Saturday’s News & Notes

Syracuse 5 Pawtucket 4
• Clay 5IP, 6H, 3R, 3ER, 2BB, 9K, 2WP
• Robertson (W, 3-1) 2IP, 2H, 0R, BB, K
• Storen (H, 1) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Perez 3-4, R, SAC
• Moore 3-4, 2RBI, SB

Syracuse exploited an error to score three times in the 6th and edge Pawtucket, 5-4, for their third straight win. After a Chris Marrero walk and a Zach Walters single, Jhonatan Solano’s sacrifice attempt was thrown into right field, enabling both runs to score and Solano to make it to third. Will Rhymes singled to complete the rally and give the Chiefs a 5-3 lead. The rally made a winner out of Tyler Robertson, who pitched the 6th and 7th innings. Drew Storen tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, his first scoreless appearance since his demotion. Erik Davis weathered a rally in the 9th, letting in a run on two hits, but stranding the tying run at 2nd for his 14th save. Caleb Clay started and struck out a season-high nine but allowed three runs on six hits and two walks.

Harrisburg 8 Altoona 5
• Gilliam 4+ IP, 3H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 2K
• Grace (W, 5-1) 1⅔ IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 2K, 1-1 IR-S
• Rivero 3-3, 4R, 2B, 2HR, 2RBI, BB, HBP
• Hague 2-5, R, 2B, 4RBI
• Hood 2-4, BB

Down 3-2, no outs, first base open and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Altoona chose to plunk Carlos Rivero to load the bases. Rivero had only smacked solo shots in his previous two at-bats, but he was the second Senator hit by a pitch and the third for the game. Ricky Hague emptied the bases with a double to highlight a five-run 5th that put Harrisburg up 7-2. Rob Gilliam emptied the benches and the bullpens with his first pitch of the 5th, a fastball that Mel Rojas Jr. leaned into with his gluteus maximus, then strode toward the mound with Gilliam walking down in preparation for an exchange of business cards. After the obligatory conference of players and coaches, seven men were ejected including manager Matt LeCroy. Matt Grace took over for Gilliam and got the win, but let in his inherited runner and two of his own over an inning and 2/3rds. Aaron Barrett struck out two in the 9th for his 22nd save.

Myrtle Beach 3 Potomac 2
• Purke 5IP, 3H, R, ER, 2BB, 8K
• Benincasa (BS, 1;L, 0-2) ⅔ IP, 2H, 2R, 0ER, IBB, K
• Holt 3IP, 2H, 0R, BB, 2K
• Dykstra 3-3, 2B, BB, CS
• Oduber 1-2, RBI

For the second straight night, the P-Nats ‘pen stumbled and turned a 2-1 win into 3-2 loss to the Pelicans. Robert Benincasa blew his first save of 2013 in 23 opportunities. After a dribbler to short and a hit batsman (attempting to sacrifice on a 0-2 pitch), the P-Nats closer committed a critical error by throwing past third baseman Justin Miller on a sacrifice attempt instead of taking the sure out at first, the tying run scoring on the misplay. Manager Brian Daubach pulled Randolph Oduber and inserted Mike Gilmartin to create a five-man infield. After a liner to second, Gilmartin went out to right and Benincasa struck out the next batter. Alas, the Pelicans won it on the inning’s second infield hit. Matt Purke got the no-decision with eight K’s on five innings of one-run, three-hit ball. Cutter Dykstra reached base four times with two singles, a double, and a walk while Randolph Oduber and Justin Miller had RBI singles in the two-run Potomac 7th.

Lexington 5 Hagerstown 2
• Turnbull (L, 5-5) 6IP, 5H, 4R, ER, 0BB, 8K, HR
• Henke 2IP, 1H, R, ER, 0BB, 0K, HR
• Schill 2-3, BB
• Norfork 1-3, R, BB

The Legends took advantage of a two-out error in the 6th to score three times en route to a 5-2 win over the Suns. Narciso Mesa’s dropped flyball let in the first run and extended the inning. Uber-prospect Bubba Starling made Hagerstown pay twice with a 450′ blast to left-center for a 4-1 lead. The Suns rallied for one in the 9th but Wes Schill was caught between third and home to end the game. Kylin Turnbull pitched six innings and gave up four runs (three unearned) on five hits, no walks, but took the loss. He struck out eight. Schill singled twice and walked once as Hagerstown was held to seven hits and couldn’t take advantage of the five walks issued, with 10 runners left on base.

Connecticut 3 Auburn 1
• Pivetta (L, 0-1) 3⅔ IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 2K
• Simms 2⅓ IP, 0H, 1R, 0ER, 0BB, 4K, 2-0 IR-S
• Ballou 2-2, 2B, BB, SAC
• Lippincott 1-4, R, 2B

Nick Pivetta gave up two first-inning runs to Connecticut and the Auburn offense couldn’t dig him out of the 2-0 hole in a 3-1 loss. Pivetta allowed four hits total and walked three over three and 2/3rds innings while losing his New York-Penn League debut. Three Doubledays relievers combined for five and a 1/3rd innings of one-run relief, but the offense was stifled. Reigning NYPL batter of the week Isaac Ballou walked, singled, and doubled but the rest of the lineup mustered just three hits and one walk. Bryan Lippincott scored the lone Auburn run after doubling in the 4th, taking third on an infield error, and coming in on groundout to the right side.

GCL Nationals 6 GCL Mets 2
• Williams (W, 1-0) 5IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 2BB, 3K
• Valdez (H, 1) 3IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 3K
• D. Eusebio 2-3, RBI, 2BB
• Gordon 2-4, RBI, BB

The G-Nats made it a baker’s dozen of wins without a loss, plus a GCL East title, with a 6-2 win over the G-Mets. Deion Williams got the win in his first start since being dropped down from Auburn, giving up both Mets runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three. Diomedes Eusebio walked twice, singled twice and drove in a run to lead the G-Nats offense.

DSL Pirates2 4 DSL Nationals 3 (7 inn.)
• Reyes (L, 4-3) 2⅔ IP, 6H, 4R, 4ER, BB, 4K
• Y. Pena 2⅔ IP, 0H, 0R, BB, 4K, 1-0 IR-S
• Mota 2-2, R, 2-2B, BB
• Serrata 2-3

Rain shortened this one to seven and ended a possible comeback bid by the D-Nats in a 4-3 loss to the D-Pirates2. Luis Reyes took the loss, charged with all four D-Pirates2 runs on six hits and a walk over two and 2/3rds innings. Israel Mota doubled twice and scored on a leadoff walk in the 7th. Brayan Serrata singled twice as the D-Nats totaled just five hits and three walks for the game.