just two runs (1 ER) on five hits while pounding the zone with 69 strikes on 96 pitches. With those pitches, he earned a season-high thirteen groundouts while pushing his streak of work without a walk allowed this season to 27.1 innings. The offense gave Sparkman the win for his solid effort, pounding out 13 hits with three hit efforts from Nicky Lopez and Nick Dini to push across nine runs in the win.

Nick Dini: 3-4 2R, 2b, RBI
Nicky Lopez: 3-5 2R, 3b, RBI
Glenn Sparkman: 8 IP 5 H 2R 1 ER 0 BB 2 K 13-8 GO-FO 96/69k

Omaha Storm Chasers 6 Iowa Cubs 4

The Chasers struggled with runners in scoring position, going just 3 for 17 in this one, but they did enough to earn a series victory in Des Moines. Infielder Ramon Torres singled in Omaha’s first run after an Adalberto Mondesi sac bunt pushed Humberto Arteaga into scoring position. An inning later it was Arteaga doing to the work with a RBI single to bring in Paulo Orlando after his leadoff double. Home runs by Frank Schwindel and Mondesi gave Omaha their fourth and fifth runs over the next two innings. Those homers came in handy after starter Trevor Oaks ran into some trouble in the fifth with a three-run home run allowed of his own that trimmed the Omaha lead. Oaks would leave the damage there after six innings before the two clubs swapped single runs before Jason Adam shut the door for his second save of the season.

Adalberto Mondesi: 2-4 HR, 2 RBI, SB (3)
Bubba Starling: 2-3 SB (1)
Jason Adam: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 3 K 11p/9k

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Jon Dziedzic (lhp) 0-3 2.10 ERA 1.23 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Foster Griffin (lhp) 2-2 2.96 ERA 1.36 WHIP
Wilmington – Jace Vines 1-4 8.06 ERA 1.84 WHIP
Lexington – TBD

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Erick Mejia 2-5, HR, 2 RBI, SB (4)

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jacob Bodner 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 0-1 GO-FO, 16p/12k

Springfield Cardinals 6, NW Arkansas Naturals 5

Starter Foster Griffin didn’t fool the Cardinals hitters much in his time on the hill Monday before bowing out at 5.2 innings. The line is serviceable at four runs allowed, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. He gave up eight hits, two of which left the yard and he could’ve had much worse results considering all the hard contact he gave up. The Naturals trailed 6-1 after Jake Kalish surrendered a two-run home run in the seventh inning before mounting a comeback attempt that fell just short. Infielder Erick Mejia hit a two-run home run in the eighth frame and came up with a chance to tie the game in the ninth following a Nicky Lopez RBI single, but the former Dodgers farmhand grounded out to second to end the game.

Samir Duenez: 1-3, HR, BB
Elier Hernandez: 3-4
Foster Griffin: 5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 HR, 5-6 GO-FO, 94p/58k

Nashville Sounds 4, Omaha Storm Chasers 3

The Chasers offense looked as if it was still stuck in the cold on Monday afternoon, with the team leaving nine runners on base and missing out on a couple of late opportunities to tie the game. The two teams exchanged two run innings in the second with Nashville scoring with a pair of doubles off starter Jon Dziedzic while Omaha countered with a Logan Moon RBI single and a second run coming in on a Terrance Gore double play ball. An inning later, Dziedzic struggled to close things out, giving up a pair of two-out singles that brought home two runs to push Omaha down 4-2. The Chasers offense was silent in the middle innings, but received an error and a pair of infield singles to load the bases in the seventh inning with the top of the order due up. Unfortunately, they couldn’t cash in on a prime opportunity to score with Ramon Torres and Jack Lopez striking out before Hunter Dozier grounded out weakly to shortstop. An inning later Nick Dini would come through with a RBI single to trim the deficit to one run, but Parker Moring couldn’t keep the rally going. The Chasers would go down in order in the ninth to drop the final game of the series.

Hunter Dozier: 0-5, 3K
Ryan O’Hearn: 1-4, R
Jon Dziedzic: 5 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 1-6 GO-FO, 91p/59k

Boxscores from Monday

Tuesday Probables
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn possibly
Wilmington – Anthony Bender 1-0, 5.56 ERA, 2.12 WHIP
Lexington – Garrett Davila 0-1, 3.55 ERA, 1.82 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day Nick Dini 2-4 HR, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Bryan Brickhouse 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 1 FO

Notes from J.J. Picollo Assistant GM of Player Personnel

To finish off this series of notes from my interview with Picollo I’ll give some tidbits that the player personnel guy gave on a few different players.

Chase Vallot – The decision to go with three catchers in Wilmington was one of the difficult ones they had to address during the spring season. They know that Vallot’s bat will be what leads him to his success and they wanted him to get it going in Wilmington. He will mix in with Meibrys Viloria and Xavier Fernandez behind the dish but they he will DH quite a bit, they want to see him get a bit more aggressive, and increase the contact rate. They’re also hoping that competition between Vallot, Viloria, and Fernandez will drive the players to improve their game in a similar fashion to what it did for Salvador Perez (improved bat) and Wil Myers (improved defense) in 2010 when they played in Wilmington together.

Josh Staumont – The right-hander was 96-102 mph in spring from the bullpen. The move to the pen is about creating small successes for the pitcher in hopes of him harnessing his arsenal.

Rudy Martin – J.J. gave a Denard Span comp to Martin, as a player that can make an impact on the bases but needs to use his mature approach. Needs to avoid muscling up, use more of a line-drive gap to gap approach. Someone to keep an eye on in Wilmington is Arnoldo Hernandez, the 22-year-old Venezuelan has long been a command/control right-hander but he was pitching 93-95 mph at times this spring, velocities the org hadn’t seen him at previously.

The org is excited about Dan Tillo and were impressed by his work in spring with the lefty getting outs and forcing his way through innings limitations as he continually ran below pitch limits. Tillo’s 2017 draft mate Evan Steele dealt with an illness this offseason which caused some weight loss, he is currently working his way back to full pitch count and should be in Lexington at some point this season. Another pitcher working his way to full strength in Arizona that should be in Lexington at some point this season is hard-throwing Janser Lara.

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Potomac Nationals 4

The Rocks fell behind 3-1 after three innings of this one but used a four-run fourth frame to take the lead and the eventual win. Starter Ofreidy Gomez gave up three runs as he struggled with the strikezone, walking four in his four innings along with six hits allowed. The Wilmington bailed him out though with doubles by Khalil Lee, Chris DeVito, and Chase Vallot to plate those four runs. Right-hander Anthony Bender worked four innings in aid of Gomez, giving up a solo home run to Carter Kieboom but no other damage before Bryan Brickhouse worked a perfect ninth frame to secure the win.

Khalil Lee 1-3 R, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K
Emmanuel Rivera 0-4 R, BB
Chris DeVito 2-4 R, 2b, RBI, BB
Anthony Bender 4 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 3 K 6-4 GO-FO

Corpus Christi Hooks 8 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

Starter Scott Blewett had a good start to his first Double-A game, striking out six of the first eight hitters he would face on the evening before running into some trouble. Following his sixth strikeout, Blewett would walk a hitter before the Hooks connected on four consecutive singles to push across three 3rd inning runs. An inning later after getting two outs the righty would give up another single and hit a batter to end his night. One of the inherited runners would come across on Yunior Marte, who would allow a pair of runs himself as the Naturals couldn’t muster up much offense of their own, getting single tallies in the 2nd and 7th innings. The second run came courtesy of an Anderson Miller solo home run.

Nicky Lopez 0-2 2bb
Samir Duenez 0-4
Donnie Dewees 0-2 2bb
Anderson Miller 2-4 HR
Elier Hernandez 0-4 K
Scott Blewett 3.2 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER 1 BB 6 K 2-1 GO-FO 86p/54k
Franco Terrero 1 IP 2 H 1 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 2-0 GO-FO 21p/16k

Omaha Storm Chasers 2 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 1
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Chasers split their Saturday doubleheader with Colorado Springs despite the offense’s continued struggles in the cold weather. The Chasers walked it off in game one with an Humberto Arteaga two-out rbi single that drove in Terrance Gore who had pinch ran for Nick Dini and stole second. Dini had played a part in both of the Chasers runs, homering in the third before singling in the seventh and being lifted for Gore. The Omaha pitching staff struggled with the zone in both games, walking 15 Sky Sox in the two games including eight in the second game. Those eight in the second game helped the Sky Sox score three runs including the eventual deciding run on Josh Staumont after he gave up a single and a walk in the fifth inning before being lifted for Richard Lovelady. The lefty couldn’t clean things up all the way, allowing one of the runners to come in which the Chasers couldn’t match on their side to drop the game by a run.

Ryan O’Hearn 3-7 2 RBI
Hunter Dozier 1-3 BB
Andres Machado 3 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 4 BB 5 K 2-0 Go-FO 66p/33k
Richard Lovelady 1.2 IP 0 H 0 R 1 BB 1 K 3-1 GO-FO 27p/15k
Josh Staumont 1 IP 1 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 1-0 GO-FO 31p/18k
Scott Barlow 4.1 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 5 BB 7 K 1-2 GO-FO 93p/52k

NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Tulsa Drillers 1

Manager Vance Wilson wanted his team to build playoff momentum with the first game of the Texas League playoffs and they may have done just that behind excellent pitching.

Starting Foster Griffin was outstanding, keeping even with the Dodgers #5 prospect, Mitchell White. The Royals lefty kept hitters baffled much of the game, allowing just two singles and two walks while facing his only real threat in the fourth inning.

In that inning, the first two hitters reached base with a walk and a single off Griffin, but a failed sacrifice bunt turned into a quick double play for the Naturals. Griffin struck out the next hitter on three pitches to quickly extinguish the rally.

With the game scoreless into the seventh, the Naturals put a firm grip on the game getting a RBI single by Nick Dini to score Alfredo Escalera, followed by an error that pushed Dini to third to setup a sac fly by Donnie Dewees. The game didn’t stay at 2-0 long. Jack Lopez doubled home Humberto Arteaga, who had reached on the error, giving the Naturals and their bullpen a three run lead that would prove too large to overcome when Richard Lovelady pitched a scoreless ninth to clinch a first game win.

Boxscore Link

Donnie Dewees 0-2, RBI, BB, SB
Jack Lopez 2-4, 2b, RBI
Alfredo Escalera 2-4, R
Nick Dini 1-3, R, RBI
Humberto Arteaga 1-3, R
Richard Lovelady 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 13p/10k
Foster Griffin 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 5-3 GO-FO, 99p/60k

Orem Owlz 10, Idaho Falls Chukars 4

The Chukars season is winding down with just three games to play after their 10-4 loss to the Owlz. The Angels rookie league squad got after starter Julio Pinto from the first batter, getting a leadoff home run from first round pick Jo Adell to start the game. The Chukars defense pitched in as the Owlz put up 10 runs (4 ER) on 12 hits off Pinto in just 4.2 innings.

The Idaho Falls offense walked seven times, six by the top three hitters in the lineup, but fell short with four runs scored.

Boxscore Link

Matt Morales 1-3, R, 2 BB, SB
Travis Jones 2-3, R, 2b, 3 RBI, 2 BB

HR Roll Call: Jack Lopez (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nick Dini 3-4, R, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Kevin Lenik 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 42p/27k, 1-0 GO-FO

Player movement 
— Michael Gigliotti promoted to Lexington Legends from Burlington.
— Pitcher Andres Sotillet and catcher Michael Arroyo sent to Burlington from Arizona.
— Outfielder Yeison Melo sent to Wilmington from Lexington.
— 2017 seventh round pick Brewer Hicklen has been promoted from Arizona to Idaho Falls.

Memphis Redbirds 3, Omaha Storm Chasers 2 F/10

The Chasers tied last night’s game in the fifth inning on a groundout by Frank Schwindel but could do no more offensively in dropping an extra inning game. Both teams’ bullpens pitched well, with the Royals newly found reliever Kevin Lenik tossing three innings of shutout baseball. The reliever that the Royals snagged from Independent ball who throws in the mid-90s, struck out four hitters  to push his season total to 28 whiffs in 25.2 innings.

With the game tied into the tenth, recently promoted Jake Newberry struggled in his Triple-A debut. He walked the first two hitters he faced before a pair of one out singles walked things off for Memphis.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 2-4
Jorge Soler 0-2, 3 BB
Frank Schwindel 1-5, 2 RBI
Ryan O’Hearn 0-4, 3K

NW Arkansas Naturals 6, Midland RockHounds 4

The Naturals put together a late comeback against the Midland bullpen for the second straight night to defeat the Double-A Athletics affiliate. Trailing 4-3, the Naturals loaded the bases when Midland’s reliever plunked a pair of hitters and the manager chose to walk Humberto Arteaga.

In that situation, Anderson Miller drove in one run to tie the game by legging to first on a force out to keep his squad out of the double play. One hitter later Nick Dini doubled to the right field corner, driving in two runs that would eventually give NW Arkansas the win.

Boxscore Link

Nick Dini 3-4, R, 2b, RBI
Samir Duenez 1-4, K
Donnie Dewees 0-3, R
Paulo Orlando 1-4
Yunior Marte 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 24p/17k

Down East Wood Ducks 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks 5

The Blue Rocks scored three runs in the eighth inning to tie a game at five, but the bullpen couldn’t keep the Rangers High-A squad off the board to drop another game to Down East. In that inning, Jecksson Flores plated two runs with a single, prior to Chris DeVito scoring him with a single of his own.

However in the eighth, recently promoted Jose Veras gave up three consecutive hits to start the inning to put Wilmington back behind and eventually drop the game.

Boxscore Link

Nick Heath 2-5, 2R
Brandon Downes 1-3, R, 2b, RBI

Asheville Tourists 3, Lexington Legends 2 F/10

Both teams were able to navigate around plenty of baserunners in scoring position until Lexington’s Matt Wynne gave up an extra inning hit that allowed Asheville to walk the game off. A combined 2 for 31 effort with runners in scoring position highlighted the game. Kansas native Riley Pint struck out five Legends hitters in 5.1 innings while hitting 100 mph on the gun.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-4, 2-2b, RBI, BB, 2K
Gabe Cancel 1-3, 2b, BB
Emmanuel Rivera 1-4, K

Billings Mustangs 14, Idaho Falls Chukars 9

The Chukars lost a slugfest as the first two pitchers on the mound for Idaho Falls gave up 12 runs (6 ER) over five innings. Those runs couldn’t be overcome by Idaho Falls despite seven hits by the top three hitters in the order.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 2-5, 2R, 2b, 2 RBI
Matt Morales 3-5, 3R

Pulaski Yankees 2, Burlington Royals 1

The Royals outhit their opponent but couldn’t get the timely hits in their loss to the Yankees. Starter Dan Tillo struck out five in five innings and gave up just two hits, but walks gave the pitcher a loss. The former Iowa Western starter walked a pair of hitters to start the second inning prior to a bunt single loading the bases with no outs. A pair of ground outs would score two runs to put Burlington behind and their 1 for 11 performance with runners in scoring put another L in the loss column.

Boxscore Link

Dan Tillo 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 62p/35k, 7-3 GO-FO
Seuly Matias 0-3, BB, 2K
Jeison Guzman 0-3, k
Sebastian Rivero 0-4, k

DSL Red Sox 1, DSL Royals 0

The Royals 17-year-old lefty Angel Zerpa continued his quality pitching on Wednesday, tossing six shutout innings. The pitcher the team paid $100k to last year earned eleven ground outs off the bats of Red Sox hitters while striking out three hitters and allowing just a pair of singles. The lefty retired the first eleven hitters he faced before giving up a groundball single in the fourth.

The Royals offense couldn’t get the big hit they needed, going 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position which gave them the loss when the Red Sox scored a run in the ninth on a two out triple.

Boxscore Link

Angel Zerpa 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 11-2 GO-FO
Rubendy Jacquez 2-3, BB