Auburn Doubledays 10, State College Spikes 4
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Josh Poytress made his first professional start, but suffered his second loss for the Spikes. He pitched 3 innings and allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, but no walks. Auburn scored their first run in the top of the 1st, with a single, a throwing error by Poytress on a pick-off attempt, and two ground outs. Poytress gave up a single in the 2nd, then allowed a single and a 2-run homer in the 3rd.
Two Spikes batters had hits in the first two innings — a single by 1B Chris Lashmet in the 1st and a triple by CF Taylor Lewis in the 2nd. 2B Jorge Bishop scored the Spikes’ first run in the 3rd. He walked, then advanced to second on LF Alex Fuselier’s ground out, and scored on SS Kirk Singer’s double into right field. The Spikes were on the board, but behind 3-1.
Bryce Weidman took the mound for Poytress to begin the 4th, and he got into trouble quickly. A single, a triple, and another single brought in two runs, then a 2-run homer added 2 more, to give Auburn a 7-1 lead. The Spikes answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning. RF Carlos Mesa led off with a triple, and after a strikeout, Lewis also tripled, scoring Mesa. 3B Walker Gourley doubled in Lewis, then moved to third base on a ground out. Gourley scored on a wild pitch, bringing the Spikes up to 7-4.
Four scoreless innings followed. Joan Montero replaced Weidman and pitched 3 innings, allowing 3 hits and a single. He worked out of a jam in the 6th, when a double, a single, and a walk loaded the bases with Doubledays, but got a short fly out and a pop out to end the inning. Fraylin Campos gave up a walk and a single in the 8th, but did not let a run score. Singer singled in the 5th for State College, and DH Matt Skirving doubled in the 7th. Two Spikes reached base in the 8th — Lashmet walked and Trent was hit by a pitch — but again both were left on base.
Auburn capped off their scoring with 3 runs in the top of the 9th. Campos had the first three batters of the inning reach base, on a walk and two doubles, driving in 2 runs. A single brought in the final run, to give Auburn their 10 runs. The Spikes’ lone runner in the bottom of the 9th was Bishop, who reached on a fielding error and advanced to second base on a balk, but he could not score either.
St. Lucie Mets 8, Bradenton Marauders 1
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The Mets scored in each of the first three innnings, giving them an 8-0 lead. Brett Lorin was responsible for all 8 of those runs, though only 2 of them were earned. He allowed 8 hits and 2 walks, and struck out 4 batters. The 1st inning began with back-to-back singles, then two outs. An RBI single brought in one of the earned runs. After a passed ball by C Carlos Paulino, another single brought in two unearned runs. A walk opened the 2nd inning, and after a ground out, that runner scored on a fielding error by SS Benji Gonzalez. A strike out and a passed ball followed, with a runner scoring on the passed ball. Then a walk and two singles added the third run of the inning. The third inning began with a fly out, a throwing error by 3B Pedro Alvarez, and a grounder force out. Two doubles followed, driving in two unearned runs.
Jason Erickson took over for Lorin for the 4th inning. He hit a batter with a pitch and allowed a single to start the inning, then got a double play and a ground out to get out of the jam. Erickson also retired the side in order in the 5th.
The Marauders managed only one base runner over the first three innings, when 2B Jarek Cunningham walked in the 1st inning, but was left on base. The next 8 batters were retired in order, bringing up Cunningham again. He led off the 4th inning with a solo home run over the left field wall. 1B Aaron Baker walked, CF Evan Chambers doubled, and Paulino walked to load the bases after the homer, but a ground out ended the inning with all three on base. RF Robbie Grossman singled in the 5th inning for the Marauders.
That was as far as the game got before they went into a rain delay. The game was eventually called over after 5 innings, giving the Mets the win. Pedro Alvarez was 0-for-3, with a ground out, a line out, and a strikeout, plus the throwing error.
Altoona Curve 8, Trenton Thunder 1
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Two big innings by the Curve gave the win and a split of the 4-game series with the Thunder.
Four consecutive singles (SS Brock Holt, 2B Josh Rodriguez, RF Andrew Lambo, and C Tony Sanchez) gave the Curve their first run in the top of the 1st inning. That rally ended with a double play. The Curve put just one runner on base in each of the next three innings. LF Quincy Latimore walked in the 2nd, Holt doubled in the 3rd, and 1B Matt Curry singled in the 4th. The top of the 5th began with CF Starling Marte reaching base on a throwing error by rehabbing Trenton SS Derek Jeter. A ground out put Marte on second base, and Rodriguez walked. Lambo’s liner into right field brought in Marte, and after a pitching change, Curry blasted a 3-run homer to give the Curve a 5-0 lead.
Kyle McPherson made the start for the Curve. He worked around runners on base in the first two innings — a walk by Jeter and a single in the 1st, then two more singles in the 2nd. He retired the Thunder in order in the next two innings. A walk and two singles, including one by Jeter, loaded the bases in the 5th, and an RBI grounder force out brought in one run. Anthony Claggett pitched two scoreless innings, allowing 2 walks in the 7th, with an inning-ending double play to get out of that small jam.
The Curve tacked on 3 more runs in the top of the 8th. Latimore led off with a double and 3B Greg Picart walked. Marte grounded into a force out (of Picart) at second, giving the Curve runners on the corners. Holt walked to load the bases, then a wild pitch let Latimore score from third. A walk to Rodriguez loaded the bases again, and both Marte and Holt scored on Lambo’s RBI single into right field. Sanchez was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for the third time in the inning, but Curry struck out to end the inning. Curve ahead, 8-1.
Matt McSwain pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game for the Curve, allowing just a single in the 9th.
