Trenton Thunder� 2,� Altoona Curve� 0 (box)
Rudy Owens had to take a tough loss for the Curve tonight.� He pitched 7 innings and allowed one unearned run, on 7 scattered hits and 6 strikeouts, no walks.� The unearned run came in the 6th inning, when the Trenton lead-off hitter singled, then moved to second base on a passed ball by C Kris Watts. After a strikeout and a ground out, another single let the lead runner score.� Tom Boleska pitched well in his AA debut.� He gave up two doubles and an intentional walk in the 8th inning, which brought in one run, though the second runner was thrown out at the plate on the throw in from LF Brandon Jones, relayed by SS Jordy Mercer.
Owens’ real trouble was that his teammates were not able to supply him with any runs support.� The Curve were limited to just 3 hits — singles by 1B Matt Hague and RF Miles Durham, and a double by Jones.� Only three other Curve hitters reached base.� Kris Watts was hit by a pitch, and 3B Josh Harrison and DH Anthony Norman both walked.� Their biggest threat came in the 3rd inning, when Norman walked and stole second base, then advanced to third base on a ground out.� Harrison’s walk put runners on the corners, but a pop out ended the inning.� Two Curve runners were on base again in the 4th inning, when Jones doubled and Watts was hit by the pitch, but again both were left on base.� After Watts was hit, the next 14 Curve batters were retired in order, until Hague singled in the 9th inning.� Hague was immediately erased in a game-ending double play.
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Dunedin Blue Jays� 10,� Bradenton Marauders� 5 (box)
Dunedin posted a 5-run 3rd inning on their way to doubling up the Marauders in the first game of a double header, making up for Friday night’s rain-out.� Bradenton starter Tim Alderson struggled again, suffering his second loss in two starts.� He’s given up 7 runs in each start, though this time he pitched 4 innings (it was only 1.2 innings in the previous start) and only 6 were earned.� After breezing through the 1s inning, Alderson gave up a lead-off home run in both the 2nd and the 3rd innings.� Two walks, a hit batter, and another home run — a grand slam– added four more runs in the 3rd inning, to give Dunedin a 6-0 lead.� The unearned run scored in the 4th, started by a fielding error by LF Robbie Grossman, then a wild pitch, a walk, and a grounder force out.
The Marauders got 3 of the runs back in the 4th.� Grossman led off with a walk, then 1B Erik Huber doubled, and DH Jordan Newton brought in both of them with a 3-run homer.� Dunedin 6,� Marauders 3.
Both teams put runners on base in the next two innings, but neither could bring them around to score.� Duke Welker pitched one scoreless inning.� He gave up a walk and a double, but got a strikeout and a ground out to finish the inning without the runners scoring.� Matt McSwain gave up a double and a 2-run homer, followed by another double in the 7th inning.� The Marauders tried again to catch up in the bottom of the 7th.� SS Adenson Chourio walked, and 2B Jose De Los Santos grounded to short for what could have been a double play.� Chourio was forced out at second, but De Los Santos beat out the throw to first.� A single by RF Austin McClune and a double by Grossman brought in two runs, but that was all the Marauders would get.
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Blue Jays� 4,� Marauders� 3 (box)
The Blue Jays took the night-cap too, despite a last-chance rally by the Marauders in the 7th inning.� Brian Leach pitched 6 innings for the Marauders, and he gave up all 4 runs on 8 hits, but struck out 9 Blue Jays.� A double and a single plated the first run in the top of the 1st, and a single, a stolen base, and another single brought in the second run in the next inning.
The Marauders tied it up in the bottom of the 3rd.� Jose De Los Santos and CF Quincy Latimore both doubled, scoring De Los Santos.� Latimore stole third base, and a throwing error by Dunedin C Travis d’Arnaud allowed Latimore to score.� Dunedin took the lead again in the 4th, on two more singles, then added an insurance run in the 6th on a single and an RBI double.� SS Adenson Chourio and De Los Santos threatened again in the 4th inning, when Chourio doubled and De Los Santos singled, but they were left on base when the inning ended.
Diego Moreno relieved Leach to pitch the 7th, and he struck out the side, all swinging.� Chouiro walked to begin the bottom of the 7th, and De Los Santos doubled again, giving him a 4-for-4 game.� LF Robbie Grossman walked to put the winning run on base.� But Latimore grounded to third, where the Dunedin third baseman stepped on the bag to force out De Los Santos, then threw to first for a double play.� Chourio scored, and Grossman was left on second base.� A fly out ended the game, leaving Grossman on second.
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State College Spikes� 7,� Auburn Doubledays� 0 (box)
Three Spikes pitchers, Tyler Waldron, Mitch Fienemann, and Jason Townsend combined for a shutout of the Doubledays, limiting them to 6 hits and no walks.� Waldron scattered 5 hits over 6 innings of work, and retired 9 batters in a row in the middle of his outing.� Fienemann allowed only one hit in his 2 innings, and he struck out 3 batters.� Townsend retired the side in order in the 9th, including 2 strikeouts.
The Spikes put up two 3-run innings, then added one more run for good measure.� With two outs in the 3rd inning, CF Mel Rojas walked, and both SS Gift Ngoepe and LF Adalberto Santos singled, scoring Rojas.� 1B Matt Curry walked, loading the bases, then 3B Chase Lyles also singled, driving in both Ngoepe and Santos to give the Spikes a 3-0 lead.� Rojas also began the rally in the 5th inning, when he led off by being hit by a pitch.� Ngoepe walked, but was caught stealing for the second time in the game (he walked and was caught in the 1st inning).� Santos reached on a fielding error, then Curry singled, to score Rojas.� 2B Walker Gourley’s 2-RBI single brought in Santos and Curry, and the Spikes were up 6-0.� A passed ball on strike three put C Miguel Mendez on base in the 6th inning, and he scored when RF Cole White tripled.
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GCL Blue Jays� 9,� GCL Pirates� 2 (box)
More trouble for Pirates’ affiliate from Blue Jays affiliates in Florida.� The first 15 Pirates’ batters were retired in order, until SS Kevin Mort led off the 6th with a single.� CF Junior Sosa also singled in the 6th, but three other Pirates’ batters struck out in that inning.� The Pirates went down in order again in the 7th (with 2 more strikeouts, and a total of 12 strikeouts in the game).� A fielding error put C Elias Diaz on base in the 8th.� Singles by RF Daan Cornelissen, Sosa, and DH Wes Freeman scored Diaz and Cornelissen, with both of the runs unearned due to the error that began the inning.
Vincent Payne got the start for the Pirates and pitched 4 innings.� He was charged with the loss, though he gave up just one run.� Payne allowed only one hit over his first 3 innings, and that runner was thrown out trying to steal second.� A walk, a balk, and a single brought in the run in the 4th inning.� Kevin Kleis, in his 3rd appearance for the Pirates, pitched the 5th inning and allowed 3 unearned runs.� After an out and two singles, a fielding error by 3B Eric Avila loaded the bases.� A ground out and two more singles brought in the 3 runs.� Logan Pevny relieved Kleis to begin the 6th inning.� Pevny gave up a lead-off homer in that inning, then another run on a single, a double, and a wild pitch in the 7th.� Yeber Sanchez pitched the final two innings.� He gave up a 3-run homer after a hit batter and a single in the 9th inning.
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