Wednesday’s News & Notes

Columbus 3 Syracuse 0 [Perfect Game]
• Stammen (L, 8-5) 6⅓ IP, 11H, 3ER, 2BB, 3K
• Severino 1⅔ IP, 0H, 0ER, BB, K, 2 IR stranded

All credit goes to 28-year-old Columbus Clippers pitcher Justin Germano, who threw a 3-0 perfect game against the Syracuse Chiefs last night. Germano pitched the first perfect game in Columbus history, sixth no-hitter in Clippers history, and the first perfect game in the International League since 2003. Craig Stammen was tagged for three runs early, the first on two doubles in the 1st and two more on a Tim Fedroff triple in the 2nd. Stammen put runners on second and third with one out in the 7th before Atahualpa Severino came in to stifle the rally with a short flyout and former Nat Nick Johnson’s inning-ending popup. With the 3-0 defeat, Syracuse falls to 44-58, two games ahead of fifth-place Buffalo and sixteen games behind irst-place Lehigh Valley in the I.L. North.

Bowie 6 Harrisburg 2
• E Davis (L, 5-6) 6IP, 8H, 4ER, BB, 5K, 2 HR
• Pena 2IP, 2H, 2ER, 0BB, 2K
• Norris 1-3, R, 2R HR, 2RBI
• T Moore 1-4, 2B
Harrisburg fell 6-2 in Bowie last night. Starter Erik Davis gave up a first-inning solo shot to L.J. Hoes. Derek Norris answered back with a two-run shot of his own in the 3rd inning to put Harrisburg up 2-1. The lead would not stand when Hoes hit his second homer of the game in the 6th and Bowie plated two more on a Caleb Joseph double. Hassan Pena gave up two runs in the 7th to make the final score 6-2. Harrisburg managed just four hits in defeat. With the loss, Harrisburg falls to 58-46, just a ½ game up over Bowie in the E.L. West.

Potomac 4 Wilmington 3 — COMP.
• Olbrychowski 4IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 5BB, 3K
• Clegg (W, 3-5) 4IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, K
• Hood 2-4, 2RBI, SB
• Leon, 2-4, 2-2B, RBI
• E Perez 2-4, 2R, 2SB (30,31)

In the continuation, Mitchell Clegg spun one of his best outings of the season with four scoreless innings of relief while the Potomac ‘pen held off a late charge for a 4-3 win in Wilmington. Destin Hood broke the 1-1 tie with a two-run single when play resumed and Steven Souza drove in what would prove to be the gamewinner with an RBI single that sent in Eury Perez. Rob Wort came on to protect a 4-1 lead in the 9th and got two quick outs, but was chased after a double and a single narrowed the gap to 4-2. Josh Smoker wasn’t much more effective, giving up the third run on an RBI double and walking the next batter before getting a flyout to end it for the ugly, last-blonde-at-the-bar save.

Wilmington 4 Potomac 3 – F/8
• Rosenbaum 6IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, BB, 6K
• Holland (BS, 1; L, 1-1) ⅔ IP, 2H, 2R, 0ER, 0BB, 2K
• Hood 1-3, R, 3B, RBI
• Bloxom 1-3, RBI

In the regularly scheduled game, Wilmington went up 1-0 in the first and the stars seemed in to be in line for Noel Arguelles to get the seven-inning no-no. But a walk, a sacrifice, and a lost-in-the-twilight triple by Destin Hood ended both the no-hitter and the shutout. Justin Bloxom followed Hood with an RBI single to give the P-Nats a 2-1 lead. Danny Rosenbaum, who started and allowed just the one run on six hits over six innings, was assured of his seventh no-decision when Hector Nelo snatched a tie from the jaws of victory by surrendering a one-out double and RBI single. After J.R. Higley and Eury Perez doubled and singled in the top of the 8th to take a 3-2 lead, the bullpen implosion continued in the bottom of the frame as two relievers were victimized by two errors and gave up two singles to allow the Blue Rocks to score twice for a 4-3 Wilmington win. Potomac is now 18-13, three games behind Frederick in the Sally League North.

Greenville 11 Hagerstown 4
• Swynenberg (L, 3-1) 4IP, 7H, 8R, 7ER, BB, 3K, HR, WP, BK
• Weaver 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Curran 2-4, R, HR, RBI
• Leonida 2-4, R, HR, RBI

Hagerstown was never really in the game in an 11-4 loss to the Greenville Drive. Starter Matt Swynenberg gave up eight runs in the first three innings. Hagerstown did manage a run on a solo shot by Chris Curran in the bottom of the 1st. Blake Kelso (1-4, 2RBI) had two of Hagerstown’s 4 RBI on a sac fly and an RBI ground out. Cole Leonida went 2-4 with a seventh-inning solo shot, and David Freitas and Russell Moldenhauer had a double apiece in the loss. Hagerstown falls to 16-15, in fourth place in the Sally North and 3½ games behind first-half champ Hickory in the Sally League North.

Auburn Doubledays
Yesterday was the second of just four scheduled days off in the New York-Penn League 2011 campaign. Auburn is in a three-way tie for first place in the Pinckney Division, a ½ game behind in the wild-card standings. Tomorrow, they begin a stretch of 11-of-17 games at home, where they’ve played .625 ball (10-6) versus .500 ball (11-11) on the road.

GCL Marlins 3 GCL Nationals 1
• Baez 2IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, K
• S Williams 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Difo 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI, CS
• E Martinez 0-2, 2BB

A three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the 6th was difference in this one, as the G-Marlins beat the G-Nats for (only?) the fifth time in nine meetings this season by a score of 3-1. A 78-minute rain delay limited Gregory Baez to just two innings, with one hit given up and two walks issued. Two NDFAs followed him in relief: Scott Williams from Wisconsin-Stevens Point and John Peters from Augustana College. Williams pitched two perfect innings, Williams was victimized by a two-out error but surrendered the home run to take the loss. Wilmer Difo walked, doubled and drove in the lone G-Nat run, which was also the only hit in 14 chances with RISP. The loss drops the G-Nats to 12-19 and reduces their elimination number to 17 with 25 games left on the schedule.

DSL Nationals 6 DSL Rangers (11 inn.)
• Silvestre 4IP, 2H, 1R, 1ER, 4BB, K
• Hernandez, Jr (W, 2-1) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Novas 2-4, 2R, BB, RBI, SB
• Eusebio 2-5, 2B, BB, 2RBI, SB

The bullpen couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead but the D-Nats got the tying run they needed in the bottom of the 9th, and the gamewinner in the last of the 11th for a 6-5 win over the D-Rangers. Hector Silvestre got the start and allowed one run over four innings on two hits and four walks but struck out just one batter. Both D-Nat errors came in the 8th, as the D-Rangers got two unearned runs on two-out errors. Randy Novas (2-for-4) scored the tying run in the 9th when the D-Rangers catcher threw a pickoff to second into centerfield, while Diomedes Eusebio drew a bases-loaded walk (2-for-5) in the 11th to seal the deal. The win improves the D-Nats to 25-23, four games behind the D-Rangers in the B.C. South Division.