A Rochester sweep by identical scores. Byron Buxton returns to the lineup. A huge first inning sinks Elizabethton.
ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 1 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Brad Nelson was 2-for-3 with a pair of two-run homers, his fifth and sixth. Daniel Ortiz was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs. Wilkin Ramirez was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, his third.
Pitching star: Kris Johnson pitched a complete game, giving up one run on two hits and a walk with five strikeouts.
Opposition star: A. J. Jimenez was 1-for-3 with a home run.
The game: Nelson hit a two-run homer in the second to give Rochester a 2-0 lead. It stayed 2-0 until the sixth, when Ramirez and Nelson each hit a two-run homer. The lone Buffalo run came in the seventh on a two-out homer by Jimenez.
Of note: Chris Rahl was 1-for-4. Deibinson Romero was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.
ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 1 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)
Batting star: Nate Hanson was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer.
Pitching stars: Mark Hamburger pitched five innings, giving up one run on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts. Ryan Pressly struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up three hits.
Opposition stars: Mike Zagurski struck out five in three shutout innings, allowing one hit. Ryan Tepera struck out three in two perfect innings.
The game: All the runs were scored in the first inning. Three consecutive one-out singles plated a run for Buffalo. In the bottom of the first, Daniel Ortiz singled in one, two came in on a Brad Nelson single-plus-error, and Hanson killed the rally with a three-run homer. It was all Rochester would need.
Of note: Pedro Florimon was 0-for-3. Deibinson Romero was 1-for-3 with a double. Wilkin Ramirez was 0-for-2 with a walk.
PORTLAND 6, NEW BRITAIN 1 IN PORTLAND
Batting star: Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, driving in one.
Pitching star: Taylor Rogers pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and no walks with four strikeouts.
Opposition stars: Henry Owens struck out eleven in eight innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk. Heiker Meneses was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring once and driving in three. Derrik Gibson was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.
The game: Gibson doubled and scored in the first to give Portland a 1-0 lead. Tony Thomas tripled and scored on a Rodriguez double to tie it at one. Sean Coyle's RBI single gave the Sea Dogs a 2-1 lead after five. It stayed there until the eighth, when a Meneses three-run double capped off a four-run inning, with all the damage coming with two out. That put Portland up 6-1 and put the game out of reach.
Of note: Thomas was 1-for-4 with a triple and a run. Kennys Vargas was 0-for-4. Aaron Hicks was 0-for-4. New Britain has now lost ten of its last eleven games.
FORT MYERS 10, CHARLOTTE 5 IN FORT MYERS
Batting stars: Adam Brett Walker II was 3-for-4 with a walk, scoring three times and driving in two. Max Kepler was 1-for-1 with a double and two walks, scoring once and driving in three. Jorge Polanco was 3-for-5 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one.
Pitching star: Tyler Jones pitched two shutout innings, giving up a hit with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Julian Ridings was 3-for-4 with a triple. Patrick Leonard was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Justin O'Conner was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring twice.
The game: Fort Myers scored five in the fourth to take a 6-2 lead. Kepler had a three-run double in the inning and Polanco had an RBI double. Maxx Tissenbaum's two-run single in the fifth cut the lead to 6-4. It was 7-5 after seven, but the Miracle scored three in the eighth to take control.
Of note: Byron Buxton was 0-for-2. Nate Roberts was 1-for-5. Dalton Hicks was 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs. Starter D. J. Baxendale struck out five in five innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and two walks.
BELOIT 3, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 IN CEDAR RAPIDS
Batting stars: Bryan Haar was 3-for-4 with a triple and a double, scoring twice. Jason Kanzler was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Pitching stars: Aaron Slegers pitched seven innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts. Todd Van Steensel struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up two hits.
Opposition stars: Philip Pohl was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs. Junior Mendez pitched six innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks with two strikeouts.
The game: Haar tripled and scored in the second to give Cedar Rapids a 1-0 lead. Pohl doubled and scored in the fifth to tie it up. The Kernels got the lead back in the sixth when Haar doubled and scored on a Kanzler single. In the eighth, however, a double, a hit batsman, another double, and a sacrifice fly resulted in two runs and a 3-2 Beloit lead. Cedar Rapids loaded the bases with two out in the eighth and put a man on second with one down in the ninth, but that was all they could do.
Of note: Jon Murphy was 1-for-4 with a walk. Chad Christensen was 1-for-5. Mitch Garver was 1-for-4 with a walk.
JOHNSON CITY 16, ELIZABETHTON 7 IN JOHNSON CITY
Batting stars: Tyler Kuresa was 3-for-4 with three doubles and a walk, scoring once and driving in three. Max Murphy was 2-for-4 with a home run (his fourth) and a double, scoring twice. Nick Gordon was 2-for-4 with a walk and two runs.
Pitching star: Randy LeBlanc pitched 4.1 innings of relief, giving up an unearned run on two hits.
Opposition stars: Cole Lankford was 4-for-5 with a home run, scoring twice and driving in three. Casey Turgeon was 4-for-6, scoring twice and driving in two. Matt Pearce struck out five in five shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk.
The game: Johnson City scored twelve runs in the first inning, effectively ending the game right there. The Cardinals sent eighteen men to the plate. Johnson City did not get an extra-base hit in the inning, getting seven singles, four walks, two hit batsmen, two errors, and a wild pitch. The Twins used three pitchers in the inning. Elizabethton never cut the lead to less than eight runs after that.
Of note: Tanner English was 0-for-4. Jorge Fernandez was 3-for-5 with an RBI. Starter Derrick Penilla lasted only a third of an inning, giving up nine runs (six earned) on six hits and two walks with one strikeout.
TODAY'S TILTS
9:30 DSL Orioles1 at DSL Twins
11:00 GCL Orioles at GCL Twins
5:05 New Britain (TBA) at New Hampshire (John Anderson, 1-0, 5.27)
Game 2 New Britain (TBA) at New Hampshire (Radhames Liz, 1-1, 1.19)
6:00 Elizabethton (Michael Cederoth, 0-0, 1.42) at Johnson City (Jordan DeLorenzo, 0-0, 0.00)
6:05 Buffalo (P. J. Walters, 2-0, 0.95) at Rochester (Sean Gilmartin, 1-1, 4.50)