Sunday’s News & Notes

Syracuse 4 Pawtucket 3
• Billings (W, 7-4) 5⅓ IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 6K
• Martin 1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• Martinson 3-5, R
• Burriss 2-5, R, 2B, SB

The Chiefs broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run 5th and held on for a 4-3 win — the sixth straight against the PawSox. Bruce Billings got the “W” with one run on three hits and a walk over five and a 1/3rd innings. Rafael Martin worked around a two-out single in the 9th for his sixth save. Syracuse pounded out 11 hits, with Jason Martinson leading the charge with a 3-for-5 game.

Harrisburg 4 Erie 1
• Giolito 6⅔ IP, 7H, R, ER, 4BB, 5K, HR, WP
• Bacus (W, 6-3) 1⅓ IP, 1H, 0R, BB, 2K, 1-0 IR-S
• Lozada 2-3, R, BB
• Goodwin 1-3, R, IBB, OF assist at 2B

Harrisburg broke out for four in the top of the 8th for a 4-1 win and took a 2-0 series lead. Lucas Giolito put on 11 baserunners (seven hits, four walks) but only let in one, albeit on a solo HR in the bottom of the 6th. He pitched into the 7th and struck out five. The win went to Dakota Bacus, who got the last out of the 7th and pitched a scoreless 8th. Erie walked three (one intentionally), hit a batter for a Homer Simpson RBI, and committed two errors, the last of which scored two runs on a botched 3-2-3 DP attempt. Erik Davis wobbled through the 9th with a single and a walk allowed to earn the save, his third at AA.

Potomac 7 Carolina 4
• A. Williams (W, 3-3) 6IP, 4H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 8K
• Johansen 2IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 0K
• S. Perez 2-3, 2R, BB, HR, 3RBI, E(15)
• Keller 2-4, R, 2B, RBI

No curse of the GBI for Austen Williams as the P-Nats jumped out to a 5-1 lead and survived a scare in the 9th for a 7-4 win. The 22-y.o. Texan notched his third high-A win with a quality start of two runs on four hits, no walks, and struck out eight. Jake Johansen followed with two scoreless. R.C. Orlan stranded two of the four baserunners that Phillips Valdez put on to open the 9th to earn his first save for Potomac. Stephen Perez smacked a three-run HR in the 2nd and went 2-for-3 with a walk to lead the Potomac offense.

Hagerstown 5 Delmarva 0
• Howell 4IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 3K
• M. Sanchez (W, 6-5) 3IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 2K
• Marmolejos-Diaz 1-3, R, BB, HR, 3RBI
• W. Rodriguez 2-3, R, 2SB
• Mejia 1-2, HBP, 2SB

Three Suns pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout of the Shorebirds by a 5-0 score. Jeff Howell went the first four and gave up one hit and no walks while striking out three. Mario Sanchez got the win with three perfect innings, fanning two. Koda Glover finished with two innings, giving up one hit and no walks. Jose “Orange” Marmolejos-Diaz capped Hagerstown’s four-run 5th with a three-run HR and also drew a walk. Wilman Rodriguez led the hit column with two singles while going 2-for-3 and stole two bases, as did Bryan Mejia.

Auburn 8 Williamsport 7
• Guilbeau 5IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 2K
• Torres (BS, 1; W, 4-0) 3IP, 3H, 4R, 4ER, 3BB, 3K, HR
• Robles 2-5, 2R, 3B, SB
• Schrock 3-4, R, 2-2B, RBI
• Wiseman 2-4, R, 2B, 3RBI

Big innings were the name of the game as the Doubledays outslugged the Crosscutters, 8-7 to prevent the sweep. Taylor Guilbeau started and pitched five innings of one-run ball on three hits and a walk while setting down two on strikes. He left with a 5-1 lead. Luis Torres gave it away with four runs in the 6th but was the pitcher of record when Auburn struck back for three in the bottom of the 7th to take an 8-5 lead. Mariano Rivera III was credited with the save despite giving up two runs on four hits in the 9th. Max Schrock led the Auburn hit parade with a single and two doubles while Rhett Wiseman drove in three and went 2-for-4.
Kelvin Gutierrez was the sole Auburn representative at the 2015 NYPL All-Star game.

GCL Update
Despite a 4-3 week, the G-Nats are cellar dwellers in the GCL East with an elimination number of 14 with 19 games left to play. Telmito Agustin continues to lead the age-appropriate batters with a line of .333/.375/.481, the last of which is particularly impressive for an 18-y.o. Joan Baez has started six games without prolonged interruption since being dropped down from Auburn in early July and has pitched four or more innings, posting a 1.93 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 28IP. However, the 20-y.o. was absolutely lit up in the previous six starts in Auburn and Hagerstown (12.71 ERA, 2.29 WHIP in 17IP), which begs the question: Is it because he’s improved or because the competition is lesser?

DSL Update
As the DSL’s youngest batting lineup (yes, really) that they’re even within six games of .500 is pretty impressive. The pitchers are only marginally older, and also well below league-average age (18.3 vs. 19). More encouraging, just seven starters have been used and three of the five regulars are sporting sub-3.00 ERAs, two with FIPs under 3.2 (by formula, that’s league average). The GBI has been a challenge for this group because it’s the same names that keep excelling: Juan Evangelista and Aldrem Corredor on offense, Pedro Avila (starter) and Francys Peguero (reliever). It will be interesting to see how the Nats move (or don’t) this group along in 2016.