PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

USA pitchers Kasey Kiker (Rangers) and Lucas Harrell (White Sox) combined to hold the Netherlands Antilles' batters to 2 hits, while striking out a total of 9 batters in a game that was shortened to 7 innings, as Team USA was ahead by 10 runs. �

The NA got onto the scoreboard first, in the bottom of the 2nd inning. �A walk and a ground out put lf Jair Josepha onto second base, and the first NA hit of the game, a single by C Ulrich Snijders brought Josepha around to score. �

Team USA came right back to tie the score with a solo homer run by C Lucas May (Dodgers) to lead off the 3rd inning. � Weber added another lead-off homer in the 5th inning. �May continued the inning with a single into right field, and 2B Daniel Descalso (Cardinals) worked a walk. �SS Trevor Plouffe (Twins) brought in May with a double, though Descalso was thrown out at the plate. �1B Justin Smoak (Rangers) follwed with a 2-run homer, bringing in Plouffe, and Team USA had taken a 5-1 lead.

Two walks, to RF Ike Davis (Mets) and 3B Pedro Alvarez, produced a small threat in the 6th inning, but the rally ended with two strikeouts. �Instead, Team USA mounted a bigger rally in the 7th inning, as they sent 10 batters to the plate. �Daniel Descalso led off with a walk, and Trevor Plouffe put down a bunt for a single. �Justin Smoak blasted his second home run of the game, this one for 3 runs. �CF Josh Kroeger (White Sox) followed the homer by slipping a single through the right side of the infield, and he moved to second base on a ground out. �Ike Davis plated Kroeger with an RBI double into right field. �Davis went on to third base on LF Jon Weber's (Rays) single, and he scored on Pedro Alvarez's RBI ground out. �Lucas May added another double, bringing in Weber. �

After the run in the 2nd inning, Kasey Kiker got into more trouble in the 3rd inning, though he did not allow a hit. �Kiker struck out the first batter he faced, then walked the next three batters, on 13 pitches (8 pitches for the first two walks). �A pop out to shortstop gave him a second out, and then Kiker struck out the next batter to end the inning with three runners on base. �He also walked a batter in the 4th inning, though kept the NA batters scoreless.

Lucas Harrell took the mound in relief to begin the bottom of the 5th inning. �Harrell gave up a lone single in the 6th inning, but retired the other 9 batters he faced. �With Team USA up by 10 runs in the middle of the 7th, the NA team had one last chance in the bottom of the inning to avoid a shortened game. �Harrell retired the side in order on three ground outs, and the game was over. �

Pedro Alvarez went 0-for-3 with the walk and the RBI.

Other Pool G Games in Italy:

Taipei @ Japan -- postponed by rain

Pitching and strikeouts dominated this game, as the two teams had battled to a 2-2 tie at the end of 9 innings. �The Australian pitchers (though not Paul Mildren) combined to strikeout 14 Canadian batters, and the Canadian pitchers struck out 9 Aussies. �

Team Canada scored first, with one run in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Singles by CF Adam Stern (Brewers) and 2B Brett Lowrie (also Brewers) and a throwing error by the Australian pitcher Adam Blackley put two runners into scoring position. �3B Shawn Bowman (Mets) grounded out, scoring Stern to give Canada a 1-0 lead. �

The Australians tied it up in the 5th inning, on a single by C Joel Naughton (Phillies), a stolen base, and an RBI single by CF Nicholas Kimpton. �After several quiet innings, including two perfect innings pitched by Canada's Dustin Molleken, the Aussies scored again in the top of the 9th with a solo home run by 3B Luke Hughes (Twins). �The Canadians were not done though. �In the bottom of the frame, Team Canada tied the score again, with a solo home run by RF Rene Tosoni (Twins). �

Australia tried again in the top of the 10th, following the international extra-inning rules. �SS James Beresford (Twins) was placed on second base, Nicholas Kimpton was placed on first base, and 2B Bradley Harman (Phillies) started the inning at the plate. � Harman dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. �LF Daniel Berg (Twins) singled, scoring Beresford. �A double steal put runners on second and third again, and RF Timothy Kennelly (Phillies) was intentionally walked to load the bases. �That backfired when Canadian SS Terrance Dayleg (Marlins) made a fielding error on pinch hitter Andrew Graham's grounder, allowing both Kiimpton and Berg to score. � Australia 5, Canada 2.

Team Canada began the bottom of the inning with Rene Tosoni on second, Loewen (Blue Jays) on first, and Terrance Dayleg at the plate. �Dayleg also bunted, moving his teammates into scoring position. �Adam Stern hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Tosoni, but that was all the Canadians could manage, and Australia had the 5-3 win. �

Chris Snelling started the game in left field for Team Canada, and went 0-for-4 at the plate. �

Pool F Games in the Netherlands:

Great Britain dented the scoreboard first, with a run in the 2nd inning, but then fell behind as South Korea scored 3 runs in the 3rd inning and 2 more unearned runs in the 6th. �Great Britain surprised the Koreans by tying the score with a 4-run 7th inning. �A walk, two errors, an RBI single by SS Brant Ust, and a 2-RBI double brought in the 4 unearned runs for Great Britain. �The tie did not last long, though, as South Korea came roaring back with 6 runs (2 earned) in the bottom of the 7th. �South Korea added 3 more with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th, and when a triple and a single added a 4th run in the inning, it gave them the 10-run advantage needed to end the game early. �

Dutch batters recorded 13 hits and held the Puerto Ricans to just 6 hits in this game, which was delayed by rain. �Former Pirate 1B Randall Simon w as one of four Dutch batters to have 2 hits, and 2B Sh arlon S choop went 3-for-4 for the Netherlands. �Former Pirate farmhand 3B Yurendell de Caster was 0-for-5. �

The Netherlands scored an unearned run in the 2nd inning. �Randall Simon led off the 5th inning with a walk, and after a single, a triple, and a wild pitch, 3 more runs came in, giving the Netherlands a 4-0 lead. �Sharlon Schoop opened the 7th inning with a double, and a hit batter, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single brought him in. �RJ Rodriguez came on to pitch for Puerto Rico with one run in, one out, and runners on the corners. �Rodriguez faced just one batter, and got Yurendell de Caster to ground into a double play to end the inning. �

Puerto Rico scored their only runs in the top of the 9th, on a walk, a stolen base, an RBI single, a double, a walk, and then a walk to force in the second run of the inning. �

Lynchburg knew they were going to be the under-Cats going into the Carolina League Northern Division Championship series. �They turned out to be under-Cats with claws, as they scratched their way into Game 5 of the series: �lost Game 1, won Game 2, lost Game 3, won Game 4.

Tonight, though, the Hillcats behaved like they were still in the first half of the season. �Starter Bryan Morris tied his season-high longest start with 6.2 innings and earned the win, and Ronald Uviedo earned his second playoff Save. �3B Josh Harrison singled and doubled, and LF Erik Huber, just returning to the team, had two doubles and two perfect throws in from left field to cut down runners at the plate. �

After a 1-2-3 inning to begin the game, Morris gave up one run in the 2nd inning, on a single, a double, and a sacrifice fly. �Morris retired the side again in the 3rd inning. �

The Hillcats took the lead in the bottom of the 3rd. �Erik Huber lifted a double into center field, �and with two outs, 2B Chase d'Arnaud singled up the middle. �Huber came around to score from second base to tie the score. �D'Arnaud stole second base, and he scored on Josh Harrison's single into center field. �The inning ended when Harrison was thrown out trying for second base.

The top of the 4th inning started with two outs -- a strikeout, and a liner right back at Morris on the mound. �The liner hit Morris in the back, but he was able to turn, pick it up and fire to first in time to get the runner out. �Manager PJ Forbes and the team trainer came out to check on Morris, but he said he was fine -- he was not about to come out of this game. �Wilmington's 1B Eric Hosmer doubled down the left field line, and RF Nick Van Stratten followed with a single past 3B Josh Harrison and into left field. Hosmer rounded third base and headed for the plate. �Erik Huber retrieved the ball and threw exactly on-target to C Tony Sanchez, who tagged out Hosmer at the plate, to end the inning and preserve the lead. �

Morris put the Blue Rocks down in order again in the 5th inning, then Wilmington threatened again in the 6th. �With one out, singles by 2B Johnny Giavotella and 3B Mike Moustakas put two runners on base. �A fly ball to left field brought the second out, and kept the runners on first and second. �Then Eric Hosmer lined a single into left field. �Giavotella headed for home, as Erik Huber came up throwing -- and for the second time, Huber put the throw right into Tony Sanchez's hands, allowing Sanchez to tag out Giavotella at the plate. �

The Hillcats added 3 insurance runs in the 7th inning. �1B Matt Hague led off with a single into left field. �Pinch-hitter Kris Watts walked on 4 pitches, and the Blue Rocks brought in a new reliever, Louis Coleman. �Coleman got two quick outs, but then walked Chase d'Arnaud to load the bases. �Josh Harrison came through with a bases-clearing double, a line drive into the left field corner. �Hague, Watts, and d'Arnaud all scored, giving the Hillcats a 5-1 lead. �

Bryan Morris pitched into the 7th inning, but could not complete the inning. �He got two outs, and then gave up the only walk Lynchburg pitchers would allow. �He had given up 7 hits and that one run, with one strikeout. �Morris was relieved by Noah Krol, who finished the 7th inning with a ground out. �Krol came back out to pitch the 8th inning. �He gave up a single, then erased that runner with a double play. �Then Mike Moustakas homered over the right-center field wall, making the score 5-2. �After another single, Krol was relieved by Ronald Uviedo. �Uviedo got Hosmer to fly out to end the 8th, then got a ground out and two strikeouts in the 9th to end the game and send the Hillcats on to the Mills Cup Championship Series. �

The Hillcats and the Salem Red Sox will begin the next round at 6 pm in Lynchburg on Monday. �

Pitchers Cory Luebke and Gino Espineli combined to blank Team Canada on one hit to give Team USA a win in their first game of the Second Round of the World Cup tournament. �Playing in front of a mere 300 spectators in Reggio Emilia in Italy, it took Luebke 97 pitches (68 strikes) to pitch 7.2 innings. �He allowed one hit and one walk, while striking out 10 batters. �Luebke (San Diego Padres) faced the minimum over the first 6 innings. �The only base runner was a hit batter in the 4th inning -- who was promptly erased with a double play. �Another Canadian batter reached base in the 7th, on a lead off walk, which Luebke was easily able to work around. �With two outs in the 8th inning, Luebke finally gave up a single to Canadian C Chris Robinson. �Robinson advanced to third base when US CF Buck Coats made a fielding error. �Espineli was brought in to relieve Luebke at that point, and he finished the 8th inning with a ground out to first base. �The first batter in the 9th reached on a throwing error by Trevor Plouffe, but Espineli worked around it to retire the side. �

DH Terry Tiffee and LF Jon Weber led the offensive attack for Team USA with 3 hits, 2 doubles, and 3 RBI each. �Team USA scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 1st. �Buck Coats and Trevor Plouffe began the inning with two walks, and 1B Justin Smoak loaded the bases with a single. �Coats scored on RF Josh Kroeger's grounder to second base. �Kroeger and Plouffe both scored on Terry Tiffee's double, and Tiffee came in on Weber's double. �

Three doubles, by Kroeger, Tiffee, and Weber gave the US 2 more runs in the 3rd inning. �The same three batters all singled in the 5th inning to add another run to the Team USA total. �3B Pedro Alvarez capped off the US scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the 7th inning. �That was Alvarez's only hit in the game, with 2 strikeouts and a ground out. �

In other World Cup Action:

At sites in the Netherlands:

The Netherlands came from behind with 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to get the win. � Former Indy Indian 3B Yurendell de Caster�had a hit and scored a run, and former Pirate 1B�Randall Simon recorded 2 hits. �

South Korea scored their 2 runs in the 3rd inning, on a walk, a single, a double, and an RBI ground out. �The Netherlands got one run back in the 4th inning, on a walk and a triple. �After several quiet innings, de Caster got the Netherlands going in the 8th with a lead-off double. �Simon singled, moving de Caster to third base. �Both scored on C Sidney de Jong's 3-run homer. �

Great Britain was limited to 2 hits, and even with 3 walks added in, they could not get any runs across. �SS Brant Ust went 0-for-4, and reliever Tom Boleska did not get into the game. �Cuba scored 3 runs in the 2nd and another 3 in the 8th, as Britain's pitchers kept the game closer than you might have expected. � �

Puerto Rico's 7-run 2nd inning put the game well out of Spain's reach. �RJ Rodriguez did not get to pitch in the game for Puerto Rico. �

At sites in Italy:��

A 7-run 3rd inning and a 9-run 5th inning gave the Australians plenty of firepower to end this game after 7 innings also. �Every member of the Austrailian's batting order scored at least one run. �Every member of the batting order except LF Chris Snelling had at least one hit, though Snelling walked twice and came around to score once. �RF Tim Kennelly and C Joel Naughton both went 4-for-4 in the game. �Of the 20 Australian's hits, 12 were doubles, one was a triple, and 3 were homers. �Kennelly nearly hit for the cycle: �he had the triple, two doubles, and a single, and he was also hit by a pitch. �

The Hillcats' win in Game 1 of the Carolina League Northern Division Championship Series broke a streak of 10 losses to the Wilmington Blue Rocks. �Tonight's win in Game 4 ends a streak of 7 straight losses by the Hillcats at the Blue Rocks' Frawley Stadium in Wilmington, Delaware. �It also keeps the Hillcats alive in the playoffs, as they tied up the 5-game series at 2 games each. �Matt McSwain earned the win with 4 shutout innings in relief, and Jamie Romak had 2 hits and scored 3 of the 'Cats' 5 runs. �

Hillcats' starter Nate Adcock�pitched 5 innings and gave up 2 runs (one earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks, with 4 strikeouts. �The Blue Rocks scored first, with a run in the bottom of the 1st inning. �2B Johnny Giavotella singled with one out, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on 3B Mike Moustakas' RBI double. �The Hillcats came right back with a run of their own in the top of the 2nd inning. �RF�Jamie Romak�led off by being hit by a pitch. �After two outs, 1B�Matt Hague�walked, and Romak moved up to second base. �Romak scored when�LF�Alex Presley�reached on a fielding error by Rocks' 1B Eric Hosmer, and the score was tied at 1-1.

Wilmington answered back with another run in the next inning. �2B�Chase d'Arnaud's�fielding error put Johnny Giavotella on base to open the inning. �Giovatella stole second base, and when C�Tony Sanchez's�throw went wide for another error, he moved on to third base. �Mike Moutstakas' sacrifice fly scored Giavotella with an unearned run, and Wilmington had the lead again, 2-1.

Nate Adcock�pitched two more innings, and kept the Blue Rocks scoreless. �He gave up a walk in the 4th, and another single by Johnny Giavotella and a hit batter in the 5th. �Adcock was still the pitcher of record when the Hillcats' tied the score again in the top of the 6th, so he left the game unable to factor into the decision. �Jamie Romak singled to lead off the top of the 6th. �Both DH Kris Watts and Tony Sanchez lined out to the Wilmington 2B Giavotella. �Then Matt Hague lined a double into left field, and Romak advanced to third base. �Alex Presley picked up the RBI with an infield single to shortstop, scoring Romak. �Hague was caught in a run-down as he came around third base but went too far, and he was eventually tagged out to end the inning (6-2-5-1).

Adcock opened the bottom of the 6th by walking the first batter, RF Nick Van Stratten, and he was relieved by Matt McSwain. �McSwain got three ground outs, forcing out Van Stratten, and working around another walk. �He also worked around a lead-off single by Johnny Giavotella, who had 3 hits in the game, and made good use of an intentional walk, to end the inning with a double play. �

The Hillcats had not scored after the 6th inning in their last 10 games, and they picked an excellent time to break that streak too. �In the top of the 8th, Jamie Romak led off the inning for the third time in the game, and for the third time he reached base safely to ignite a rally. �Romak doubled into left field, and moved to third on Kris Watts' sacrifice bunt. �The Blue Rocks changed pitchers, and Tony Sanchez greeted the new reliever Zach Peterson by taking his first pitch over the left field wall for a 2-run homer. �Wilmington LF Ryan Stovall made a valiant effort, with a leap that almost took him over the wall and into the Hillcats' bullpen, but he could not make the catch. �

The Hillcats took the 4-2 lead into the top of the 9th, and picked up an insurance run when Chase d'Arnaud lifted another long fly ball into the Hillcats' bullpen for a solo home run. �A fielding error by the shortstop put Jordy Mercer on base after the homer, but he was erased in an inning-ending double play. �

Matt McSwain finished things up with two more scoreless innings. �He gave up another single and hit a batter in the 8th, and worked around another hit batter in the 9th, to earn the win. �

The Hillcats and the Blue Rocks will travel back to Lynchburg for Game 5, which will be played on Sunday evening (6 pm Eastern). �The winner of that game will go on to the Carolina League Championship series, to face the Salem Red Sox. �That 5-game series will begin on Monday. �Salem swept their series against the Winston-Salem Dash in 3 games to take the CL Southern Division title. �

Team USA 8, �China 0

USA starter Trevor Reckling (LA Angels) pitched 7 innings and scattered 3 hits and 3 walks, while striking out a record 11 Chinese batters. �The four USA pitchers, Recklin, Ehren Wassermann, Cedrick Bowers, and BJ Rosenberg, combined for 16 strikeouts, setting a new USA Baseball World Cup record for the number of strikeouts in a game. �

Two of China's hits off Reckling came in the 3rd inning, with a double and a single. �The lead runner was thrown out at the plate as he tried to score from second base on the single. �After a walk, the inning ended with a runner thrown out trying to steal third base. �That was the only serious threat that China made. �Ehren Wassermann came on to pitch in the 8th inning, and got a strikeout and a ground out. �He was relieved by Cedrick Bowers, who had a batter reach on his own fielding error, then struck out the next batter to end the inning. �BJ Rosenberg wrapped it up by striking out the side in the 9th inning. �

Meanwhile, Team USA scored twice in the top of the 1st inning, when SS Trevor Plouffe singled and DH Terry Tiffee blasted a 2-run homer. �The USA bats were kept quiet over the next 6 innings by China's starter Shuai Li, who gave up a walk to 2B Daniel Descalo to lead off the 3rd inning. �Li then retired the next 16 USA batters. �

With one out in the 8th inning, LF Jon Weber tripled into the right field corner, and he scored when Descalo singled. �CF Buck Coats doubled, and Terry Tiffee brought in both Weber and Coats with a 2-RBI single. �1B Ike Davis singled, and that chased China's Li from the mound. RF Josh Kroeger greeted the Chinese reliever with a 3-run home run, to give Team USA a 6-run inning. �

3B Pedro Alvarez went 0-for-4 in the game with a ground out, a fly out, and two strikeouts. �

Team USA will move on to Round 2, in Italy. �The schedule, with one game against each of the other 7 teams in the pool:

Sunday: �Canada @ USA

Monday: �USA @ Netherlands Antilles

Tuesday: �Japan @ USA

Wednesday: �day off

Thursday: �USA @ Taipei

Friday: �Australia @ USA

Saturday: �USA @ Mexico

Sunday: �USA @ Italy

More results from Saturday:

Pool A � (played in Czech Republic)

Taipei 10, Czech Republic 1

Mexico 10, Australia 9

Team Mexico got the early lead with 5 runs in the 2nd inning and 2 more runs in the 3rd inning. �C Matthew Kennelly made it 7-1 with a solo home run for Australia in the bottom of the 3rd. �LF James Linger added another home run for the Aussies in the 5th inning, and Mexico countered with a solo home run in the top of the 6th, off former Pirate farmhand Paul Mildren. �Mildren pitched 2 innings, allowed 2 hits, and struck out one batter.

Australia broke out for 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th. �Former Indy Indian CF Chris Snelling led off with a solo home run (the fourth solo home run of the game). �After two outs, a walk, a double, a single and another double, and two more singles brought in 4 more runs, and the Aussies were only one run down, 8-7. �

Mexico scored one run in the 8th on a single and a double. �Australia's Joel Naughton hit a pinch-hit 2-run homer in the bottom of the 8th, to tie the score at 9-9. �But Mexico came back to score one more run in the top of the 9th on a double and a single. �Australia had one runner reach base on a dropped fly ball error in the bottom of the 9th, but could not get him around to score, and Mexico had the win. �

***Taipei, Australia, and Mexico move on to the second round, and will play in Italy.

Pool B �(played in Spain)�

Cuba 5, Spain 4

Puerto Rico 12, South Africa 0 �(7 innings)

South Africa was held to 3 hits, one of which was by SS Gift Ngoepe. �Ngoepe singled to lead off the 4th inning, but was quickly erased in a double play. �RJ Rodriguez did not get into the game for Puerto Rico. �

***Cuba, Spain, and Puerto Rico move on to the second round, and will play in the Netherlands.

Pool C � (played in Sweden)

Netherlands Antilles 9, South Korea 5�

Canada 19, Sweden 1 � (5 innings)

Team Canada scored 7 runs in the 2nd, 3 runs in the 3rd, 8 runs in the 4th, and one more run in the 5th as they ran over Team Sweden. �Sweden scored their only run on a home run in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Dustin Molleken pitched the bottom of the 5th inning for Canada, and he retired the side in order, with a strike out and two ground outs. �

***Neth. Antilles and Canada move on to the second round, playing in Italy; South Korea moves on to the second round and will play in the Netherlands. �

Pool D �(played in Croatia)

Nicaragua 8, Japan 4

Great Britain 4, Croatia 1

Tom Boleska earned a save for the Great Britain team, which moves on to Round 2. �After starter Brian Essery pitched 5 scoreless innings, holding Croatia to 3 hits, Boleska pitched the remaining 4 innings. �He allowed 2 hits and 2 walks, and gave up Croatia's only run, but struck out 8 of the 17 batters he faced (8 of 12 outs were strikeouts). �The run came in the 8th inning, on a walk, a wild pitch, and a double. �Brant Ust had 2 hits in 4 at-bats, with a walk, and he scored one of Great Britain's runs. �The first GB run scored in the 5th inning on a two-out single, a stolen base, and an RBI double. �They added two more in the 6th inning on a double and a 2-run homer by C Christopher Berset. �Ust's 2-out single came in the 7th, and another single and a fielding error brought him around to score. �

***Great Britain and Nicaragua advance to the second round, playing in the Netherlands; Japan moves on to the second round in Italy.

Pool E �(played in Germany)

USA 8, China 0

Venezuela 12, Germany 1 �(8 innings)

***Venezuela moves on to the second round in the Netherlands; Team USA moves on to the second round in Italy. �