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Two Homers By Harrison Aren’t Enough; Maggi Debuts

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GCL Pirates 10,� GCL Yankees� 8 (box)

The Pirates and Yankees staged a wild finish to this afternoon’s game.� The Pirates were leading 5-1 going into the 9th inning.� The Pirates began the inning by batting around, to add 5 runs to their tally.� 1B Michaelangel Trinidad began the fun with a double.� RF Gregory Polanco walked and SS Kevin Mort singled, scoring Trinidad.� A fielding error on the play put Polanco on third and Mort on second.� A fielder’s choice that did not produce an out put LF Exicardo Cayonez on first base to load the bases.�� CF Wes Freemansingled, driving in Polanco and Mort, and after a fielding error, Cayonez was on third base, but Freeman was out at second, for the second out of the inning.� 2B Jorge Bishop doubled, scoring Cayonez.� The newest Pirate, DH Gavi Nivar, making his GCL debut, singled to short, bringing in Bishop with the 5th run of the inning.

But the Yankees were not giving up.� They had scored in the 6th on a walk, a stolen base, and a single.� Now they took advantage of Pirates’ reliever Sheng-Cin Hong, who two hit batters to begin the inning.� After a pop out, a single and a sacrifice fly brought in one run.� That was followed by a 3-run homer, then a double and an RBI single.� Hong was relieved by Dinesh Patel, who gave up a 2-run homer to the first batter he faced, then a walk, but then ended the inning with another pop out.� That was 7 runs for the Yankees in the 9th, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to the Pirates.

Pirates’ starter Vincent Payne pitched 5 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, no walks, with 2 strikeouts to earn his second win.� Yerfi Taveras pitched 2 innings, and allowed that run in the 6th.� Hong was responsible for 6 of the 7 runs in the 9th.� Patel was responsible for the final run, but he still earned his first win.

The Pirates posted 12 hits, with Nivar, Trinidad, Mort, and Freeman each picking up 2 hits.� They scored in four consecutive innings in the middle of the game.� One run came in during the 4th, when Polanco reached on a fielding error, then stole both second and third bases, and scored on Cayonez’s grounder force out.� Trinidad homered with two outs int he 5th for the Pirates’ second run.� They added two more runs in the 6th, again with 2 outs.� Cayonez walked, Freeman doubled him in, and Bishop also walked.� A throwing error on a pick-off attempt put Freeman on third base, and he scored from there on Nivar’s single.� C Joey Schoenfeld also singled, but Bishop was out at the plate to end the inning.� The Pirates made it 5-0 with another run in the 7th, on doubles by 3B Eric Avila and Kevin Mort.

State College Spikes� 7,� Jamestown Jammers� 6 (box)

SS Drew Maggi made his professional debut with the Spikes, going 1-for-4 with a double and two strikeouts in the Spikes’ come-from-behind win this evening.

Zack Dodson pitched 4 innings and gave up 3 runs on 2 hits and 3 walks.� Two runs came in the 1st, on a walk, a single, and a double.� Two walks, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly brought in the third run in the 2nd.

Maggi led off the bottom of the 1st with his double, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on LF Adalberto Santos’ sacrifice fly.� The Spikes scored again in the 4th on a double and a stolen base plus a throwing error.

Each team scored a run in the 5th.� Trent Stevenson gave up a run on a double, a passed ball, and an RBI single.� The Spikes responded with back-to-back doubles in the 5th by C Matt Skirving and 3B Walker Gourley. The score was 4-3 going into the top of the 7th.� With Brooks Pounders on the mound for the Spikes, the Jammers scored 2 runs on a throwing error by Maggi, a double, a stolen base, and a single, to take a 6-3 lead.� The Spikes came back with 4 runs in the bottom of the frame.� 2B Gift Ngoepe singled with one out, then Skirving and Gourley again hit back-to-back doubles, scoring Ngoepe and Skirving.� CF Mel Rojas singled to drive in Gourley, and Santos singled to plate Rojas.� That gave the Spikes a 7-6 lead.

Pounders loaded the bases with two walks and a single in the 8th inning, but left all three runners on base to preserve the lead.� Jason Townsend gave up two singles in the 9th, but he also left them on base as the Spikes took the win.

The Pirates announced that first-round-pick Jameson Taillon will be spending the last couple weeks of the season with the Spikes.� He is not going to be on the active roster, but will be working out with pitching coach Mike Steele and minor league pitching coordinator Jim Benedict, and generally getting the lay of the land.� Second-round pick Stetson Allie was originally scheduled to have the same kind of experience with the West Virginia Power, but now the Pirates are considering having him joing Taillion in State College.� Both will spend the fall in Bradenton for instructional leagues work.

Jupiter Hammerheads� 3,� Bradenton Marauders� 0 (box)

The Marauders were shut-out this evening, despite having base runners on in 7 of their 9 at-bats.� They were held to 3 hits — a single and a double by 3B Jeremy Farrell and a single by SS Greg Picart, in his first game in a month (he was on the DL).� But the Marauders also were gifted 5 walks, and two batters were hit by pitches, plus Jupiter committed 2 errors.� The Marauders had 2 runners on base in the 4th, when LF Quincy Latimore was hit by a pitch and C James Skelton walked.� Two runners were on again in the 6th, when Farrell doubled and Skelton walked again.� They were all left on base.� The Marauders had their best chance at scoring in the 8th, when they loaded the bases after two outs had been recorded — a walk to Latimore, a single by Farrell, and a walk to pinch-hitter Eric Fryer. But a pop out ended the rally without a run scoring.

Aaron Pribanic pitched 6 innings for the Marauders.� He surrendered 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st on a single, a double, an RBI ground out, and a throwing error.� Those were the only hits or runs Pribanic allowed.� He scattered 2 walks and a hit batter over the next 5 innings, but Pribanic still took the hard-luck loss.� Casey Erickson pitched the final two innings.� A hit batter, a fielding error, and a single gave Jupiter another run in the 7th, but he kept them scoreless in the 8th.

Asheville Tourists� 12,� West Virginia Power� 3 (box)

Two 5-run innings by the Tourists overpowered the Power tonight.� The Power were held to 5 hits while the Tourists posted 17.� Three of the Power’s hits came in the 7th inning.� 2B Jarek Cunningham and RF Jose Hernandez led off with back-to-back singles, and 1B Aaron Baker followed with a 3-run home run.� That was all the scoring the Power would do.� Hernandez� singled in the 4th, after the first 11 Power batters were retired in order.� CF David Rubinstein also singled in the 7th inning, but was left on base.� The only other Power batters to reach base were Baker, who walked in the 9th, but was erased with a double play, and Cunningham, who reached on a fielding error in the 8th.

Power starter Jason Erickson gave up the first 5-run inning in the 1st.� A walk, two doubles, and four singles brought in the 5 runs, all earned.� With two outs in the 2nd, two singles and a passed ball added another run.� Erickson gave up a single to lead off the 5th, and the next batter reached on a fielding error.� Mike Williams relieved Erickson, but a hit batter, another fielding error, and two doubles added a total of 5 more runs.� Williams gave up another run on a single and a double in the 7th.� Ryan Kelly came on to pitch the last two innings, allowing only a hit batter, while striking out 4 batters.

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