Sunday’s News & Notes

Syracuse 3 Lehigh Valley 2 — GAME ONE
• Lively (W, 4-2) 5IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 6K, HR
• Martin (SV, 8) 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Leon 1-3, R, HR, 3RBI
• Johnson 1-2

Syracuse mustered up more runs than hits in their 3-2 victory over Lehigh Valley in Game One of yesterday’s doubleheader. Maikel Franco launched a solo shot against starter and winner Mitch Lively to give the Iron Pigs a 1-0 lead. Following leadoff walks of Tyler Moore and Destin Hood, Sandy Leon’s fifth home run gave the Chiefs all the offense that they would need and a 3-1 lead. After that, a 5th-inning single by Josh Johnson was the extent of the Chiefs’ offense as Lehigh Starter and loser Jeff Manship was masterful in his complete-game loss. Ryan Mattheus turned a scoreless 6th for the hold; Rafael Martin bounced back from a tough loss in his last outing with a clean 9th for his eighth save.

Lehigh Valley 7 Syracuse 1 — GAME TWO
• Runion 2⅔ IP, 7H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 3K, HBP
• Grace 2IP, 3H, R, ER, 0BB, 2K, HR
• Kobernus 2-3, R, 2-2B
• Hood 0-1, 2BB

Two hits were enough for Syracuse in Game 1 but far from enough in a 7-1 Game 2 loss. Lehigh Valley had a big inning against starter and loser Sam Runion in the 3rd when Runion gave up a one-out single to Cesar Hernandez, a triple to Maikel Franco, and a double to Russ Kansler to make the score 3-0. Runion then hit Leandro Castro, and Sebastian Valle singled home Kansler to make the score 4-0. While reliever Daniel Stange stopped the bleeding and immediately got out of the jam, he gave up two runs of his own in the fourth. After Jeff Kobernus’ 6th-nning double, reliever Tyler Knigge’s wild pitch and a throwing error by shortstop Cesar Hernandez on Brandon Laird’s grounder got Kobernus home. 21-year old Dominican Maikel Franco might have said “Let’s play three!” after he capped off a huge night with his second homer and sixth hit of the doubleheader in the 6th.
Roster moves: OF Nate Schierholtz selected and recalled to Washington, OF Michael Taylor optioned from Washington; RHP Scott McGregor activated from TIL.

Trenton 8 Harrisburg 4
• Simms (L, 2-6) 4IP, 6H, 6R, 6ER, BB, 5K, HR
• Holland 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 4K
• Latimore 2-4, R, HR, RBI, CS
• Vettleston 2-4, R, 2B

The Harrisburg Senators provided their fans two innings of hope before ultimately falling in an 8-4 loss to the Trenton Thunder last night. In the 1st, Matt Skole doubled to score Caleb Ramsey, who had reached on a fielding error by first baseman Greg Bird. After Bird atoned for his error with a solo shot off of starter and loser John Simms in the second, Drew Vettleson doubled with one out, and Oscar Tejeda gave the Senators a 3-1 lead with his first Harrisburg homer. Taking the mound to start the 3rd with his second one-run lead, John Simms proceeded to walk the leadoff man, give up a single to Ali Castillo and allow a two-run double to Jake Cave that tied the score at 3-3. Cave later scored on a passed ball by catcher Brian Jeroloman that gave the Thunder the lead for good. Simms’s troubles continued in the 5th when he gave up two doubles before Colin Bates allowed an inherited runner to score on an RBI single from Cave that made the score 6-4. Tyler Herron gave up two insurance runs in the ninth to put this one far out of reach for Harrisburg.

Potomac vs. Frederick — PPD
The rain that fell all afternoon eventually postponed Game Two of Four between the High-A affiliates of the Nationals and Orioles.
They’ll play two tonight while welcoming the four-legged fans for the semi-annual Bark in the Park.

Hagerstown 7 Hickory 2
• Dickey (W, 1-0) 5IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Thomas (SV, 4) 2⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 2K, 3-1 IR-S
• Masters 2-3, R, BB, 2RBI
• Dent 2-4, R, 2B, RBI
• W. Rodriguez 2-4, 2R, SB

Robbie Dickey spun five scoreless innings to win his Low-A debut as the Suns boiled the Crawdads, 7-2. The 20-y.o. Texan struck out three, walked none, and allowed four hits. Justin Thomas let in one of three inherited runners in the 7th but got the last eight outs for his fourth save. Hagerstown racked up ten hits, with David Masters, Cody Dent, and Wilman Rodriguez each collecting two while Narciso Mesa clubbed his third HR. The Greensboro Grasshoppers won to keep pace, but the magic number for the Suns to clinch the second-half title was reduced to seven.
Roster move: RHP Robbie Dickey reassigned from Auburn.

Williamsport 4 Auburn 3
• Torres 5IP, 1H, R, ER, 0BB, 3K, HR
• Feliz (L, 0-1) 2IP, 1H, R, ER, 2BB, 2K
• Davidson 2-4, R
• Gunter 2-4, R, 2RBI

The Doubledays rallied for three in the bottom of the 7th to tie but the Crosscutters answered back in the top of the 8th with one for the eventual 4-3 score. Luis Torres pitched five innings of one-hit, one-run ball (yep, a HR) but got the no-decision. The loss went to John Feliz. Austen Davidson and Cody Gunter both went 2-for-4 with a run scored as Auburn registered eight hits total.
Roster moves: LHP Joseph Webb (rehab), RHP Lucas Giolito (pretense) reassigned from Hagerstown.

GCL Mets 7 GCL Nationals 3 — GAME ONE
• Solis 1⅔ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 3K
• Yrizarri (BS, 1; L, 2-3) 5IP, 9H, 7R, 6ER, 0BB, K, HR
• Lora 3-4, R, BB, RBI, SB, CS
• Tillero 3-4, 2RBI

The G-Nats tacked on another run to extend their lead to 3-0 but the G-Mets scored seven unanswered runs over the last four innings to take the completion, 7-3. Sammy Solis made his first appearance since Memorial Day and retired five of the eight batters he faced, letting up one hit and one walk while striking out three. Deibi Yrizarri made the de facto start and got hammered for all seven runs on nine hits, including a two-run shot in the 8th that was the second of three straight Jeffersons the G-Mets dropped over the final three frames. Edwin Lora and Jorge Tillero both went 3-for-4 as the G-Nats racked up ten hits but left on nine baserunners.

GCL Mets 11 GCL Nationals 7 — GAME TWO
• W. Davis (L, 0-2) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 6R, 6ER, 2BB, K, 3HBP
• De La Cruz 2⅔ IP, 3H, 0R, BB, K, 3-3 IR-S
• Gutierrez 2-3, R, 3RBI, SB
• Keniry 2-3, CS
• Alvarez 1-3, 2R, 2B, BB, SB

The G-Mets had two big innings — six in the 2nd, five in the 5th — as they handed the G-Nats their sixth straight loss to eliminate the 2013 GCL Champions. Weston Davis took the loss with six runs charged to him on one hit, two walks, and three hit batsmen over an inning and a 1/3rd. The G-Nats outhit the G-Mets 9-8, with Kelvin Gutierrez leading the way with a 2-for-3 mark and three RBI.

DSL Nationals vs. DSL Orioles2 — CNCLD
The final scheduled game between the D-Nats and the D-Orioles2 was also rained out. The D-Nats finished 42-28 for a .600 winning percentage, the best in the six seasons since Washington dropped from two DSL teams to one in 2009.