Snake Stars:
3 Stars: Jackson SS Domingo Leyba 3 for 4, HR (2), BB, RBI, 2 R
2 Stars: Jackson RHP Ivan Pineyro 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 5 K, GS 66, W (7-0)
1 Star: Kane County LHP Mack Lemieux 6 IP, 7 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 8 K, GS 65, W (4-3)
0 Stars: Hillsboro RHP Cal Becker 2⁄3 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Pavin Smith: 1 for 4, 2B
Jackson Generals 4, Mississippi Braves 2: Ivan Pineyro outdueled Braves prospect Kolby Allard, allowing 1 run on 6 hits, no walks, and struck out 5. Pineyro got support from the bats, including a 3 for 4 day at the plate from Domingo Leyba that included a homer. Kevin Cron added his 18th homer of the year as well. The bullpen was outstanding, as Mason McCullough and Joey Krehbiel combined to strike out 5 of the 6 hitters they faced. Gabriel Moya allowed an unearned run in the 9th, a rare occurrence this year, but still locked down the save.
Visalia Rawhide 1, Modesto Nuts 3: Aside from a solo homer from Daniel Lockhart, the Rawhide struggled to put runs on the board. Mariners prospect Nick Neidert shut down the Rawhide lineup, with Lockhart, Matt McPhearson, and Sergio Alcantara picking up all 6 hits. Bo Takahashi allowed 3 runs (2 earned) over 5 innings and took the loss despite a decent outing.
Kane County Cougars 3, Bowling Green Hot Rods 1: Mack Lemieux struck out 8 in 6 innings of 1 run ball. The Cougars offense picked up a trio of 2-out RBI to make Lemieux a winner. Marcus Wilson showed off the speed and arm with his 10th SB and throwing out a runner at home plate while also going 1 for 4 at the plate. The bullpen was outstanding with 3 innings of shutout ball with Junior Garcia picking up a save in his first appearance with Kane County this year.
Hillsboro Hops 5, Eugene Emeralds 7: The Hops took a quick 4-0 lead, although it didn’t last long. Riley Smith allowed 3 runs to score in the 4th and 5th inning, cutting the lead to 4-3 before the Hops pushed across a 5th run. Unfortunately things got out of hand in the 7th, when Cal Becker came on and allowed 3 runs to score after Smith was lifted with 1 out and a run in. Pavin Smith went 1 for 4 with a double and Yan Sanchez hit 2 triples as part of a 3 for 5 day at the plate and a throwing error that led to a pair of runs scoring in the 3rd inning.
Missoula Osprey 2, Ogden Raptors 11: The Osprey pitching got blasted in the game, to the point where it was huge and unrelenting. The Osprey pitching staff allowed 12 hits, walked 6, and gave up 5 homers with 2 players each having multi-homer games. There was very little the Osprey hitters could do to dent the score because it kept getting larger. Kai-Wei Lin allowed 7 runs in 3 1⁄3 innings to put them in a huge hole, but the bullpen was also equally terrible.
AZL Dbacks 2, AZL Dodgers 7: What started out as a close game turned into an ugly bullpen implosion. A 2-2 game became 7-2 quickly thanks to wild pitching and ugly defensive work behind the plate. In the 7th inning Jose Martinez had struck out the first two hitters, but a passed ball and a wild pitch put them on base and led to a 3 run inning. Unfortunately, the Dbacks hitters couldn’t do anything offensively and both runs coming across with the help of 5 Dodger errors. I apologize to anyone who had the misfortune of watching arguably the worst played minor league game ever.