The Diamondbacks made Auburn CF Anfernee Grier their top pick of the 2016 draft and he hit his first home run as a professional baseball player last night. Grier would also add an RBI double to his totals, completing the day with 2 hits in 5 ABs with 2 RBI for the Missoula Osprey. His overall contributions seem rather small with his team stealing all the offense from the other affiliates and scoring 12 runs in the game.
Snake Stars:
3 Stars: DH Rudy Flores (Mobile) 3 for 4, 2B, BB, 2 R
2 Stars: DH Anfernee Grier (Missoula) 2 for 5, 2B, solo HR (1), 2 RBI
1 Star: 3B Ramon Hernandez (Missoula) 3 for 5, solo HR (2)
0 Stars: RHP Ethan Elias (Visalia) 4 2/3 IP, 13 H, 7 R (7 ER), 0 BB, 5 K, L (5-4)
Reno 4, El Paso 7: The Aces quickly fell behind 2-0 in the first inning, but were able to tie it with 2 runs in the 2nd inning. The score stayed that way until the 4th when Edgar Garcia allowed 4 runs to score in the frame to push the deficit to 6-2. Overall, Garcia allowed 6 runs on 7 hits and a pair of walks with 6 strikeouts over 6 innings of work but struggled to get the big out with RISP as El Paso went 6 for 11 in that situation compared to Reno going 3 for 13. The Aces chipped away with a HR in the 5th from Mitch Haniger's 7th HR since getting promoted to Reno and Mark Thomas' 3rd RBI of the game, but the closest they could get was 6-4. Todd Glaesmann had two XBH and scored twice in the loss.
Mobile 6, Birmingham 7 (11): A bad start from Matt Koch put the Baybears in a 6-1 hole, but they were able to rally in the 7th inning to tie the game before sending it to extras. Koch allowed 6 runs on 10 hits with 1 walk and 1 strikeout in 5 innings. The game would remain tied until the 11th inning when Stites allowed a run to score. The Baybears were able to put the tying run on base when Jamie Westbrook picked up his 3rd hit of the night, but could not get him home. Westbrook went 3 for 6 with an RBI and Stewart Ijames picked up 2 doubles.
Visalia 1, Inland Empire 8: Starter Ethan Elias got hit really hard, giving up 7 runs on 13 hits over 4 2/3 innings. Offensively, the Rawhide fared about as well, only getting 6 hits and going 1 for 7 with RISP. Victor Reyes picked up the only RBI of the game, which came in the 2nd inning. Domingo Leyba picked up 2 hits in the loss and scored the game's only run for the Rawhide.
Kane County 0, Clinton 3: Junior Garcia pitched competitively in this game, only allowing 3 runs in 6 2/3 innings despite dealing with a lot of traffic on the bases. Garcia allowed 9 hits and 3 walks and struck out 4 in his outing. The only problem for him is the offense wound up laying an egg at the plate, picking up only 7 hits and going 0 for 8 with RISP. Grant Heyman picked up 2 hits in the game and Francis Christy hit a double for the only XBH of the game.
Hillsboro 2, Vancouver 3: Another game where the pitching was solid but the offense was nowhere to be found. The Hops struggled offensively, only picking up 5 hits and 1 walk over the course of the game, but did scratch across runs in the 4th and 5th innings to give themselves a fighting chance. Nic Coffman went 2 for 3 with a double and scored on Manny Jefferson's RBI single. Despite the bullpen pitching their hearts out to keep the game where it was, the Hops could not get the tying run on base in the final two innings, with the last 7 hitters being retired to end the game.
Missoula 12, Billings 3: Unlike the other games on the ledger, the Osprey were able to put together some offense. The Osprey pounded out 12 hits and took advantage of 5 errors and 6 walks in the game. Top pick Anfernee Grier homered for the first time as a professional and doubled in 5 ABs, driving in 2 on the day. Overall, the Osprey clubbed 4 home runs in the game. Ramon Hernandez, Jason Morozowski, and Luis Silverio joined in on the HR parade. That was more than enough offense for Connor Grey, who allowed only 1 run in 4 innings. Rafael Pujols pitched the next 3 innings of scoreless ball and Rob Galligan allowed a couple unearned runs in the 9th inning to get to the final tally.
AZL Dbacks 11, AZL White Sox 5: The Dbacks pounded the White Sox into submission with 11 hits and capitalized on 5 errors to score 5 unearned runs in the game. There was a lot of production across the lineup, with each starter picking up a run scored or an RBI. Luis Tejeda had two hits (both doubles) and a walk to lead the lineup from the 9th spot and drove in 2. The early offense allowed Juan Torres to settle in, allowing only 2 runs in 5 innings of work. Things got a bit dicey in the 7th and 8th inning, but the White Sox never really put themselves back into the game.