Snake Stars:
3 Stars: Kane County RHP Sam McWilliams 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K, GS 85, W (9-3)
2 Stars: Missoula LHP Brady Muller 7 2⁄3 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, GS 73, W (1-2)
1 Star: Reno LHP Jared Miller 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, H (1)
0 Stars: Visalia LHP Cody Reed 3 IP, 9 H, 5 R (5 ER), 2 BB, 2 K, GS 13, L (1-4)
Pavin Smith: 0 for 3, BB, K
Reno Aces 8, Fresno Grizzlies 5: The Aces pounded the ever living crap out of Grizzly pitching, and they needed every run to win. Christian Walker belted out his 22nd homer of the year as the Aces nickled and dimed across runs over many innings. That got Matt Koch off the hook, who allowed 5 runs in 6 innings on 7 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. The Aces took advantage of 7 walks and were able to string together hits for the most part. The bullpen made sure Koch picked up the win with a phenomenal performance from the recently promoted Jared Miller, who struck out 5 of 8 hitters in 2 scoreless innings and a scoreless 9th from Jimmie Sherfy for save #12.
Jackson Generals 9, Birmingham Barons 6: The Generals won a slugfest despite being outhit 14-12. Kevin Cron started the scoring with a first inning 2-run homer to give the Generals a 2-0 lead. A 4-run 2nd inning put the Generals out in front for good, although Mason McCullough picked up the win since Ivan Pineyro was unable to record 5 innings. Bud Jeter’s AA debut wasn’t very smooth as he allowed 2 runs in his 2 innings of work, but the rest of the bullpen was fantastic. Gabriel Moya picked up his 14th save with a scoreless 9th. Every hitter in the lineup contributed, with Galli Cribbs being the only hitter not recording a hit, but did drive in 2 runs.
Visalia Rawhide 4, Lake Elsinore Storm 7: Cody Reed got roughed up in 3 innings and the offense didn’t show up until the 7th inning. By then, the Rawhide were trailing 7-0. Fernery Ozuna homered as part of a 3-run 7th inning to make it 7-3. In the bottom of the 9th, the Rawhide were able to load the bases after cutting the lead to 7-4, but were unable to finish from there.
Kane County Cougars 5, Beloit Snappers 1: The Cougars quickly grabbed a 2-0 lead 2 batters into the game on an Anfernee Grier two-run homer. Luis Silverio added an RBI double in the 3rd and Marcus Wilson hit a 2-run single in the 4th, both coming with 2 outs. That was more than enough run support for Sam McWilliams, who pitched 7 shutout innings with no walks and 9 strikeouts. Trevor Simms went the final 2 innings, allowing an unearned run.
Hillsboro Hops 6, Spokane Indians 5: The Hops grabbed a 2-0 lead on a Eudy Ramos 2-run homer in the first inning, but the offense was quiet for a bit after that. Jhoan Duran wasn’t able to keep the ball in the yard, allowing 2 homers in 4 1⁄3 innings, allowing 4 runs overall. Tramayne Holmes hit his first pro homer to cut the deficit to 4-3, before Junior Garcia gave that run right back. A 3-run 9th allowed the Hops to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Missoula Osprey 2, Great Falls Voyagers 1: A rare pitcher’s duel in the Pioneer League, but the Osprey were just a bit better. Brady Muller allowed 1 run in 7 2⁄3 innings, striking out 4. The offense had plenty of opportunities to score with 13 hits, but were only able to scratch across 2 runs. However, it was enough to win. Gabriel Maciel had 3 hits, his only out at the plate was a sac fly.
AZL Dbacks 6, AZL Reds 5: After trading early runs, both teams had big 5th innings. The Reds scored 3 in the top half of the inning only to watch the Dbacks score 4. Luke Van Rycheghem hit a 3-run homer to give the Dbacks a lead, which lasted shorter than half an inning. In a 5-5 game, the Dbacks plated a run in the 8th and a rehabbing Josh Taylor picked up the save in this game.