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: Garin Cecchini (3), Donnie Dewees (5)

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

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

Omaha Storm Chasers 4, Nashville Sounds 2

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

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

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

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

Boxscore Link

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

NW Arkansas Naturals 5, Springfield Cardinals 0

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

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

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

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

Boxscore Link

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boxscore Link

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

Columbia Fireflies 8, Lexington Legends 0

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

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

Boxscore Link

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

DSL Royals 3, DSL Rays1 2 f/10

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

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

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

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

Boxscore Link

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

Mondesi Photo Via Minda Haas Flickr

Raul Mondesi – The Royals top shortstop in the minor leagues has put together his most impressive stretch of hitting in his career since being sent down. With his two hits on Sunday, Mondesi pushed his hitting streak to 17 games which includes multiple hits in each of his last four games and a .406 average during the streak. The positives to note in the streak for Mondesi is the lack of bunt attempts by the speedster as he has virtually cut out that part of his game while also working the ball to the middle of the field and opposite way more than he had from the left side.

Brian Poldberg on Mondesi “I know up there they wanted him to bunt a lot, so when he first got here he was looking to bunt and hit second. We wanted him to change his thought process and look to hit first and bunt second. He’s come around. He’s got his confidence and has a different stride about him, knowing he belongs.” 

Raul Mondesi on his play – “I keep working on the little things and I’m feeling pretty good at the plate right now. I’ve been working the ball the other way and adjusting to the pitch. They sent me here to work on my hitting and I’m just trying to help the team win and keep working.”

Saturday Omaha Storm Chasers 10, Round Rock Express 0 Boxscore Link
Sunday Omaha Storm Chasers 7, Round Rock Express 5 Boxscore Link HR Ryan O’Hearn (7)

The Chasers carried over their big bats and stellar starting pitching from Friday to Saturday’s series opener with Round Rock. Starter Luke Farrell went a season-high seven innings while allowing just three hits and no runs in that time. The offense backed him up with plenty of run support, scoring ten runs in six innings while connecting for 13 hits in the process to lead to the easy win.

The Chasers built a big lead early Sunday night, then hung on to a win. The suddenly hot bats scored seven runs from the second through fifth, getting a solo home run from Ryan O’Hearn and a two-run triple by Raul Mondesi as part of the run explosion. Spot starter Onelki Garcia helped his club while he was on the mound with five innings of one-run ball before turning things over to a bullpen that made it interesting late. It was Garcia’s first affiliated start in three years, earning the win in the process.

Saturday NW Arkansas Naturals 3, Midland RockHounds 2 Boxscore Link
Sunday NW Arkansas Naturals 10, Midland RockHounds 6 Boxscore Link HR Samir Duenez (7)

Shortstop Humberto Arteaga had a big day at the plate, coming up with three hits to drive in a pair of runs while also scoring the Naturals third – and winning – run. Starter Emilio Ogando made those three runs stand up with a pair of relief pitchers helping out. The lefty worked seven innings of one-run ball with just a pair of walks and four hits allowed to improve to 3-2 with a 2.28 ERA at Double-A.

The Naturals reached base 18 times with eight walks accumulated alongside their ten hits in their Sunday win. A five-run third frame and four-run seventh did most of the damage for the Double-A club, with Samir Duenez clubbing a three-run home run as part of the third inning rally. Starter Corey Ray missed out on the win after allowing four runs in his five innings when reliever Jake Kalish gave up a pair of runs to knot the action up at six apiece in the seventh frame. Reliever Pedro Fernandez’s 2.1 IP of shutout ball put things on ice for the win.

Saturday Wilmington Blue Rocks 7, Potomac Nationals 6 Boxscore Link HR Travis Maezes (2)
Sunday Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Potomac Nationals 3 Boxscore Link

On Saturday, the Rocks staged another come from behind win over Potomac. Trailing 6-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Wilmington scored on a throwing error against a sac bunt by Wander Franco. From there, the bats of Nicky Lopez and D.J. Burt added two more runs. A Lopez triple plated Franco before Burt’s double scored Lopez. Reliever Franco Terrero secured the save in the ninth for the Blue Rocks.

More come from behind fun on Sunday for Wilmington as the Rocks starter A.J. Puckett gave up three runs in his five innings on the mound. The righty surrendered four consecutive hits to start the game, allowing two runs before settling down and getting out of the inning. The 2016 draft pick allowed another run in the fourth frame when he gave up a pair of two-out hits, the second of which was a run scoring single by Victor Robles. Trailing 3-0, the Rocks first six hitters in the seventh inning reached base with RBI singles by Anderson Miller, Wander Franco and Chris DeVito to take a 4-3 lead and the eventual win after Richard Lovelady closed the door. Reliever Yunior Marte earned the win with his three innings of shutout pitching, striking out three against one hit allowed.

Game 1 Columbia Fireflies 3, Lexington Legends 0 F/7 Boxscore Link
Game 2 Lexington Legends 2, Columbia Fireflies 1 F/7 Boxscore Link

The Legends split a doubleheader on Sunday after their game was rained out on Saturday.

Neither game featured much offense, with just six combined runs in the two games. In game one, a mistake by Legend pitcher Travis Eckert led to a three-run home run by Mets Low-A prospect Dash Winningham to give the Fireflies a 3-0 win. Despite that mistake, Eckert put together a solid line in the loss going six innings with nine strikeouts.

In game two, lefty Andre Davis went toe to toe with Columbia starter Harol Gonzalez. The two pitchers allowed just one run each until Manny Olloque’s one-out double in the bottom of the seventh walked things off for the Legends. For Davis, it was one his better starts of the year with the lefty spinning seven innings with a career best 11 strikeouts in the win.

HR Roll Call: Ramon Torres (5), Cam Gallagher (1), Anderson Miller (7), Chase Vallot (5), Nicky Lopez (2), Wander Franco (2), Joe Dudek (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nicky Lopez 2-4, 2R, HR, 3b, 2 RBI, BB, SB (9), CS (6)

BPKC Pitchers of the Day: A.J. Puckett 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, 6-4 GO-FO, 88p/43k

Lexington Legends 7, Hickory Crawdads 1

The Legends put together a four-run inning early which, with a solid pitching performance, was more than enough to win the first game of their series with the Low-A Rangers club.

Starter Travis Eckert combined with a pair of relievers to limit Hickory to just one run on five hits. The threesome limited the Crawdads to just 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position thanks in part to nine strikeouts. Reliever Jesse Camp made his first appearance of the year for the club, tossing two scoreless with three strikeouts before giving way to Matt Wynne.

The Legends offense used a four-run third inning that featured a two-run triple by Manny Olloque to build their lead. The bottom third of the Lexington lineup would continue doing work the very next inning when Joe Dudek hit his first home run of the season to push the lead out to 6-1. Catcher Meibrys Viloria continued his hot hitting in the month with a pair of hits including his 10th double of the season.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 2-4, 2R, 2b
Joe Dudek 1-3, HR, 2 RBI
Travis Eckert 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 87p/56k, 4-7 GO-FO

Wilmington Blue Rocks 10, Frederick Keys 1 

The Blue Rocks broke out the big sticks to finish off their four-game series win in Frederick.

Shortstop Nicky Lopez opened up the game with a leadoff home run as part of a four-run first inning that also featured Chase Vallot’s fifth home run of the season. Wilmington wasn’t done there as Anderson Miller and Wander Franco each homered in the third to push the lead out to 7-0.

With all that offense, starter A.J. Puckett was able to take advantage despite battling with the strikezone. The righty spun six no-hit innings despite six walks and just 43 strikes among the 88 pitches he threw. Still, Puckett navigated around his own problems earning six groundouts and striking out four to keep the Keys hitters in check.

Reliever Gabe Cramer came in and gave up a solo home run to break up the no-hitter. The reliever would give up a second hit while also striking out five to up his total to 27 in 13.2 innings for the Blue Rocks this season. The win evened Wilmington’s record at 21-21.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 1-3, 2R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Anderson Miller 1-4, HR
Yunior Marte 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 16p/12k

Springfield Cardinals 4, NW Arkansas Naturals 0

The Naturals hitting woes against the Springfield Cardinals continued on Monday to end their four-game series.

This game featured just four hits for the visiting team, as the home Cardinals rapped a pair of home runs off reliever Reid Redman to go along with seven hits and two runs off starting pitcher Emilio Ogando. The Naturals failed to connect on an extra base hit while going 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. The loss dropped them into second place, one game behind Springfield.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 0-3, BB
Jack Lopez 2-4
Emilio Ogando 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 1-5 GO-FO, 84p/48k

Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Reno Aces 3

The Chasers evened up their homestand with a late comeback win against the Pacific Coast League’s top hitting club.

Starting pitcher Eric Skoglund wasn’t deterred by facing such a powerful lineup, attacking the zone with 76 strikes on 103 pitches while giving up three runs in seven innings. The Chasers needed length from their starter considering the pitching staff was shorthanded with pitchers in Kansas City, and on the DL, and with rain causing havoc during this homestand. The lefty was up to the task, striking out a season-high nine hitters in seven innings. Skoglund was using a fastball that reached as high as 95 mph while employing a slider that he’s been working on with his pitching coach.

After falling behind 2-0, Omaha shortstop Ramon Torres hit his fifth home run of the season to slice the lead in half. The Aces pushed their lead back to two runs with Christian Walker’s solo home run in the sixth. Trailing 3-1 the Chasers evened things up in their half of the seventh with a two-out rally that started on a Terrance Gore bunt single and ended with a Torres two-run single to right.

With the game even into the eighth, Ryan O’Hearn doubled to lead off the inning, advanced to third on Bubba Starling’s sacrifice bunt to set up an opportunity for catcher Cam Gallagher. The backstop who has struggled at the plate for much of the season jumped all over a first-pitch fastball by Ruby De La Rosa, sending it 370 feet into the leftfield stands to give Omaha a 5-3 lead and the eventual win.

Boxscore Link

Eric Skoglund 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 9 K, 4-6 GO-FO, 103p/76p
Ryan O’Hearn 3-4, R, 2b
Ramon Torres 2-4, R, 3 RBI

HR Roll Call: Mauricio Ramos (5) 

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Allen De San Miguel 3-4, R, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jake Newberry 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 23P/12K,  SV (6)

NW Arkansas Naturals 7, Arkansas Travelers 6

The two Arkansas Double-A teams exchanged blows for the first four innings of Tuesday’s game before the bullpens settled things down.

Both team’s starters were out early after big innings as the Naturals knocked out the Arkansas starter with seven runs between the second and third innings. In the third, Mauricio Ramos got things started with a solo home run with two outs. Just a few hitters later, Ruben Sosa brought home Humberto Arteaga and Allen De San Miguel following their two hits to make it 6-1. Finally, Donnie Dewees would cap the scoring with a double that pushed the lead to 7-1.

Unfortunately, starter Zach Lovvorn couldn’t put a pin in the scoring as the righty struggled once again, giving up four runs on four hits in the third inning to end his night at just three innings.

Reliever Pedro Fernandez would give up a run in the fourth before settling in along with the rest of the two team’s bullpen arms, shutting down both offenses for the final five innings as the Naturals hung on for the narrow win.

Boxscore Link

Pedro Fernandez 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 4-1 GO-FO, 44/27 P/K
Elier Hernandez 2-5, R
Mauricio Ramos 2-5, 2R, HR

Potomac Nationals 10, Wilmington Blue Rocks 0

Not much to brag about in this one for the Blue Rocks as their offense was silenced and their pitching staff didn’t fare well.

Starter Colin Rodgers tiptoed around hitters, walking five in just 4.1 innings, surrendering a pair of runs to take the losing decision. The lefty gave way to Jacob Bodner and Andres Machado, and that pair didn’t do much better, allowing eight runs in just 3.2 innings.

The offense had just four hits, with two from Chase Vallot, but went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Included in that lack of offense was Anderson Miller who had his on-base streak snapped at 30 games.

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 1-4
Chase Vallot 2-4, 2b
D.J. Burt 1-3, BB, 2SB (11)

Lexington Legends 6, Augusta GreenJackets 4

The Legends left Augusta with a series win, taking the finale of the four game set to leave town with three wins.

The Legends bats got involved in this one, pounding out 15 hits while scoring early and often with all six runs coming in the first five innings. A pair of runs came home in the first before solo runs in the third and fourth frames. With the score 4-2, hot-hitting catcher Meibrys Viloria doubled in a pair to double the lead to four runs.

Starter Travis Eckert ran into trouble in the sixth, giving up two runs to cut the lead to 6-4 before reliever Walker Sheller came in to close out the inning. The Legends bullpen of Sheller and Grant Gavin finished off the final 3.1 innings scoreless, with Gavin picking up his third save of the season.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 2-4, 2b, 3 RBI
Gabriel Cancel 3-4, R, RBI
Khalil Lee 1-5, RBI, 3K

HR Roll Call Frank Schwindel (5), Anderson Miller (3), Chase Vallot (3), Emmanuel Rivera (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Anderson Miller 3-5 HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Eric Stout 2.1 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 2-3 GO-FO 32p/20k

West Virginia Power 12 Lexington Legends 6

The Power name was appropriate as they powered their way through the Lexington pitchers to an easy win in game one of their series on Friday.

Starter Travis Eckert got tagged for nine runs, giving up a pair in the first inning, another run in the third before getting blown up for a six run fifth. In that inning, a bevy of singles preceded a bases loaded triple to push the Power lead to take back a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The Pirates affiliate would follow Eckert by attaching three runs to Ofrediy Gomez with single runs in the following three frames.

The Legends put together a four run fifth and scored with Emmanuel Rivera hitting his first home run of the year prior to a two run ninth inning.

Boxscore Link

Emmanuel Rivera 2-4 HR, 2 RBI
Chris DeVito 2-4 R, 2b
Meibrys Viloria 1-4 R, 2b

Down East Wood Ducks 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 7

The Rocks brought their bats again versus Down East but fell short once again in a one run game.

After the Rangers affiliate got after starter Colin Rodgers in the second inning, the Blue Rocks came back in their half of the third inning, putting four runs across. The big blow in that inning for Wilmington was a three-run bomb off the bat of Anderson Miller who extended his on-base streak to 20 games with a three-hit game.

The Rocks failed to the tie the game with multiple opportunities late, leaving 10 runners on base for the night. The loss dropped their record in one run games to 4-12 which accounts for their eight games under .500 as a team.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 2-4 HR, BB
Jecksson Flores 2-4 2R, 2b
Nicky Lopez 2-4 R, BB, CS (4)

Springfield Cardinals 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

The Naturals ran into a Cardinals buzzsaw on Friday night and it didn’t go well.

Baseball Prospectus #10 Cards prospect Jack Flaherty brought his full arsenal to the mound and it was just too much for the Naturals lineup to compete with. The right-handed starter who is a former 1st round pick tossed 99 pitches in seven innings, 73 of which found the zone with very little contact coming from his opponent. In those seven innings, he put away 12 hitters via the strikeout, allowed just two hits and walked one in that time while shoving the first place lineup around. The lone blemish in his night came via a Frank Schwindel solo home run in the second that Schwindel ambushed out to left.

While Flaherty was dominant the Naturals starter Zach Lovvorn was solid once again but came up short. The right matched the innings but gave up two runs in the 3rd on a ball that Schwindel probably should have snagged before getting to the outfield. A pair of solo innings followed when extra base hits to lead off both innings came home to score. Despite the four runs on eight hits and a pair of walks Lovvorn set a season high with nine strikeouts.

The Naturals trailing 4-1 into the ninth threatened with a pair of runs and loaded the bases with one out but Logan Moon hit into a 4-6-3 double play to kill the rally.

Boxscore Link 

Frank Schwindel 1-3 2R, HR, BB
Samir Duenez 1-4 R, 3K 10 game hitting streak
Zach Lovvorn 7 iP 8 H 4 R 4 ER 2 BB 9 K 4-3 GO-FO 100/65p

Memphis Redbirds 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Redbirds finished off a four-game sweep of the home Storm Chasers by once again limiting their offense to just two runs.

In this one, it was Memphis starter, Arturo Reyes who limited the Chasers to just four singles in eight shutout innings while working an efficient 89 pitches. The righty killed plenty of worms, earning 15 ground balls off the bat of Omaha hitters who didn’t get a runner to second base off of him after the first inning.

The Chasers gave up two runs in the third inning and ninth, the second of which killed an Omaha rally in their half of the ninth despite run scoring extra base hits off the bat of Peter O’Brien and Bubba Starling. The sweep finished off a 2-6 homestand for Omaha that featured six games of two or fewer runs by the home squad.

Boxscore Link

Ramon Torres 2-4 R
Raul Mondesi 1-4 2SB (5)
Yender Caramo 5 IP 3 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 3 K 5-4 GO-FO 55p/41k

HR Roll Call Samir Duenez (3)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Samir Duenez 2-4 HR, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Travis Eckert 6 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 4-4 GO-FO 75p/51k

New Orleans Baby Cakes 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

Omaha’s starter Jake Junis struggled some in this one as the righty gave up eight hits and four runs in just four and two-third innings. A fourth inning three-run home run by former Storm Chaser Moises Sierra was the big blow off Junis. Despite his struggles, Jake set his personal best at Triple-A with eight strikeouts in in his limited time on the mound.

A 3 for 15 effort with runners in scoring position limited Omaha to just one run despite outhitting New Orleans in the game.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 2-3 BB
Peter O’Brien 2-4 RBI
Jake Junis 4.2 IP 8 H 4 R 4 ER 1 BB 8 K 5-0 GO-FO 84p/61k

Springfield Cardinals 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

A two-run home run by Samir Duenez gave the Naturals a lead in the first inning, but the pitching staff couldn’t secure it leading to a late loss. Lefty Matt Tenuta gave up a three-run second inning home run that put NW Arkansas behind. The Naturals would tie the game in the fourth, fall behind in the fifth and tie it up again in the sixth on a Ruben Sosa single. The game would stay tied until the ninth inning when Springfield would get to reliever Jake Newberry for two hits and a pair of runs, his first allowed, to saddle NW Arkansas with the loss.

Boxscore Link

Zane Evans 2-4 2R, 2b
Pedro Fernandez 3 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 3-0 52p/32k
Donald Dewees 2-5 R, RBI

Augusta GreenJackets 2 Lexington Legends 1 F/10

Through eight and two-third innings, the Legends had scored the game’s only run. At that point, Augusta got in a rundown between first and second base which allowed the tying run to score from third prior to the out being recorded. Tie game and with just one hit in the affair, Lexington was unable to mount a threat before the GreenJackets scored the winning run in the tenth inning.

The lack off offense gave starter Travis Eckert a no-decision despite six shutout innings.

Boxscore Link

Emmanuel River 1-4 3b
Khalil Lee 0-3 BB, R, SB (6)
Ofreidy Gomez 4 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-1 GO-FO 66p/44k

HR Roll Call: Corey Toups (12), Robert Pehl (1), Travis Maezes (15), Ben Johnson (6), Manny Olloque (7), Rudy Martin (2)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Robert Pehl 2-4, 2R, HR, 4 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Mark Peterson 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2-0 GO-FO, 34p/26k 

Playoffs
Burlington 1 Princeton 1 Best of 3 series

Princeton Rays 6 Burlington Royals 4

The Royals were seven outs away from advancing in the Appy League playoffs before a Princeton rally changed things on Sunday. A three-run Rays first inning that featured three singles and a two run double by Robbie Tenerowicz put the Royals down early. However, that lead wouldn’t last long as the Royals rallied for four runs in the second frame, getting a two-run double and a run scored from Nathan Esposito. That 4-3 lead would stand up until the seventh as starter Travis Eckert would spin scoreless frames from the second inning on, before leaving with two outs with a runner on in the seventh. Reliever Vance Tatum would enter and promptly give up the tying run on a single to knot the game up at 4-4. The Rays would manufacture a pair of runs in the ninth, scoring on a bases loaded fielders choice and a steal of home to push ahead 6-4. Those runs would send the series to a deciding game three as the Royals would fail to muster much of any offense after the fifth inning.

Boxscore Link

Kort Peterson 2-4
Vance Vizcaino 1-3, R
Travis Eckert 6.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 8-2 GO-FO

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Arkansas Travelers 1

With the season on the brink, the Naturals used all their pitching weapons to squeak out a victory Sunday. The Naturals used five pitchers to spin 10 innings of one-run ball with just a struggling Miguel Almonte giving up a run. That sixth inning run allowed by Almonte tied up the game after Corey Toups had hit his 12th home run of the season in the third to put NW Arkansas on the board. The game would stay tied until the tenth inning when the Naturals threatened after Logan Moon singled and moved to second on a sac bunt before advancing to third on a wild pitch. With a runner on third and one out, the Travelers would choose to walk Alfredo Escalera in hopes of getting Mauricio Ramos to ground into an inning-ending double play. Those hopes were quickly dashed when Ramos’s infield single brought home Moon for the walkoff win. The win by NW Arkansas forces a winner-take-all scenario on Monday with the victor taking the second half title and earning a spot in the playoffs.

Boxscore Link 

Corey Toups 1-4, HR
Logan Moon 1-3, R, BB
Mauricio Ramos 2-5, 2b, RBI

Oklahoma City Dodgers 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Chasers offense continued to struggle against starting Dodger pitching while a big name prospect did enough damage for Oklahoma City early. The Chasers managed to score a run off of the Dodgers starter for the first time this series, getting a run-scoring single by Irving Falu to tie the game at 1-1. That tie would be short-lived however, when Dodgers top prospect Cody Bellinger hit his second home run of the game to put Oklahoma City up 3-1. The first baseman singled and scored as part of the Dodgers two runs in the seventh before a three-run eighth put the game well out of reach. The Chasers season ends with Monday’s afternoon finale at home.

Boxscore Link

Irving Falu 3-4, 2-2b, RBI
Ramon Torres 2-4, R
Jon Dziedzic 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Frederick Keys 3

The Rocks Robert Pehl continued the torrid end to his season with a pair of hits and four driven in to lead Wilmington to their third consecutive win. In the second inning, Pehl drove in a run with a single and scored on a bases loaded walk to put Wilmington up 2-0. That lead held up until a pair of unearned runs in the fifth and sixth inning off starter Corey Ray tied the score at two. The scoreline held until the eighth, when Pehl untied things with his first home run of the season, a three-run blast to left to give Wilmington five runs which would be enough for the win.

Boxscore Link

Robert Pehl 2-4, 2R, HR, 4 RBI
Austin Bailey 1-3, 2R, 2b, BB
Sam Lewis 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K

Hickory Crawdads 10 Lexington Legends 5

Three different Lexington pitchers gave up three runs or more in their loss to Hickory on Sunday. Starter Nolan Watson gave up three runs (2 ER) in three innings on five hits including his 19th home run allowed this season before turning things to a bullpen that didn’t fair any better. With seven more runs allowed by relief pitching it was far too much for the offense to overcome despite home runs by Ben Johnson and Travis Maezes.

Boxscore Link

Ben Johnson 1-4 HR
Travis Maezes 1-5 HR, 2 RBI, 4 K
Marten Gasparini 2-5 R, RBI

Idaho Falls Chukars 8 Ogden Raptors 7

The Chukars season is nearly over, but that didn’t stop them from showing fight in an impressive comeback win over Ogden. Despite the Idaho Falls offense twice giving starter Jace Vines leads, he and the Chukars trailed 7-4 heading into the ninth. Vines, the Royals fourth round pick, had struggled once again, giving up six runs on eight hits including three that left the yard. The six runs helped pushed the former Texas A&M pitcher’s ERA to a hefty 6.47 on the year. Trailing 7-4 into the ninth the Chukars rally started with a Raptors error that allowed leadoff man Jordan Ebert to score. That error opened the door before a pair of hits and another error on a ball hit by Meibrys Viloria kicked it wide open and brought the game within a run. A single and a third error scored a run to tie the game before Manny Olloque’s sac fly brought home Viloria and gave Idaho Falls a win after their closer shut the door in the ninth.

Boxscore Link

Manny Olloque 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
Rudy Martin 2-4, 2R, 2b, HR, SB (15)
Jason Freeman 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K

HR Roll Call Xavier Fernandez (8), Roman Collins (7)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Chris DeVito 3-3 2 RBI, BB

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Travis Eckert 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 7 K 6-0 GO-FO

Memphis Redbirds 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Starter Christian Binford was solid for five innings, but the Redbirds got to him in the sixth to hand the team and the righty another loss. A Dusty Coleman RBI single in the third and a Tony Cruz sac fly in the sixth gave Omaha a 2-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth. In that inning the game quickly was knotted after a two run home run by David Washington. A walk would get Binford removed but Brooks Pounders would let that walk come around to score on a single, crediting the run to the Omaha starter. The Chasers would get just one base runner the rest of the way, to drop the game by the smallest of fashions.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4 R, 3b
Reymond Fuentes 2-4
Orlando Calixte 3-4 R

Tulsa Drillers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

Four first inning runs combined with a lack of offense ruined the Naturals night. Three first inning singles to start the game of Yender Caramo plated a run and put NW Arkansas down 1-0. After the righty settled and a got a pair of outs, stud first base prospect Cody Bellinger quickly put NW Arkansas in a 4-0 with his fifteenth home run of the season. The Naturals would struggle most of the night to plate runs as the top four hitters in their order would combine to go 0 for 20. A sixth inning solo home run would put the deficit at 5-0, where it would stand until the ninth. In that final inning the Naturals would place the first five on thanks to a pair of Drillers errors and a couple hits, scoring three runs in the process. With the tying runs on and no outs the 2-3-4 hitters would be unable to do any damage as they would go down in order to finish off the loss.

Boxscore Link

Carlos Garcia 3-4 R, 2b
Cam Gallagher 2-4 BB
Aroni Nina 2 IP 2 H 0 R 1 BB 2 K 1-1 42/22k

Potomac Nationals 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rock starter gave up single run from the second through fifth inning, putting them in a 4-0 hole that the offense couldn’t climb out from. The reason, a 1 for 12 showing with runners in scoring position while the team missed scoring opportunities in the final three innings after scoring a pair in the sixth inning.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-5
Foster Griffin 6 Ip 6 H 4 ER 3 BB 5 K 5-2 GO-FO 91p/56k
Luis Villegas 3-4 RBI

Hickory Crawdads 19 Lexington Legends 4

Coming into the game Gerson Garabito hadn’t given up a run in 13 consecutive innings. The Hickory Crawdads didn’t seem to care much about that streak as they rocked the Dominican righty for seven runs in the second inning and then laid waste to the Legends bullpen. All told Hickory punched out the Lexington’s pitchers for 20 hits and 19 runs in the mauling.

Boxscore Link

Gerson Garabito 1.1 IP 6 H 7 ER 3 BB 2 K
Roman Collins 1-4 HR
Xavier Fernandez 1-4 HR, 3 RBI

Great Falls Voyagers 7 Idaho Falls Chukars 3

The Voyagers got after starter Jace Vines in the Chukars first game back after the All Star festivities. The righty from Texas A&M yielded eight hits and four walks in four and two-third innings, allowing seven runs in the outing. The seven runs pushed his ERA to 6.39 on the season in the highly offensive Pioneer League. Those runs were too much to overcome for the Chukars offense who had just one extra base hit on the evening. All star catcher Meibrys Viloria went 1 for 3 with a walk and reached base on an error that was originally scored a hit.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 1-3 R, RBI, BB
Manny Olloque 3-5 R, 2b
Ricky Aracena 2-5 2 SB(9), E (23)

Burlington Royals 5 Kingsport Mets 0

The Royals pitching staff overwhelmed the Kingsport Mets Thursday night, striking out 10 hitters while spinning a shutout. Starter Travis Eckert worked five innings while striking out seven against just three singles to improve his record 3-1. Infielder Nicky Lopez scored on a Vance Vizcaino single in the first and scored in the fifth on an error. Those two runs were part of a five run day that earned the Royals a win while securing a two game lead in the division.

Boxscore Link

Emmanuel Rivera 1-2 2R, 3 BB, SB (6)
Vance Vizcaino 2-5 R, 2b, RBI
Nicky Lopez 1-3 2R, BB

DSL Royals 4 DSL A’s 2

The Royals received six shutout innings from their starter and single runs in the early going to hang onto a 4-2 win. Miscues lead to single runs in each of the second through fifth innings for the Royals with throwing errors leading to runs in the three of the innings and a wild pitch scoring a run in the other. Centerfielder Raymond Lopez scored two of those runs while also stealing his 21st bag of the year. Starter Andres Sotillet spun six scoreless with just a pair of hits and a couple walks allowed while earning six groundouts and his fourth win on the season.

Boxscore Link

Andres Sotillet 6 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 3 K 6-2 GO-FO
Raymond Lopez 2-3 2R, SB (21), CS (6)
Freddy Fermin 1-4 RBI

HR Roll Call: Anderson Miller (2), Meibrys Viloria (2), Logan Nottebrok (1), Esteury Ruiz (3)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Samir Duenez 3-4, 3b, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Travis Eckert 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 5-0 GO-FO

Royals Transactions
Andy Ferguson moved to AZL Royals for rehab assignment.
OF Jose Sanchez sent to Burlington Royals from Idaho Falls.
P Matt Ditman transferred to Idaho Falls from Lexington.
P A.J. Puckett moved from AZL Royals to Lexington Legends.
OF Bubba Starling sent to Omaha Storm Chasers from NW Arkansas Naturals.
Midland RockHounds 7 NW Arkansas Naturals 0

A’s prospect Matt Chapman continued his assault on NW Arkansas pitching while the Naturals couldn’t mount much offense of their own Saturday. The third baseman hit his 20th home run of the season – his fifth off the Naturals – as part of a seven run outing for the RockHounds to secure a three game sweep. NW Arkansas was unable to connect on an extra base hit among their eight hits during the game. Lefty Eric Skoglund couldn’t back up his best start of the year, struggling with the zone with five walks allowed and giving up that home run to Chapman as well as another for the loss.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 0-3, BB
Zane Evans 2-3, BB
Terrance Gore 2-3, BB, CS (3)

Wilmington Blue Rocks 6 Winston-Salem Dash 3

A seventh inning rally earned the Rocks a win after a solid start from Foster Griffin. The lefthander gave the Rocks a quality start by attacking the zone (69% strike rate) and earning plenty of worm burners among his outs. He would leave trailing after giving up a solo home run in the sixth but his offense would come up big in the seventh to get him off the hook and earn the team win. In that seventh, a pair of doubles by Austin Bailey and Robert Pehl quickly knotted up the game at three, before a bunt single by Cody Jones pushed the lead runner to third where he came home on Raul Mondesi’s RBI groundout. Up by a run, the Rocks tacked on with a Samir Duenez triple that plated two and pushed the advantage to 6-3. Reliever Derek Gordon would finish off the final innings to earn the win and secure a chance for Wilmington to take the four game series with a victory tomorrow.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 3-4, 3b, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K, 7-4 GO-FO, 101p/70k
Raul Mondesi 2-4, R, 3b, RBI

Lexington Legends 2 Rome Braves 1

The two teams exchanged a similar storyline to Friday’s game, with the Legends coming out on top this time. The Braves starter Patrick Weigel went seven innings with 11 strikeouts and just a run allowed to keep the Lexington offense on ice much of the night. It was Anderson Miller’s opposite field home run providing that run off Weigel in the first just like the prior night’s game. Lexington pitching would match Weigel with 2016 draftpick A.J. Puckett tossing four scoreless innings before leaving due to a restricted pitch count. Following a Braves run in the sixth to tie the game, the Legends would score the eventual winning run courtesy of a Rome throwing error on a Xavier Fernandez infield single.

Boxscore Link

A.J. Puckett 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 4-3 GO-FO, 68p/45k
Anderson Miller 1-3, HR, BB
Mark McCoy 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 1-1 GO-FO, 33p/22k

Grand Junction Rockies 14 Idaho Falls Chukars 13

An ugly game for the Chukars defense and pitching staff cost them this game. Six Idaho Falls errors lead to six unearned runs while the staff couldn’t calm Grand Junction down, allowing 16 hits and 14 runs with three different multiple-run innings. Those errors and runs squandered a good offensive performance by the Chukars, putting up 13 runs on 17 hits themselves including a seven-run seventh inning that tied a game they had trailed 13-6. A pair of singles sandwiched around a sac bunt gave Grand Junction the lead in the ninth, and they made that stand up when Ricky Aracena hit into a double play to end the game.

Boxscore Link

Manny Olloque 3-5, 2R, RBI
Meibrys Viloria 2-4, HR, 3RBI, HBP
Nick Heath 2-5, 2R, 2b

Burlington Royals 2 Danville Braves 0

The Royals extended their win streak to six games by getting just enough offense and a solid combined pitching effort. Pitchers Geoffrey Bramblett, Travis Eckert and Michael Silva worked around nine hits with the aid the seven strikeouts and runners caught stealing by catcher Nathan Esposito. A sac fly in the second provided the Royals their first run, and a Logan Nottebrok home run in the ninth gave them a little cushion for the win.

Boxscore Link

Logan Nottebrok 2-3, HR, BB
Vance Vizcaino 2-4, R, 2SB (4)
Travis Eckert 4 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 5-0 GO-FO

AZL Royals 2 AZL Padres 0

Just three hits allowed with nine strikeouts in the Arizona Royals win. Rehabbing starter Andy Ferguson put away four via strikeout in his two innings of perfect pitching. First baseman Robby Rinn knocked in the Royals first run in the first inning with a single and catcher Sebastian Rivera plated the other in the second.

Boxscore Link

Andy Ferguson 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 0-1 GO-FO
Khalil Lee 1-3
Dalton Griffin 2-3, R, SB

DSL Dodgers 6 DSL Royals 3 F/10

A tenth inning outburst for the Dodgers was enough to knockdown the Royals in the DSL Saturday. Shortstop Esteury Ruiz knocked out his third home run of the season in the eighth inning in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Esteury Ruiz 2-4, HR, 2b
Darwin Feliz 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 3-1 GO-FO
Dennicher Carrasco 3-4, BB