Scott Diamond struggles again.  Adam Brett Walker II hits his fifth homer.  One day to go, and we're caught up!

CHARLOTTE 9, ROCHESTER 4 IN ROCHESTER

Batting stars:  Danny Santana was 3-for-5 with a double and a run.  Oswaldo Arcia was 3-for-3 with a run.  Deibinson Romero was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.

Pitching stars:  Edgar Ibarra pitched 1.2 scoreless innings despite giving up three hits and two walks with one strikeout.  A. J. Achter retired all four batters he faced, striking out two.

Opposition stars:  Josh Phegley was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring three times and driving in one.  Matt Davidson was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and three RBIs.  Tyler Saladino was 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

The game:  Phegley's RBI double and a pair of sacrifice flies put Charlotte up 3-0 in the first inning.  Each team scored once in the fourth and twice in the fifth, leaving the Knights with a 6-3 lead.  Charlotte put the game away in the ninth, getting a single, two walks, a wild pitch, and a two-run single by Saladino.

Of note:  Doug Bernier was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.  Chris Parmelee was 1-for-5 with an RBI.  Wilkin Ramirez was 1-for-3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly, scoring once.  Eric Farris was 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly.  Starter Scott Diamond pitched five innings, surrendering six runs on nine hits and no walks with four strikeouts.

NEW BRITAIN 5, RICHMOND 4 IN RICHMOND (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)

Batting stars:  Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, his second.  Kennys Vargas was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI.  Kenny Wilson was 1-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once.

Pitching stars:  None.

Opposition star:  Tyler Graham was 3-for-4 with a three-run homer and scored twice.

The game:  A sacrifice fly and a Vargas RBI single gave New Britain a 2-0 lead after three.  Rodriguez hit a two-run homer in the fourth to make it 4-0.  Richmond got one in the sixth, but Nate Hanson got the run back in the seventh with an RBI single to make it 5-1.  In the bottom of the seventh, a single, a walk, and Graham's three-run homer cut the lead to 5-4 with two out.  A hit batsman and an error put men on first and third before a ground out ended the game.

Of note:  Corey Wimberley was 1-for-4 with a run.  Hanson was 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two RBIs.  A. J. Pettersen was 1-for-3 with a run.  Starter Sean Gilmartin pitched well for six innings before tiring in the seventh.  His line is 6.2 innings, four runs, six hits, and one walk with seven strikeouts.

RICHMOND 5, NEW BRITAIN 2 IN RICHMOND (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)

Batting star:  Kennys Vargas was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his third.

Pitching star:  Cole Johnson struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up only a walk.

Opposition stars:  Mario Lisson was 1-for-3 with a double, scoring twice and driving in one.  Myles Schroder was 1-for-2 with a walk and scored twice.  Jarrett Parker was 2-for-3 with a run.

The game:  New Britain loaded the bases in the second on three walks but could not score.  In the bottom of the second, Tyler Graham's two-run single capped a three-run inning, aided by an error and a walk, to give Richmond a 3-0 lead.  Vargas homered in the sixth to cut the lead to 3-2, but the Flying Squirrels came right back in the bottom of the sixth on Lisson's RBI double and a wild pitch to re-gain the three-run lead.  The Rock Cats had men on first and second with none out in the ninth but could do nothing with them.

Of note:  Kenny Wilson was 1-for-4.  Nate Hanson was 1-for-4 with a run.  Matt Koch was 1-for-2 with a walk.  Starter Pat Dean pitched five innings, giving up five runs (one earned) on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

PALM BEACH 9, FORT MYERS 4 IN FORT MYERS

Batting stars:  Adam Brett Walker II was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, his fifth.  Dalton Hicks was 1-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Aderlin Mejia was 2-for-3 with a walk and scored once.

Pitching stars:  David Hurlbut pitched five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts.  Brian Gilbert pitched two shutout innings, giving up three walks.

Opposition stars:  Anthony Garcia was 4-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in two.  Jesus Montero was 2-for-2 with two walks, scoring twice and driving in two.  Cory Jones struck out six in six shutout innings, allowing two hits and four walks.

The game:  Two singles, a walk, and another single put Palm Beach ahead 2-0 in the third.  The Cardinals blew it open in the sixth, scoring six times.  After a pop out, Palm Beach got three consecutive singles to make the score 3-0.  The next batter grounded out, but then a single, a triple, a double, a walk, and two more singles, leaving the score 8-0.  All six runs came off Tim Shibuya in his only inning of work.  All four Fort Myers runs came in the ninth.

Of note:  Levi Michael was 0-for-3 with a walk.  Jorge Polanco was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run.  Max Kepler was 0-for-4.

CEDAR RAPIDS 7, CLINTON 6 IN CLINTON

Batting stars:  Zach Larson was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in two.  Tanner Vavra was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.  Mitch Garver was 2-for-4 with a walk and a run.

Pitching stars:  Felix Jorge pitched six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk with five strikeouts.  Hudson Boyd pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk with one strikeout.

Opposition stars:  Tyler O'Neill was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and two runs.  Corey Simpson was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.  Zach Shank was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

The game:  O'Neill started the scoring with a second-inning home run, but consecutive doubles by Vavra and Chad Christensen tied it in the third.  Jason Kanzler had a two-run single in the fourth to make it 3-1 and Larson had a two-run double in the fifth to make it 5-1.  Cedar Rapids added two more in the eighth to go up 7-2 and they needed the runs, because Clinton came back with four runs in the bottom of the eighth.  They had men on first and third with two out before a ground out ended the inning.  The LumberKings did not get a man past first in the ninth.

Of note:  Kanzler was 1-for-5 with two RBIs.  Christensen was 1-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.