Saturday’s News & Notes

Syracuse 10 Norfolk 1
• Laffey (W, 8-3) 7IP, 5H, R, ER, BB, 4K
• Jackson 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Burriss 4-4, 4R, BB
• Laird 3-4, 3R

Steve Souza opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the 1st and Zach Walters ended it with a three-run shot in the 8th as the Chiefs rolled the Tide, 10-1. Aaron Laffey pitched seven strong innings to win his third straight start and 8th game overall, allowing the one Norfolk run on five hits and a walk while striking out four. Emmanuel Burriss reached base five times with four singles and a walk, and scored four times while Brandon Laird went 3-for-4 with three runs scored as Syracuse pounded out 15 hits total. Souza and Walters combined for nine of the 10 RBI.
Roster moves: LHP Xavier Cedeno recalled to Washington, RHP Blake Treinen optioned to Washington.

Harrisburg 11 Bowie 5
• Kroenke (W, 2-1) 5⅔ IP, 7H, 5R, 5ER, 2BB, 2K
• Espino (H, 2) 2⅓ IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 2K, 2-2 IR-S
• Keyes 3-4, 2R, HR(10), BB, 3RBI
• Ramsey 3-4, R, BB, SB

The Senators extended their win streak to six with an 11-5 beatdown of the BaySox. Harrisburg put up 14 hits and walked five times as every batter reached base. Kevin Keyes went deep for the third time this week with a three-run blast in the 1st for his 10th AA homer and 14th overall. He went 3-for-4 with a walk as did Caleb Ramsey to lead the barrage. Zach Kroenke didn’t pitch well, coughing up five runs on seven hits and two walks over five and 2/3rds, but got the win. Paolo Espino let in two inherited runners but kept Bowie off the board in the 7th and 8th innings. Derek Self worked around a walk to toss a scoreless inning in his AA debut.
Roster moves: RHPs Brett Brach, Derek Self promoted from Potomac.

Winston-Salem 4 Potomac 2 — GAME ONE
• Simms (L, 1-4) 5IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 3BB, 5K
• Suero 2IP, 4H, R, ER, 0BB, 0K
• McQuillan 2-2, R, 2B, BB
• Pleffner 2-4, 2B, RBI

It was supposed to be two, but they only got in one Last Night In Woodbridge.

Roster move: RHP Ronald Pena activated from the 7-Day DL.

Greenville 8 Hagerstown 2 — GAME ONE
• Silvestre (L, 2-4) 1IP, 3H, 2R, 2ER, BB, 0K, HR
• Cooper 2IP, 4H, 3R, 2ER, 2BB, K
• Middleton 2-2, 2RBI
• Lopez 1-3, R, 2B

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains. In the opener, it was two out of three and it was bad as Hagerstown lost to Greenville, 8-2. Hector Silvestre struggled again, giving up two runs in the space of three batters with a triple and a home run and three hits total in his one and only inning pitched. The Drive motored through three relievers, scoring in five of seven innings. Brennan Middleton’s two-run single following a Drew Ward walk and a Carlos Lopez double basically summed up the offense, accounting for the two Suns runs scored in the 2nd.

Greenville 2 Hagerstown 0 — GAME TWO
• Pivetta (L, 8-3) 5IP, 3H, 2R, ER, 3BB, 6K
• Davis 2IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Ballou 1-3
• Ward 1-3

Hagerstown’s scoring woes continued in the nightcap as they were shut out on two hits, 2-0. Nick Pivetta pitched well enough to win on most nights, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out six but took his third loss. Isaac Ballou and Drew Ward both singled one in three ABs while Craig Manuel walked once to account for the three (3) Suns baserunners. If you’re a DC sports fan, you didn’t need to look up how Greensboro did — you already knew they won again to cut the Hagerstown lead to a single game with two to go in the first half.

Auburn 2 Batavia 1
• Lopez 5IP, 2H, 1R, 0ER, BB, 5K, E
• Torres (W, 1-0) 2IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Sanchez (SV, 1) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Gunter 1-2, R, 2B, E
• J.C. Valdez 1-3, 2B, RBI

A defensive gem this game was not, but Auburn made one less mistake as they edged Batavia, 2-1 to take the season opener. Auburn got on the board in the first as the leadoff runner reached on a dropped third strike, took second on a missed pickoff, and scored on a two-out double by Jean Carlos Valdez. The Doubledays gave the run back in the 5th with two errors — one by Cody Gunter to allow the runner to reach, the other by starter Reynaldo Lopez who also threw it away trying to pick off a runner at first base. The gamewinner came in the 7th when Gunter doubled with one out, took third on a flyout to center and scored when the cutoff man muffed the throw in from the outfield. Lopez went the first five innings and gave up the lone Muckdog run on two hits and a walk while fanning five. Luis Torres got the win with two scoreless innings of relief while the save went to Mario Sanchez for a pair of 1-2-3 innings in the 8th and 9th. Roster move: LHP Brett Mooneyham activated from 7-Day DL and reassigned from Potomac.

DSL Nationals 5 DSL Mets1 6
• N. Ramirez (L, 1-1) 3⅓ IP, 6H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, K, HBP
• Archibald 2IP, 0H, 0R, BB, K, HBP, PO at 1B
• Agustin 1-4, R, 3B, RBI
• Mota 1-3, R, BB

The D-Mets greeted Nector Ramirez with three in the 3rd and knocked him from the box while scoring another three in the 4th as they held off the D-Nats for 6-5 win. Ramirez was charged with four runs total on six hits and two walks over three and 1/3rd innings as he suffered his first loss. The D-Nats were held to just seven hits but scored five times with the help of two errors and a wild pitch. Israel Mota was the only batter to reach base twice, going 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.