Sunday’s News & Notes

Syracuse 6 Pawtucket 2
• Lively (W, 5-2) 6IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 11K, BK
• Grace (H, 8) 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Taylor 2-4, 2R, HR, RBI, SB
• Souza 2-4, 2B, 3RBI, SB

The Syracuse Chiefs are now your International League North Division Champions following a professional 6-2 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox. After Michael “BATMAN” Taylor’s first home run for Syracuse in the 1st, Pawtucket scored its only two runs against starter Mitch Lively when Bryce Brentz doubled in Justin Henry and Alex Hassan. The Chiefs tied it up in the 4th at 2-2 when Taylor singled, stole second, and scored on Steven Souza’s RBI single. Souza would steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch, but PawSox starter and loser Matt Barnes, who recorded ten strikeouts without a walk, struck out the next three to keep the game tied. Syracuse put this away in the top of the 5th when two Chiefs snuck grounders into right and Jeff Kobernus loaded the bases on a bunt single. With two outs, Barnes threw a wild pitch to score Leon and Steven Souza doubled in Will Rhymes and Kobernus to give the Chiefs a 5-2 lead. Greg Dobbs homered to start the ninth for Syracuse, and Rafael Martin pitched the scoreless ninth that clinched the division for Syracuse.

Portland 5 Harrisburg 1
• Rivero (L, 2-7) 4⅔ IP, 3H, 5R, 1ER, 2BB, 8K, HR
• Self 2⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 3K, 2-0 IR-S
• Sanchez 2-3
• Skole 1-3, 2B, BB, RBI

History, bad defense, and the Portland Sea Dogs defeated the Harrisburg Senators, 5-1. Sean Coyle hit a solo shot off tough-luck starter and loser Felipe Rivero to give Portland a 1-0 lead in the 4th. Following a leadoff walk in the 5th, Rivero’s teammates declined to support him defensively in the 5th. First, third baseman Mitch Canham allowed a runner to reach on his fielding error. After a sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position, Jason Martinson’s error at shortstop allowed the Sea Dogs to take a 2-0 lead, and put runners on first and third. Drew Vettleson’s two-base error in right field allowed two more runs to score. Portland finally scored a run without an error when Sean Coyle doubled in Ryan Dent to conclude the scoring. The final tally: three errors, four unearned runs, and a 5-0 deficit. The Senators avoided a shutout when Matt Skole doubled in Quincy Latimore with two outs in the 8th.

Frederick 4 Potomac 3
• Rauh (L, 2-4) 6IP, 5H, 4R, 3ER, 3BB, 1K
• Walsh 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• Norfork 2-4, RBI
• Wooten 1-4, R, HR, RBI

Potomac’s playoff-clinching hangover continued with a third straight loss, this one by a 4-3 score to Frederick. The Keys hung a three-spot on starter Brian Rauh, who finished with all four Frederick runs allowed on five hits and three walks with one strikeout. The P-Nats scored had the tying run gunned down at the plate when John Wooten was unable to follow Isaac Ballou home on Khayyan Norfork’s two-out, one-run single in the 8th. Norfork led the hit column with two singles while Wooten homered in the 6th. With a Hillcats loss, the Keys are tied for second place and can make the playoffs if they win out. The Blue Rocks dropped a doubleheader to the Red Sox, who clinched a berth in the Southern Division, and will be eliminated with either their next loss or a win by Lynchburg or Frederick.
Roster moves: RHP Manny Rodriguez reassigned from Hagerstown.

Lakewood 7 Hagerstown 4
• Lopez 5IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 5K
• Thomas (L, 3-5) 3IP, 5H, 3R, 3ER, 0BB, 3K, HR
• Bautista 3-4, 2R, 2B, 2SB, CS
• Yezzo 2-4, R, CS

The longball was the Suns’ downfall Last Night In Hagerstown.
Roster moves: RHP Andrew Cooper activated from the 7-Day DL.

Auburn 12 Mahoning Valley 7
• A. Williams (W, 4-3) 5IP, 4H, R, ER, 0BB, 3K, HBP
• Webb 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 1K
• Eusebio 3-5, 2R, 2HR, 6RBI
• Read 3-5, 3R, 3-2B, RBI
• Mejia 2-5, 2R, HR, 3RBI

Diomedes Eusebio homered twice and drove in six as the Doubledays dumped the Scrappers, 12-7. Auburn pounded out 12 hits total with seven extra-base hits, including three doubles by Raudy Read and homers by Bryan Mejia and Jeff Gardner. Austen Williams got the win with five innings of one-run ball, giving up four hits with no walks and three strikeouts. Joseph Webb and Mario Sanchez both spun two scoreless innings of relief while David “Mi Hermano es Wilson” Ramos was smoked for the remaining six runs as he failed to retire the six batters he faced in the 8th, serving up a pair of home runs.