A big inning isn't enough for Elizabethton. Aaron Hicks and Kris Johnson lead Rochester to victory. A big day for Jorge Polanco.
ROCHESTER 3, PAWTUCKET 1 IN PAWTUCKET
Batting stars: Aaron Hicks was 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Eric Farris was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Dan Rohlfing was 1-for-2 with a walk and a run.
Pitching stars: Kris Johnson pitched six innings, giving up a run on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. A. J. Achter struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit. Lester Oliveros pitched a perfect inning with one strikeout.
Opposition stars: Ryan Roberts was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring once. Jose Valdez pitched two shutout innings, allowing two hits with one strikeout.
The game: Chris Colabello singled in a run in the first and a sacrifice fly scored one in the second to make it 2-0. In the fourth, Roberts doubled and scored on a two-out single by Blake Swihart to make it 2-1. The Red Wings got the run back in the fifth on a pair of singles and a pair of productive outs. Pawtucket did not get the tying run on base.
Of note: Doug Bernier was 1-for-4 with a run. Colabello was 1-for-4 with an RBI.
NEW BRITAIN 4, NEW HAMPSHIRE 3 IN NEW BRITAIN (13 INNINGS)
Batting stars: Jorge Polanco was 3-for-6 with a double and three RBIs. Matt Koch was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Stephen Wickens was 2-for-5 with a run.
Pitching stars: Starter Alex Wimmers struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up one hit. Daniel Turpen pitched three shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Cole Johnson struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up three hits.
Opposition stars: Casey Lawrence pitched seven ininngs, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks with two strikeouts. Sean Ochinko was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer (his second). K. C. Hobson was 2-for-4 with a double.
The game: Polanco singled in a run in the first and Koch drove one home with a single in the second to give New Britain a 2-0 lead. Ochinko hit a two-run homer in the fourth to tie it at two. It stayed 2-2 through seven. In the eighth, Kevin Nolan singled in a run to make it 3-2, but the Rock Cats got the run back when Polanco singled in another run. New Britain loaded the bases with none out in the tenth, but could not score. New Hampshire led off the thirteenth with two singles, but also could not score. In the bottom of the thirteenth, Eddie Rosario hit a one-out single and scored from first on a double by Polanco to bring the game and the season to a close.
Of note: Corey Wimberly was 1-for-6 with a double and a run. Rosario was 1-for-6 with a run. Mike Gonzales was 0-for-2.
CEDAR RAPIDS 3, CLINTON 1 IN CLINTON
Batting stars: Alex Swim was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jonatan Hinojosa was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run. J. D. Williams was 2-for-4.
Pitching stars: Ryan Eades pitched seven innings, giving up one run on three hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Hudson Boyd struck out two in a perfect inning. Jake Reed pitched a perfect inning.
Opposition stars: Kevin McCoy struck out three in three shutout innings, allowing only a walk. Aaron Brooks pitched three perfect innings with one strikeout. Nelson Ward was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run.
The game: Cedar Rapids scored once in the first and got two in the third on a Swim RBI single and a bases-loaded walk. Clinton's lone run came in the fifth when Ward tripled and scored. The LumberKings got a man to third with two out in the first, but otherwise did not threaten. getting only three hits.
Of note: Chad Christensen was 0-for-3 with a walk. Mitch Garver was 0-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a run. Max Murphy was 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
JOHNSON CITY 10, ELIZABETHTON 9 IN ELIZABETHTON (PLAYOFFS, GAME 2)
Batting stars: Pat Kelly was 2-for-4 with a double, scoring twice and driving in two. Tanner English was 1-for-4 with a triple, scoring once and driving in two. Jorge Fernandez was 3-for-4 with a run.
Pitching star: Trevor Hildenberger struck out four in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up two walks.
Opposition stars: Anderson Gerdel struck out three in 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits. Oscar Mercado was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring three times and driving in three. Casey Turgeon was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk, scoring three times and driving in one.
The game: Elizabethton made two errors in the first inning, leading to two Johnson City runs. In the third, Turgeon doubled in one, Mercado singled in another, and two more scored on a ground out and a wild pitch, putting the Cardinals up 6-0. Meanwhile, the Twins did not get a hit in the first five innings. They exploded in the sixth, though, sending thirteen men to the plate and scoring nine times. The inning featured a triple, a double, four singles, three walks, three wild pitches, a passed ball, and a hit batsman and left Elizabethton ahead 9-6. The lead didn't last long. In the seventh, three singles loaded the bases, a wild pitch brought home one. Mercado's two-run double tied it, and Casey Grayson's run-scoring double put Johnson City up 10-9. And there it stayed. The Twins got a man to second with one out in the seventh, but their last eight batters were retired.
Of note: Nick Gordon was 1-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one. Trey Vavra was 0-for-3 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, scoring once. Tyler Kuresa was 1-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Starter Sam Gibbons pitched three innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on five hits and no walks with one strikeout.
Series update: The teams are tied 1-1. The deciding game will be played tonight.
Other series: Danville defeated Princeton 8-5 to take the series, two games to none.
TODAY'S TILTS
5:30 Fort Myers (TBA) at Bradenton (TBA)
6:00 Johnson City (Matt Pearce, 2-4, 4.20) at Elizabethton (Felix Jorge, 4-2, 2.59)