Two low-scoring games lead to a Red Wings split. Another solid game for Dereck Rodriguez. Nelson Molina has a big day. Logan Lombana has a perfect relief outing. Akil Baddoo is hitting well in the GCL. The DSL Twins lose a big lead but still win.
ROCHESTER 3, PAWTUCKET 1 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
The Red Wings scored three in the first and that was all they needed. The Red Sox loaded the bases in the second and had two on in the third, but their lone run came on a double play in the sixth.
Dillon Gee pitched five shutout innings, giving up five hits and a walk with three strikeouts. His ERA remains at zero with a WHIP of 1.00 in eight innings. Kennys Vargas was 2-for-3 with a double. Zack Granite was 1-for-3 and is batting .365.
PAWTUCKET 2, ROCHESTER 0 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)
The Red Sox scored single runs in the first and second and that was it. The Red Wings had men on in six of the seven innings. They had men on second and third with none out in the third and loaded the bases in the seventh.
It was a bullpen game for Rochester. D. J. Baxendale pitched three innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and no walks with two strikeouts. Mason Melotakis struck out three in two shutout innings to keep his ERA at zero. His WHIP is 0.38 and he has 5 strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Michael Tonkin pitched two shutout innings to make his ERA 2.11 with 30 strikeouts in 21.1 innings. Matt Hague was 2-for-2 with a double. Ryan Strausborger was 0-for-2 with two walks and is hitless in five Rochester at-bats.
CHATTANOOGA 5, TENNESSEE 3 IN CHATTANOOGA
The Lookouts scored two in the second to go ahead 3-1. The Smokies cut it to 3-2 in the third, but Chattanooga got one in the third and one in the sixth to take a 5-2 advantage. Tennessee got one in the ninth and had the tying run on second with one out but did nothing further.
Dereck Rodriguez pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Levi Michael was 3-for-4 with a double. Alex Perez was 0-for-2 and is batting .412. Nick Gordon was 1-for-4 with a double and is batting .306.
FORT MYERS 3, TAMPA 1 IN TAMPA
Nelson Molina's RBI single in the seventh broke a 1-1 tie. The Miracle scored an insurance run later in the inning on a sacrifice fly. The Yankees put the tying run on in the seventh and eighth innings.
Sean Poppen, making his high-A debut, struck out two in two shutout innings before being removed following a rain dealy. He gave up two hits. Alex Muren struck out five in two shutout innings, making his ERA 1.65 with 17 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. Molina was 4-for-4 with two triples. Jermaine Palacios was 0-for-3 with a walk and is batting .356. Brandon Lopez was 0-for-4 and is batting .353. Max Murphy was 0-for-4 and is batting .310.
WISCONSIN 5, CEDAR RAPIDS 3 IN CEDAR RAPIDS
The Timber Rattlers scored five in the second and it was all they needed. It was 5-1 through eight. The Kernels scored two in the ninth but did not get the tying run up to bat.
Evan Sanders made his first start and it did not go well. He pitched 1.1 innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Logan Lombana retired all eleven batters he faced. Patrick McGuff struck out five in three shutout innings. Alex Robinson pitched a scoreless inning to make his ERA 2.95. He has 48 strikeouts in 36.2 innings. Christian Cavaness was 3-for-4 with a double.
PRINCETON AT ELIZABETHTON
Rained out.
GCL TWINS 10, GCL RAYS 8 AT RAYS
A four-run fourth, aided by two walks, four wild pitches, and a passed ball, put the Twins ahead 6-2. Two-run doubles by Dane Hutcheon and Akil Baddoo produced four more runs in the fifth to make it 10-3. The Rays scored four in the eighth to make the final score close but did not get the tying run on base.
Carlos Suniaga pitched three innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk with three strikeouts. Vadim Balan pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to keep his ERA at zero with a WHIP of 0.60 in 6.2 scoreless innings. Hutcheon was 3-for-5 with a triple and a double and is batting .400. Baddoo was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk and is batting .324. Ricky De La Torre was 2-for-5. Alex Robles was 0-for-4 and is batting .360. Royce Lewis was 1-for-4 and is batting .303.
DSL TWINS 11, DSL YANKEES 10 AT YANKEES
The Twins scored five in the first and led 7-0 after the top of the third. It was 8-2 through four, but the Yankees scored five in the fifth to get back into the game. The Twins got one in the seventh but the Yankees scored two in the eighth to tie it 9-9. Yeison Perez led off the ninth with a home run and Yeltsin Encarnacion delivered an RBI triple to give the Twins an 11-9 lead. The Yankees scored one in the bottom of the ninth and had men on first and second before a ground out ended the game.
Luis Gil started but pitched only two innings, striking out five and giving up no runs on two hits and two walks. His ERA is 1.06 and he has 20 strikeouts in 17 innings. Cristian Castro struck out two in two shutout innings. Encarnacion was 3-for-5 with a triple and a walk and is batting .367. Yeison Perez was 2-for-4 with a home run, his second. He scored three times and drove in three. Mariano Calcano was 2-for-5 with a double and is batting .353. Ruben Santana was 1-for-6 and is batting .351. Juan Martinez was 0-for-3 with two walks and is batting .310.
TODAY'S TILTS
9:30 DSL Angels at DSL Twins
11:00 GCL Rays at GCL Twins
12:35 Pawtucket (Hector Velazquez, 5-1, 1.65) at Rochester (Tim Melville, 2-1, 3.58)
4:00 Princeton (Phoenix Sanders, 0-0, 3.60) at Elizabethton (Moises Gomez, 0-0, 14.29)
Game 2 Princeton at Elizabethton
6:00 Fort Myers (Lewis Thorpe, 1-2, 1.69) at Tampa (Brian Keller, no record)
6:15 Tennessee (Preston Morrison, 0-7, 5.03) at Chattanooga
6:35 Wisconsin (Jordan Desguin, 5-4, 5.68) at Cedar Rapids (Domenick Carlini, 3-6, 5.26)