Tuesday’s News and Notes

The Quick Rundown…

Syracuse Chiefs, W, 5-4 vs. Buffalo
Starting Pitcher: Mandel 3IP 7H 4R 4ER 1BB 0K
Pitching Star: English (W, 2-1) 3IP 1H 0R 0BB 1K
Hitting Star #1: Bynum, 2-3, R, 2B, RBI
Hitting Star #2: Lopez 1-4, 2B, 2RBI
Notes: It was a nail-biter, but the Chiefs were able to hold on to a 5-4 win versus Buffalo. Starting pitcher, Jeff Mandel got a no-decision, pitching three complete innings and allowing all four of Buffalo’s runs to score on seven hits and a walk. Jesse English, however, came om in relief in the 4^th inning and pitched a magnificent three innings, allowing only one hit. Seth Bynum and Pedro Lopez were the hitters of the game, collectively going 3-7, scoring two runs, hitting two doubles, and driving in thee runs.

Harrisburg Senators W, 3-2 vs. Richmond
Starting Pitcher: Detwiler 4IP 8H 2R 2ER 0BB 2K
Pitching Star: James 2IP 1H 0R 0BB 2K
Hitting Star #1: Espinosa  2-4, R, 3B, HR, 3RBI
Hitting Star #2: Valdez 2-3, BB
Notes: Richmond started the scoring in the 3^rd with a run, but the Sens answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. Richmond knotted things up in the 4^th with another run, and the game remained tied until the 7^th, when Harrisburg added the go-ahead run thanks to a Danny Espinosa triple. With that the Sens were able to take this one 3-2. Starter Ross Detwiler went four innings giving up two runs on eight hits and no walks, striking out two. Rafael Martin earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief, while Zech Zinicola pitched a scoreless ninth for save #9 at the AA level.

Potomac Nationals L, 2-0 vs. Wilmington
Starter/Pitching Star: Bronson (L, 3-6) 7IP 9H 2R 2ER 1BB 1K
Hitting Star: Steve Lombardozzi 2-4, 2-2B
Notes: See Sue’s take in Last Night In Woodbridge

Hagerstown Suns L, 7-3 vs. West Virginia
Starting Pitcher: Hicks (L, 1-1) 5⅓ IP 4H 1R 1ER 3BB 7K
Pitching Star: Arnold 1IP 1H 0R 0BB 0K
Hitting Star #1: Bloxom 1-4, R, HR, 2RBI
Hitting Star #2: Soriano 1-4, R, 3B, RBI
Notes: The Suns didn’t fare too well today as they were downed 7-3 by West Virginia. They were able to keep the Power shorted through five innings but then West Virginia flipped the switch in the 6^th and scored three, then added a single run in the 7^th, and three more in the 8^th to run the score up to 7-0. Hagerstown made a three-run charge in the 9^th, highlighted by a two-run homer by Bloxom but it was too little too late as West Virginia held on and took this one. Starter Graham Hicks went 5⅓ innings giving up only four hits, one run, three walks with seven strikeouts in the loss.

 Vermont Lake Monsters W, 3-2 (15 inn.) vs. Williamsport
Starting Pitcher: Swynenberg (ND) 6IP 4H 0R 1BB 7K
Pitching Star: Eusebio 3IP 2H 0R 0BB 2K
Pitching Un-Star: Crane ⅔ IP 1H 2R 2ER 2BB 0K
Hitting Star #1: Freitas 2-4, BB, RBI 
Hitting Star #2: Jones 1-5, 2BB, GWRBI
Notes:  The game was scoreless until the seventh inning as hits were hard to come by for both teams in this game, just 19 in 30 half-innings. One of the big hits was Freitas’s RBI single in the sixth inning to give the Lake Monsters a 1-0 lead. Williamsport thought they had won the game, scoring two runs off Dustin Crane with one out in the ninth inning, but Vermont fought back in their half of the inning to push the game into extras, tied at 2-2.

The Lake Monsters official site describes the sequence that ended the game in the 15th:

Blake Kelso led off the 15th with a walk and moved to second on a Cole Leonida sacrifice bunt, the Lake Monsters fifth sac bunt of the game. Leonida was safe at first on a throwing error by pitcher Kyle Carr on the play and moved to second when Kelso was forced at third base on a Wade Moore bunt attempt.

That brought Jones to the plate and he laced an 0-1 pitch over the head of leftfielder Miguel Alvarez to end the game. Jones’ single was the first Vermont hit in 12 at bats with a runner in scoring position in the game.

GCL Nationals L, 6-4 vs. GCL Cardinals (comp. of susp. game
Starting Pitcher: Gregory Baez 3IP 2H 0R 2BB 3K
Pitching Star: Billy Ott 3IP 2H 0R 0BB 3K
Hitting Star #1: Roberto Perez 2-4, R
Hitting Star #2: Derrick Phillips 1-3, 2B, RBI
Notes: The GCL Nationals could hold the 3-0 lead they built last week, coughing up two runs in the 7th and four more in the 8th to fall 6-4 to the GCL Cardinals. Four errors led to four unearned runs.

GCL Nationals W, 9-2 @ GCL Cardinals (7 inn.)
Starting Pitcher: Brandon King 1⅓ IP 1H 0R 1BB 1K
Pitching Star: Nick Serino (W, 1-1) 2⅔ IP 1H 0R 1BB 3K
Hitting Star #1: Wander Nunez 4-5, 2R, 3B, SB
Hitting Star #2: Hector Taveras 2-3, 2R, RBI
Hitting Star #3: Johan Rodriguez 2-3, R, BB
Notes: In the regularly scheduled game, The G-Nats broke open an early 1-0 lead with a four-run fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run double by Estarlin Martinez. Nick Serino, the 37th-round draftee out of UMass, got the win with 2⅔ innings of relief.

DSL Nationals L, 3-2 (10 inn.) vs. DSL Yankees1
Starter/Pitching Star: Antonio Guzman (ND) 7IP 9H 2R 1ER 4BB 6K
Hitting Star: Nelalexfred Ortega 1-3, 2BB, RBI
Notes: The DSL Yankees1 squad outhit the DSL Nationals 12-3 but it took 10 innings to get the win, as the D-Nats somehow managed to score twice on three singles, five walks, and three D-Yank1 errors to stay close.