Kennys Vargas hits his second homer, but it's not nearly enough.  John Murphy steals home, but it's not enough, either.  Cedar Rapids saves the day with a four-run ninth.

ROCHESTER AT LEHIGH VALLEY

Rained out.

PORTLAND 11, NEW BRITAIN 2 IN PORTLAND

Batting stars:  Tony Thomas was 2-for-4 with two doubles.  Kennys Vargas was 1-for-4 with a home run, his second.

Pitching stars:  Cole Johnson pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Ryan O'Rourke pitched as scoreless inning, giving up one hit.  Jim Fuller pitched a perfect inning.

Opposition stars:  Stefan Welch was 2-for-4 with a double and five RBIs.  Henry Ramos was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in two.  Miguel Pena pitched five innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

The game:  A pair of five-run innings decided it.  The first came in the first.  Portland had men on first and third with two out, but then got a double, a wild pitch, a single, a walk, a passed ball, and a two-run single by Welch.  It was 6-1 when the Sea Dogs got five more in the seventh.  Portland began the inning with two singles, a hit batsman, and another single to produce the first run.  A one-out single brought home the second run and Welch cleared the bases with a double.

Of note:  Aderlin Mejia was 1-for-3.  Taylor Rogers started and pitched four innings, surrendering six runs (five earned) on eight hits and one walk.  He did get seven strikeouts.  The struggles of B. J. Hermsen continued.  He pitched one inning, yielding five runs on four hits and one walk.

ST. LUCIE 6, FORT MYERS 3 IN ST. LUCIE

Batting stars:  Niko Goodrum was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.  Jorge Polanco was 1-for-1 with two walks, scoring once.

Pitching star:  Brett Lee pitched six innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Opposition stars:  Brandon Nimmo was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs.  Phillip Evans was 2-for-3 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.  Bret Mitchell struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing only a walk.

The game:  Down 1-0 after three, the Miracle loaded the bases with none out in the fourth.  They were still loaded with two down, but Goodrum delivered a two-run single to give Fort Myers a 2-1 lead.  In the fifth, John Murphy reached second on an error, went to third on a bunt, and scored on what reads like a straight steal of home to make it 3-1.  St. Lucie tied it in the bottom of the fifth on three singles and an error.  It stayed tied until the eighth, when three singles, another error, and a sacrifice fly plated three runs for the Mets.

Of note:  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-4 with a run.  Adam Brett Walker II was 0-for-IV.

CEDAR RAPIDS 10, LANSING 7 IN LANSING

Batting stars:  Mitch Garver was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two home runs (his third and fourth).  Jeremias Pineda was 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple, scoring twice and driving in one.  Chad Christensen was 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

Pitching stars:  Randy Rosario pitched five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and one walk with two strikeouts.  Hudson Boyd struck out two in a perfect ninth.

Opposition stars:  Mitch Nay was 2-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Carlos Ramirez was 3-for-3 with a walk and a run.

The game:  Engelb Vielma had a two-run single in a three run third that put the Kernels ahead 3-0.  They had leads of 4-0, 5-2, and 6-4, but in the eighth, a single, three walks, and a two-run single by Ian Parmley gave Lansing a 7-6 advantage.  In the ninth, a walk, a wild pitch, and a strikeout/passed ball put men on first and third with one out for Cedar Rapids.  Zach Larson singled in the tying run.  A walk loaded the bases, Garver hit a sacrifice fly to put the Kernels up 8-7, and Christensen hit a two-run single to provide some insurance.  Boyd slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth.

Of note:  Jason Kanzler was 2-for-5 with a triple and an RBI.  Larson was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.  Vielma was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

TODAY'S TILTS

12:00  New Britain (Matthew Summers, 0-1, 11.25) at Portland (Mike  Augliera, 0-1, 6.00)

1:05  Cedar Rapids (Kohl Stewart, 0-0, 3.60) at Lansing (Kendall Graveman, 0-0, 0.00)

4:35  Rochester (Alex Meyer, 0-0, 3.60) at Lehigh Valley (Sean O'Sullivan, 0-1, 9.00)

Game 2  Rochester (Yohan Pino, 1-0, 0.00) at Lehigh Valley (Jonathan Pettibone, 1-0, 5.40)

5:30  Fort Myers (Jose Berrios, 0-1, 3.00) at St. Lucie (Michael Fulmer, 0-1, 17.18)