Thursday’s News & Notes

SYRACUSE CHIEFS — OFF DAY
Tuesday’s 2-1 loss formally eliminated Syracuse from the I.L. North Division race and the tragic number for the Wild Card is down to five. The Chiefs start their final road trip outside of New York with a pair of four-game series against Gwinnett and Charlotte and a one-night stand in Lehigh Valley next Friday.

Harrisburg 2 Reading 1
• Holder (W, 3-3) 7⅔ IP, 6H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K,
• McCoy (H, 10 ⅓ IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K, 1-0
• Barthmaier (SV, 1) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Rendon 1-2, R, 2B, 2BB
• Goodwin 1-3, R, 2B, BB, SB

Those that got to the park late might have missed all the scoring as Harrisburg edged Reading 2-1 in the noontime contest. Trevor Holder gave up a first-inning run on a triple and a sac fly to the first two batters. Brian Goodwin and Anthony Rendon drew first-inning walks and were plated by an RBI single by Justin Bloxom and a sac fly by Jhonatan Solano for a 2-1 lead. Holder held it with his longest outing as a Senator: seven and 2/3rds innings with just the one run and six hits, no walks allowed, and two strikeouts for his third win. Pat McCoy earned his 10th hold by retiring the lone batter he faced, lefty Cody Asche, who had driven in five the night before. Jimmy Barthmaier pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn the save, his first of the year.

Potomac 9 Carolina 8 (10 inn.)
• Hill 3⅔ IP, 8H, 7R, 4ER, 2BB, K, HR
• Holland (W, 6-1) 3IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 5K
• Skole 3-5, 2R, 2-2B, BB, 2RBI
• King 3-5, R, 2-2B, 2RBI
• Sanchez 2-5, R, BB, SB(23), CS(15)

It was wild finish Last Night In Woodbridge

Hagerstown 5 Kannapolis 4
• Estevez 5IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, K, 2HR
• Meza 2IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 4K
• Bates (W, 8-3) 2IP, H, 1R, 0ER, 2BB, K
• Ramsey 2-4, 3B, 3RBI
• Dykstra 2-4, R, 2B, 2RBI

Cutter Dysktra’s two-run double in the 8th broke a 3-3 tie as the Suns held off the Intimidators in the last lap for a 5-4 win. Starter Wirkin “For The Weekend” Estevez’s struggles with the long ball resurfaced with two solo shots (six in ten starts), as the 20-year-old gave up three runs on five hits and two walks with just one strikeout. Colin Bates got the win, his eighth, with an unearned run allowed over the final two innings, with two walks and one strikeout. Caleb Ramsey emptied the bases with a three-run triple, his 10th overall and third in the past two games.

State College 5 Auburn 4 (12 inn.)
• Lee 6IP, 4H, 0R, BB, 6K
• Mendez 1IP, 3H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 2K
• Self (L, 1-3) 2IP, H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 0K
• Renda 2-5, 2B, BB, RBI
• Pleffner 2-6, SB

A four-run eighth by the Spikes erased an early 4-0 Doubledays lead as Auburn eventually fell in extras, 5-4. The bullpen blowup erased a strong outing by starter Nick Lee, who threw six scoreless innings with four hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. Derek Self took the loss with an unearned run in the top of the 12th. Tony Renda and Shawn Pleffner each had two hits as the Doubledays notched eight total. The loss sliced the Auburn lead over Batavia to three games in the Pinckney Division of the NYPL. Roster moves: RHPs Will Hudgins, Gilberto Mendez promoted from GCL, RHP Robert Benincasa placed on the 7-Day DL.

GCL Nationals vs. GCL Cardinals — PPD
Rain postponed this one to force a doubleheader today between the first- and last-place teams in the GCL East.

DSL Nationals 5 DSL Cubs2 4 (13 inn.)
• Gomez 6IP, 2H, 2R, 2ER, 4BB, 5K
• Lopez (BS, 1) 3IP, 3H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 0K
• Ramos (W, 1-2) 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 0K
• Marmolejos-Diaz 3-5, 3B, BB, RBI
• Read 1-1, R, HR, 2BB, RBI

Raudy Read’s pinch-hit home run sent this one to extras and three errors in the top of the 13th led to the game-winning run as the D-Nats edged the D-Cubs2, 5-4. The miscues made a winner out of David Ramos, who finished the game with two scoreless innings for his first win. Elisaul Gomez turned in a quality start with two runs allowed on two hits and four walks with five strikeouts over the first six frames. “Orange” Marmolejos-Diaz led the nine-hit attack with a 3-for-5 afternoon, including a walk and an RBI.