Minor League Recap 5/13/19: Jackson Takes Both Games of Doubleheader

Diamondback affiliates won three out of the five games played on monday, with Jackson playing a doubleheader to makeup Sunday’s postponed game.

Performances of the Day

Pitcher(s): Jeff Bain, Visalia, 6.0 IP 6H 1 R 2 BB 8k

Riley Smith, Jackson, 7.0 IP 6H 1 R 2 BB 4K

Hitter: Daulton Varsho, C Jackson, 7-9 with three doubles (Combined stats from both games of the doubleheader)

Reno Aces 9 Salt Lake Bees 15

The ball continues to fly out of the yard in the PCl, with at least five home runs for the third consecutive game, but unfortunately four of those five home runs were allowed by Aces pitching. Justin Vernia, making his first start at AAA after jumping up from High-A, was hit extremely hard in his debut at the level. Vernia went three innings and allowed eight runs on five hits (three home runs and a double) and five walks, while striking out a pair of batters. Ryan Atkinson (also freshly promoted, although from AA) relieved Vernia for the fourth and fifth inning, allowed two runs on a three hits and four walks, while striking out three. Marc Rzepczynski pitched the sixth and had very poor results, allowed four runs on four hits and a wild pitch. Rudy De La Rosa would go two innings and allow a run in the seventh on a solo homer, and pitch a scoreless eighth. Stefan Crichton pitched a very pointless scoreless ninth.

The Aces were never really in this one, as they started out with a 7-0 deficit after the second inning. The closest they came to erasing the deficit was 7-3 after the second inning, and 9-6 after the fifth, but that five run sixth inning would evaporate any chance of the offense battling back. With the pitching so bad, it’s worth noting all the excellent offensive performances that were wasted; Ildemaro Vargas was 3-4 with a double and two walks, Andrew Aplin was 2-4 with a home run and a walk, and Juniel Querecuto was 3- 4 with a triple and a walk.

Jackson Generals 11 @ Mobile Baybears 8

Sam Lewis got the start in the first game of the doubleheader, and pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just a hit and two walks, while striking out six. Lucas Luetge struck out two in a perfect fifth inning. Tyler Mark pitched the sixth and allowed four runs on three hits and three walks, while striking out one. Matt Brill ran into trouble in seventh and was only able to get two outs, largely due to a couple wild pitches, three walks and an error by Jazz Chisholm. Thus Brill would be tagged with four runs, only three of which were earned. Damien Magnifico would have to relieve Brill with two on and one out, and though he allowed a hit that allowed a runner to score, he still got the final out of the first game and the save.

This was a true team effort with every single Generals batter reaching base at least once, and every batter except Dominic Miroglio either scored a run or knocked in a run. The Generals score a pair of runs in the first two innings, and then followed up with a three run third to jump out to an early 5-0 lead. They’d double that lead to 10-0 after a five run sixth inning, and added an eleventh run in the top of the seventh. Andy Young was 1-2 with a double, a walk, a hit by pitch, three runs batted in and two runs scored. Drew Ellis was 3-4 with a pair of doubles, four RBIs, and two runs scored, Daulton Varsho was 3-5 with a double and couple runs scored as well.

Jackson Generals 5 @ Mobile Baybears 1

Jackson scored a run in the top of the first, and Mobile answered back with a run to tie it up in the bottom of the inning and that tied score would last until the top of the seventh, when the Generals scored four runs. Riley Smith tossed a complete game (by Minor league double header standards), going seven innings, with just one run on six hits and two walks while striking out four.

Daulton Varsho continued his hot hitting into the second game, going 4-4 with a pair of doubles, while Jamie Westbrook made up for Drew Ellis’s absence in the second game by going 2-4 with a double and three run homer, and knocking four out of five of the runs scored in the game. Andy Young was 1-3 with a hit by pitch and an RBI double that knocked in the other run.

Visalia Rawhide 3 vs Modesto Nuts 1

Jeff Bain tossed a gem, allowing just one run (from a solo homer) on six hits and two walks while striking out eight. Mack Lemieux followed with two perfect innings and struck out two, while Cole Bartlett struck out one in a perfect ninth.

Visalia got on board in the first when Jose Caballero was hit by a pitch, stole second, and then scored on a single by Camden Duzenack, who was thrown out at second. VIsalia added another run in the bottom of the fourth when Luis Alejandro Basabe doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on an Anfernee Grier single. Jose Caballero scored another run in the eighth when he singled, stole second, advanced to third on a ground out, then scored on a wild pitch.

Kane County Cougars 6 Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 11

An eight run inning by Wisconsin in the bottom of the second cost the Cougars this game. Jackson Goddard got the start and was unable to get any outs in the second inning. Goddard allowed seven runs on seven hits and two walks. Goddard was hit hard too, with three of those hits being doubles, and two leaving the yard. Ryan Miller relieved Goddard, and would end up allowing a four runs (three earned) on nine hits, while walking none and striking out four. Ethan Larrison followed up with 2.1 scoreless innings, and Wesley Rodriguez a scoreless eighth inning, but at that point the game was already lost,

Some great offensive performances wasted in this one as well, with Zachary Almond going 3-5 with a double and a solo home run and Blaze Alexander going 2-5 with a two run homer. Jose Herrera was 2-5 with a double, and Alek Thomas was 1-4 with double and a walk. Buddy Kennedy was 2-5 with a pair of singles, and Keshawn Lynch was 1-3 with a pair of walks.