Snake Stars:
3 Stars: Jackson RHP Taylor Clarke 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 6 K, GS 62, W (8-4)
2 Stars: Hillsboro RF Bryan Araiza 2 for 5, 2B, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 R
1 Star: Hillsboro 3B Drew Ellis 3 for 4, 2B, BB, RBI
0 Stars: Hillsboro RHP Erbert Gonzalez 2⁄3 IP, 4 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 0 K, BS (1), L (0-1)
Pavin Smith: 1 for 3, 2 BB, 1 K
Reno Aces 1, Fresno Grizzlies 2: Eric Jokisch allowed a pair of solo homers over 5 innings, but got virtually no run support. The only run came on a Hank Conger sac fly in the 3rd.
Reno Aces 2, Fresno Grizzlies 9: Braden Shipley started the game and it went about as well as expected. Shipley allowed 10 hits, 7 runs, and walked 3 without recording a strikeout, which is an exceptional level of bad. The offense wasn’t much better in Game 2, scoring only 1 more run than in the first game.
Jackson Generals 6, Birmingham Barons 3: Taylor Clarke pitched a solid game, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) over 6 innings with 6 strikeouts. The Generals were able to take advantage of sloppy defense to build an early leads of 3-1 and 4-2. Things got a little hairy in the 7th and 8th innings, when the Barons cut the lead down to 4-3. Fortunately, the Generals were able to turn to closer Gabriel Moya with 2 outs in the 8th and he did what closers normally do and that’s shut down the opposing lineup, striking out 3 of the 4 batters he faced. At this point, he’s better off being challenged in Reno because he’s not being challenged in AA.
Visalia Rawhide 6, Lake Elsinore Storm 9: The game started off as a pitcher’s duel between Logan Allen and Tyler Badamo. Fernery Ozuna hit a game-tying 2 run homer in the 7th to force extra innings, although his other action seemed to be to try to sabotage his team’s chances of winning with 2 double plays and a fielding error that led to a 7-run 12th. A pair of scoreless outings from Tommy Eveld and Cameron Gann got the Rawhide into the 12th inning where Keegan Long completely imploded with 2 outs after Ozuna’s error. Austin Mason didn’t help by allowing 3 inherited runners to score and two more after that. The Rawhide tried to make a game of it, scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 12th before an Austin Byler line drive was caught at the warning track.
Kane County Cougars 2, Beloit Snappers 1: The Cougars won a pitcher’s duel, thanks to quality relief work. Curtis Taylor allowed 5 hits and 3 walks, but didn’t give up any runs thanks to quality defense and timely strikeouts. The Cougars took advantage of a 1st and 3rd situation as well as a wild pitch on a strikeout. Ramon Hernandez plated the 2nd run with a double after the wild pitch. Colin Poche delivered 3 scoreless for the win, followed by a scoreless 8th by Wei-Chieh Huang, and a 9th inning where Cody Clark allowed just 1 unearned run for save #2.
Hillsboro Hops 9, Spokane Indians 10: The Hops got some early and loud offense to score 7 runs in the first 2 innings. However, the pitching was very suspect as Mitchell Aker allowed 5 runs in 4+ innings and Luis Castillo allowing 3 runs to score in the 5th. However, they were able to carry a 9-7 lead to the 9th inning before Erbert Gonzalez did his best Fernando Rodney impression of turning a sure win into a walkoff loss. Pavin Smith reached base 3 times and Drew Ellis picked up his 2nd 3-hit game.
Missoula Osprey 7, Helena Brewers 8: The game started off nicely as the Osprey plated the first 3 runs in the 5th inning, but things went south from there. Tyler Vail allowed 4 runs (3 earned) over 7 innings, but the bullpen was awful allowing a 4-3 deficit to swell to 8-3 in the bottom of the 8th. The Osprey plated 4 runs in the top of the 9th to make it a game, but fell short one hitter after Juan Araujo homered to make it 8-7.