OKC Dodgers 3 vs Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle) 6
On the Mound
The Dodgers were in relief mode as eight pitchers took the mound. It featured some good moments and some moments that perhaps are best forgotten.
Mark Washington started and pitched 1.2 innings. He allowed only one run to score although he walked two and gave up four hits. He was followed by Marshall Kasowski who toiled for 1.1 clean innings with two strikeouts.
Recently acquired Jake Reed pitched the fourth inning with all zeros on 15 pitches. Dellin Betances did not fare as well lasting only one-third of an inning while being charged with four runs on no hits and four walks.
Justin Hagenman relieved Betances with the bases loaded and could strand only one of the three runners. He pitched two-thirds of an inning and after the hit scoring two, struck out the next two Rainiers.
Bobby Wahl was next up and allowed a run on a walk, stolen base and wild pitch.
Justin Bruihl pitched a clean seventh inning on eight pitches.
Garrett Cleavinger continued the pitching parade for the Dodgers in the bottom of the eighth inning and escaped with no further damage.
At the Plate
The Dodgers opened up a 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a James Outman walk, a Hunter Feduccia RBI double, a Tony Wolters RBI double and a Drew Avans RBI single.
They finished the day with five hits and one walk.
Player of the Game
With three of the Dodgers five hits, Drew Avans has slowly brought his batting average up to .299.
Tulsa Drillers 16 vs Springfield Cardinals 14
On the Mound
Jose Hernandez who ordinarily pitches in relief started for the Drillers and gave up a run on three hits in his inning pitched.
Hernandez was followed by Kyle Hurt who is struggling to get his footings at the AA level. Over three innings Hurt gave up two runs on three hits with five walks and three strikeouts. He was replaced in the bottom of the fifth inning with two runners on.
Austin Drury replaced Hurt and the Cardinals quickly knotted the game at 7-7 on a double, a throwing error by third baseman Brandon Lewis, a single and a wild pitch. By the time the inning was over the Drillers had fallen behind 9-7.
Gus Varland was called upon to put out the fire and pitched a clean sixth inning. The seventh inning was not so clean as Varland gave up three runs on four hits. Guillermo Zuniga was called upon to strand the two runners he inherited.
Zuniga struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Keegan Curtis came on in the bottom of the ninth inning to close out a game that was already over four hours long. He quickly proceeded to give up a single and a two-run home run. However he was able to finally bring it to a close with a strikeout and a double play.
At the Plate
In the top of the second inning, the Drillers put up a three-spot . Justin Yurchak started things off with a double before being joined on the bases by a Brandon Lewis walk and a Devin Mann single. a
Tulsa scored again in the top of the fifth inning with some help by the Cardinals. Jonny DeLuca was hit by a pitch, Ryan Ward walked and DeLuca scampered home on a Justin Yurchak single to right field. Brandon Lewis then cleared the bases with a three-run home run, his 10th home run of the season.
Lightening does strike twice in the same place. In the top of the seventh inning, following a Justin Yurchak single, Brandon Lewis launched his 11th home run of the season.
Trailing 12-9 going into the top of the eighth inning, the Drillers came out of the inning leading 16-12. They scored seven runs without an extra base hit. Twelve players came to the plate with nine getting on base with four walks, four singles and a hit by pitch.
Player of the Game
Brandon Lewis had quite the night including two home runs and six runs batted in as well as four runs scored. Justin Yurchak had four hits but on this night Lewis gets the nod.
Great Lakes Loons 7 and Quad Cities River Bandits (KC) 8
On the Mound
The Loons won the first four games of the six-game set with Quad Cities before dropping the fifth game 7-0 on Saturday.
On Sunday the Loons quickly gave up another seven runs. Kendall Williams started and over two innings gave up five of those runs on four hits combined with four walks. Cole Percival followed Williams and while he gave up two hits in his inning pitched he did not allow a run to score.
Robbie Peto gave up two runs in the fourth inning on two hits and four walks. Braydon Fisher was called upon to get the third out in the inning with the bases loaded. He did so by stranding two runners with the run scored charged to Peto. Fisher did walk two in the bottom of the fifth inning but allowed no runs to score in his 2.1 innings pitched.
Ben Harris came on in the bottom of the seventh inning giving up one free pass and two stolen bases but struck out the side to end the inning. He continued on in the eighth inning retiring the side on two ground outs and a strikeout.
Tied 7-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning Jeff Belge could not shut down the Bandits. Two walks, two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly lifted Quad Cities to an 8-7 win.
At the Plate
The Loons started quickly with two runs in the top of the first inning. Following two ground outs, Eddys Leonard doubled, Jose Ramos walked and Imanol Vargas did what he does best. His two-out double brought home Leonard and Ramos.
Great Lakes scored a pair again in the top of the fifth inning on an Alex De Jesus double, and RBI double by Jorbit Vivas and an RBI single by Jose Ramos.
The never-say-die Loons tied the game at 7-7 in the top of the eighth inning. The first run in the eighth came as four consecutive batters reached base. Imanol Vargas walked, as did Harold Restitugo, followed by an Aldrich De Jongh single and a Kekai Rios walk. Edwin Mateo was the fifth consecutive batter to reach base with his single driving in two runs.
Player of the Game
I am consciously biased in selecting Imanol Vargas again. On Sunday, as Vin would say, the deuces were wild as Vargas had two hits, two walks and two runs scored along with an RBI. He again had a two-out hit and a to-out walk.
Fresno Grizzlies (Colorado) 3 vs Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 12
On the Mound
Maddux Bruns started for the Quakes and in his limited two innings he gave up two hits, one walk and no runs. He struck out two.
Bruns was followed by Adolfo Ramirez who tossed four innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts.
Joan Valdez took over in the top of the seventh and gave up a run on a single, a wild pitch and a double before retiring the side on two strikeouts and a ground out.
Kelvin Bautista gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in his inning pitched.
Madison Jeffrey next walked the first batter he faced and along with two inherited runners from Bautista he faced a bases loaded situation. He ended the inning with a ground out. Jeffrey closed out the ninth inning with two strikeouts and a groundout.
At the Plate
The Quakes scored early in three consecutive innings.
In the bottom of the third inning, with two outs, Austin Gauthier singled and scored on a Jake Vogel double. Vogel then scored on a Damon Keith double.
The Quakes scored again in the fourth inning. With two out, Kenneth Betancourt singled, Marco Hernandez walked and Austin Gauthier doubled Betancourt home.
In the fifth inning two more runs came across following a Damon Keith walk and a Yunior Garcia home run to left center field.
Rancho Cucamonga tacked on five more runs in the seventh inning, first on a Julio Carrion single followed by a wild pitch and an error and then on a Marco Hernandez two-run single. Before the inning was over, Luis Rodriguez had driven in two more runs.
In the bottom of the eighth inning the Quakes made it an even dozen with a Marco Hernandez two-run home run.
Player of the Game
Marco Hernandez earned the honors with his three-hit game, one a home run, along with two runs scored and four runs batted in.
