Saturday’s News & Notes

The Quick Rundown…

Syracuse 8 Rochester 1 — SUSP.
Rain halted play with one out in the bottom of the third and Syracuse leading, 8-1. The two teams will finish this one today and play a seven-inning game. The previously scheduled doubleheader will be shifted to August 26.

Harrisburg 2 Altoona 0 (10 inn.)
• Peacock 6⅔ IP, 5H, 0R, BB, 6K
• Zinicola (W, 2-0) 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 5K
• Valdez 1-1, R, HR, 2RBI (PH)
• Rahl 3-4

Alex Valdez’s pinch-hit two-run home run ended the game in walkoff fashion for a 2-0 Senators win. Four Harrisburg pitchers — Brad Peacock, Pat McCoy, Rafael Martin, and Zech Zinicola — combined to pitch a masterful ten-inning shutout, with just seven hits allowed. Brad Peacock (114K/18BB/87IP/.181OBA) continued his domination of the Eastern League with six and 2/3rds scoreless innings. Pat McCoy and Rafael Martin both retrired the only two batters they faced while Zech Zinicola struck out five batters in his two-inning appearance to win the game.

Myrtle Beach 5 Potomac 4 (13 inn.)
• Holder (ND) 5⅓ IP, 7H, 3R, 2ER, 0BB, 3K
• Frias 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Souza 4-6, R, 2B
• Higley 2-5, BB, 2RBI
• Leon 2-6, 2RBI

The two teams combined for 30 hits, but just nine came around to score as the Pelicans outlasted the P-Nats for a 5-4 win in 13 innings. Four double plays helped kill the Potomac rallies while 10 strikeouts stifled Myrtle Beach. Trevor Holder started and went five and a 1/3rd innings, and left with a 3-2 lead, but Josh Smoker surrendered a double to the first batter to let in the tying run. The two teams traded small-ball runs in the 11th before the Pelicans singled and doubled with two outs for the gamewinner. Steve Souza led the offense with a 4-for-6 night, while J.R. Higley and Sandy Leon both singled twice and drove in two runs.

Hagerstown 7 Greensboro 4
• Jordan (W, 8-3) 7IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 8K
• McCatty 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Taylor 3-4, 2-2B
• Freitas 2-5, HR, 2RBI

Another solid ass-kicking all-around performance for the Suns as they took another from the Grasshoppers, 7-4. Taylor Jordan turned in seven strong innings with two runs allowed on five hits and a walk to go with eight strikeouts to get win #8. Michael Taylor finally got a single in the eighth after five extra-base hits in his first seven at-bats, leading the 12-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort and two doubles. Dean Weaver, recently sent down from Potomac, did little to show it was unwarranted, giving up a two-run HR in the bottom of the ninth — the fifth given up this year in 17⅓ innings thrown.

Mahoning Valley 9 Auburn 3
• Encarnacio (L, 0-1) 3⅓ IP, 6H, 5R, 5ER, 0BB, 0K, 2HR
• Mirowski 2IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, BB, 2K
• Jimenez 2-4, R, 2B, 3B, RBI
• Skole 2-4, RBI

The five-game win streak was stopped cold with a 9-3 loss to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Pedro Encarnacion was touched for a run in all but one of the three and a 1/3rd innings he pitched, giving up five runs on six hits including two home runs. Hendry Jimenez and Andy Skole both went 2-for-4 with an RBI, as the Doubledays scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the ninth.

GCL Astros 6 GCL Nationals 4 (10 inn.)
• Karns 3IP, 1H, 0R, 1BB, 5K
• Meza 3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 5K
• Schill 2-5, R, RBI
• E Martinez 2-5, SB
• Curran 1-3, 2R, 3B, 2BB, SB

Nathan Karns put in another strong outing, striking out five and allowing one hit and one walk over the first three innings. Christian Meza did him one better with the same line, minus the walk. After that, the pitching went downhill fast as the GCL Nationals blew a 4-0 lead to fall 6-4 in extras to the GCL Astros. Wes Schill and Estarlin Martinez both went 2-for-5 to pace the offense, which struggled in the clutch with 11 LOB and a 3-14 mark with RISP.

DSL Cubs2 6 DSL Nationals 5 (13 inn.) — GAME ONE
• Navarro 4IP, 1H, 4R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K, HR
• Kl Rodriguez 4IP, 1H, 0R, BB, K
• Ortega 3-6, R, 2B, RBI, CS
• E Gonzalez 3-5, R, 2B

DSL Cubs2 6 DSL Nationals 4 (7 inn.) — GAME TWO
• Martinez (L, 0-2) 6IP, 6H, 6R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K, HR
• Barrientos 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Marmolejos-Diaz 3-4, R
• Rosario 2-3, R, RBI
• Tilero 2-3, RBI

In theory, a minor-league doubleheader ought to be an hour or so longer than regular game — 14 innings instead of nine, a break for the bullpen because it’s four less innings to cover. Unless it goes into extra innings. Then it becomes a nightmare. That what happened yesterday in the Dominican ad the D-Nats dropped a pair to the DSL Cubs2 despite outhitting them 10-5 in the first game and 12-6 in the second.