The Hillsboro Hops had a big 12-2 win over the Vancouver Canadians, using the death by a million paper cuts strategy. They took advantage of 5 walks and were all over the basepaths creating havoc and pressure on the defense. The Hops were able to score 12/19 baserunners overall. The pitching was very solid as well.
Snake Stars
3 Stars: 2B Mike Freeman (Reno) 3 for 3, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R
2 Stars: LF Kyle Jensen (Reno) 2 for 5, 2 HR (13, 14), 5 RBI
1 Star: CF Marcus Wilson (Hillsboro) 2 for 3, 2B, 2 BB, 3 R
0 Stars: Will Lowman (Missoula) 0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 1 HBP, BS (1)
AAA- Reno 9, Las Vegas 4: The Aces took control of the game early with a 4-run first inning. Kyle Jensen had the big hit in the inning, a three run homer that scored Mike Freeman and Mitch Haniger. That was enough for Matt Buschmann, who allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks with 6 strikeouts over 6 innings of work. The lead shrank to 4-3 after the 6th inning, but the Aces bats did a good job of putting the game away early with insurance runs in the final 3 innings. Jensen would hit his 2nd home run of the game in the 8th inning, a two run shot that gave the Aces the final tally of the game. Things got interesting in the 7th when Enrique Burgos allowed a run and loaded up the bases in the top of the 8th inning with one out, but Steve Hathaway was able to end the threat there with no more damage and pitched the 9th inning for his first save. Mike Freeman reached base in all 5 trips to the plate and Mitch Haniger went 2 for 4 to push his average to an even .400.
AA- Mobile 5, Birmingham 2: John Omahen dealt with a lot of traffic on the bases with 8 hits and a walk against him, but was able to limit the damage to 2 runs over 6 2/3 innings with the help of 7 strikeouts and a pair of double play balls. The Baybears were always able to answer each time the Barons scored, tying the game in the 2nd after falling behind 1-0 in the first then answering a 5th inning run with 3 of their own to take a 4-2 lead. The main source of offense came from Gabby Guerrero, who went 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and Ildemaro Vargas, who went 3 for 4. The bullpen was able to finish the game, with Jimmie Sherfy pitching a 1-2-3 9th inning to close things out with a pair of strikeouts.
Class A Advanced- Visalia 1, Inland Empire 7: The Rawhide scored first in the game after Colin Bray walked and scored on an RBI groundout by Domingo Leyba, but that was it offensively for the game. The Rawhide struggled to muster any offense in the game, getting only 6 hits and going 0 for 7 with RISP. Josh Taylor wasn't sharp on the mound either, as he allowed 5 runs in 4 innings, allowing 9 hits and 4 walks while striking out 5. With the lack of offense plus the bad start, the Rawhide were never really in the game following the 2nd inning.
Class A- Kane County 1, Clinton 2: The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd when Grant Heyman launched his 6th home run of the year. Sam McWilliams had a solid outing, allowing only 2 hits before being removed in the 4th inning with 2 outs. Cody Clark came in and allowed a homer to the first batter he faced to tie the game, where it would remain that way until the 12th. The Cougars picked up 13 hits, but struggled to get the big hit with a 1 for 9 clip with RISP and 11 left on base. The bullpen was able to keep things going until the bottom of the 12th where two hits and a walk were enough for the Lumber Kings to plate the winning run.
Class A Short Season- Hillsboro 12, Vancouver 2: The Hops were relentless at the plate and on the basepaths, picking up 11 hits, 5 walks, and 5 steals. A key error started a 4-run first inning for the Hops, which was more than enough for Jeferson Mejia. Mejia allowed 5 hits and walked 2 over 5 innings of 2-run ball with 4 strikeouts. The top of the order did most of the damage, with Marcus Wilson going 2 for 3 with a double, reaching base 4 times and scoring 3 times. The bullpen delivered 4 scoreless innings, allowing only a hit and a walk in that duration. The Hops scored 4 times, putting up crooked numbers in all 4 innings.
Rookie- Missoula 4, Billings 5: Luis Madero had an OK outing, allowing 3 runs in 5 innings. The Osprey fell behind 3-1 in the 5th inning, but were able to push 3 runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 4-3 lead that would hold until the 8th inning. Gabe Gonzalez pitched the 6th inning and got 2 outs and was lifted after the 2nd runner of the inning reached. Jordan Watson ended the threat and struck out all 3 hitters he faced. Luis Castillo got the final out of the 7th and pitched into the 8th inning, when he was lifted for Will Lowman with two and two out. Lowman was unable to record an out or throw strikes in the game, walking 2 and hitting a batter to make the game 5-4. That was it for the final tally, even though Tyler Keele was able to get out of the jam with no more damage.