The Rookie-ball affiliate of the Missoula Osprey got their season under way on Monday: they didn't win, but it took 12 innings for them to go down. That wasn't even the longest game of the day, as the four Diamondbacks affiliates in action split their contests.
Snakelet of the Day:
Tyler Linton (Rk): 3-for-5
Tyler Linton (Rk): 3-for-5
Triple-A: Reno 8 @ Las Vegas 4.Gaby Hernandez is now 2-for-2 as an Aces' starter, getting the W for seven innings of three-run ball against the 51's. He scattered three hits and three walks, striking out two. CF Collin Cowgill was on safely three times, with a hit and two walks, while 1B Brandon Allen blasted his 11th homer of the year, and added a single and a walk. SS Cody Random had a couple of hits, and there were long balls off the bat of C Lucas May and 2B Mark Hallberg. Reno also had their wheels up, stealing a collective five bags in this one, two of them to RF Cole Gillespie; Cowgill also snagged his 24th of the year.
Low-A: Yakima 2 @ Vancouver 3. Bears starter Gavin Pedrotty lasted 1.2 innings, but the bullpen held the Canadians to one run the rest of the way. Greg Robinson did the bulk of the heavy relief work, throwing 4.1 scoreless frames, striking out five, on two hits and two walks. However, the bats were quiet for Yakima, with 1B Jimmy Comerota the only batter to reach safely more than once, getting a single and a walk. SS Garrett Weber drove in both of the Bears runs, DH Zachary Jones crossing the plate on each occasion.
Rookie: Missoula 5 @ Helena 6. The Osprey roared out of the gate and were 4-0 up at the end of five in the opening game of their season. However, they couldn't hold the lead, with the Brewers scoring three runs in the eighth to tie the game at five, and got to walk-off in their home opener with one out in the bottom of the 12th. Robby Rowland was the starter for Missoula, and scattered eight hits over five innings, walking none and striking out five; he allowed two runs. LF Tyler Linton got three hits; C Roidany Aguila had the first homer of 2011 for the Osprey, a three-run shot in the fourth. SS Josh Parr and CF Justin Bianco also had a couple of knocks.
DSL: DSL Diamondbacks 7 @ DSL Reds 6. After seven, the Reds were 3-1 up, but the drama was only beginning. The D-backs scored three in the eighth, and one in the ninth, only for the Reds to tie things up in the bottom half on each occasion. The D-backs went ahead in the 12th, but the Reds tied it once more. Finally, our DSL guys took their fourth lead in the 13th, and held on, Jean Guzman getting the save. Jose Jose [seriously, that's his name] got the W for three innings of no-hit ball, though did allow an unearned run. SS Pedro Ruiz and LF Wilmer Santana each picked up three hits, but it wasn't a crisp game, the sides combining for ten errors.