Reno Aces 9, Albuquerque Isotopes 6: The Aces were able to quickly break this game open, scoring 7 times between the 2nd and 5th innings. Joel Payamps, making the spot start with Braden Shipley’s promotion, allowed 4 runs in 6 innings and struck out 7. Rudy Flores went 2 for 4 with a double and a 3-run homer as the main source of offense. Things got scary in the 8th when Yuhei Nakaushiro allowed 2 runs to score, but the Aces offense responded with 2 of their own to bring the lead back to 3.
Jackson Generals 11, Tennessee Smokies 0: Brad Keller and 2 relievers combined on a 7 hit shutout of the Smokies. Keller went the first 6 2⁄3 innings, allowing 6 hits and struck out 8 while walking 1. The Generals offense put up 10 runs in the first 4 innings of the game, aided by home runs by Kevin Cron and Marty Herum. Herum would wind up finishing a triple short of the cycle in a 4 for 5 game.
Visalia Rawhide 6, Modesto Nuts 5: The Rawhide grabbed a 2-0 lead with a 2-run first inning, but Cody Reed scuffled in the 3rd inning. After Reed allowed 3 runs in the 3rd and Nick Baker allowed 2 runs in the 4th, the Rawhide were staring down a 5-2 deficit. However, the bullpen picked things up from there with 3 hitless innings from Wei-Chieh Huang, who struck out 4. The Rawhide offense had been struggling through the game until hitting coach Vince Harrison, Pirates infielder Josh Harrison’s older brother, got ejected in the 7th inning. The Rawhide responded with 4 runs in the 8th to take a 6-5 lead. From there Colin Poche recorded the next 6 outs, 2 by strikeout to record the save.
Kane County Cougars 5, Clinton Lumber Kings 0: The big story from this game was Connor Grey’s perfect game. An error opened the floodgates for the Cougars, who scored 5 runs with 2 outs in the inning which included a bases-clearing triple by Stephen Smith. From there, Connor Grey was cruising as he struck out 8 in his perfect game. Grey’s perfecto is the first in Dbacks minor league history, the first in Kane County Cougars history, and so on and so forth. Grey’s perfect game earned a game score of 102.
Hillsboro Hops 2, Boise Hawks 3: The Hops struggled at the plate, although Camden Duzenack nearly singlehandedly kept his team alive in the game with a homer and a double in 4 ABs and scoring both Hop runs. Jhoan Duran allowed 2 runs in 2 innings, but the tack on run allowed by Luis Castillo proved to be the difference. The Hops did have their chances to score, as they were gifted 8 walks, but struggled to get the big hit as they went 1 for 11 with RISP and stranded 10.
Missoula Osprey 9, Billings Mustangs 4: The Osprey chased this year’s #2 overall pick Hunter Greene from the game just 7 batters into the game, recording only 1 out for the game. The Osprey turned that into a 6-run first inning and cruised from there. Brady Muller allowed 3 unearned runs over 6 1⁄3 innings, striking out 9 and walking 1. The Osprey took advantage of their opportunities, going 7 for 16 with runners in scoring position. Ernie de la Trinidad and Keshawn Lynch recorded 3-hit games at the top of the order.
AZL Dbacks 4, AZL Giants 7: The Dbacks came out strong with a 4-run first inning, but saw the Giants eventually chip away at it. Omar Herman allowed 3 runs (1 earned) over 5 innings and Deyni Olivero allowed the tying run to score on a homer although he did pitch 4 innings. Unfortunately, that proved to be costly as the Dbacks fell in extra innings. Renae Martinez went 3 for 4 in the loss.