Byron Buxton stays hot. Andy Wilkins hits another home run. Aaron Whitefield makes a late surge. The E-Twins prepare for the playoffs.
ROCHESTER 5, BUFFALO 4 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
Byron Buxton doubled home Juan Graterol in the sixth to break a 4-4 tie. The Red Wings had scored four in the third to take a 4-2 lead, but the Bisons tied it in the fourth.
Buxton was 3-for-4 with two doubles. He is batting .386 (17-for-44) in his last ten games and has raised his season average in Rochester from .214 to .273 (128 at-bats). Gregorio Petit was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. Graterol was 2-for-3 with a double and is batting .304. LaMonte Wade was 2-for-3.
Zack Littell pitched six innings, giving up four runs on eight hits and a walk and striking out five. Andrew Vasquez struck out two in a scoreless inning, giving up a walk. His ERA is 2.25.
ROCHESTER 6, BUFFALO 4 IN ROCHESTER (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)
The Red Wings scored three in the third to take a 5-3 lead. Kennys Vargas hit a two-run double in the inning to put Rochester in the lead to stay.
Nick Gordon was 3-for-4. Jeremy Hazelbaker was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Gregorio Petit was 2-for-4 with a double.
It was a bullpen game. D. J. Baxendale started and pitched 2.1 innings, giving up two runs on five hits and a walk and striking out one.
JACKSONVILLE 9, CHATTANOOGA 2 IN CHATTANOOGA
The Jumbo Shrimp scored three in the second and three in the fourth to build a 7-0 lead.
Jordan Gore was 2-for-3. Andy Wilkins was 1-for-3 with a home run, his eleventh. He has hit a home run in each of his last four games.
Tyler Jay was the opener and pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit and striking out one. Sean Poppen then pitched four innings and allowed seven runs (six earned) on ten hits and a walk and striking out three. Sam Clay struck out four in 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit. Williams Ramirez pitched a perfect inning and struck out one.
FORT MYERS 2, BRADENTON 1 IN FORT MYERS (10 INNINGS)
The Marauders tied the score 1-1 in the ninth. In the tenth, Travis Blankenhorn singled home Ryan Costello with the deciding run.
Blankenhorn was 2-for-4 with a double. Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-4. He is 9-for-20 in his last six games, raising his average from .176 to .204. Alex Kirilloff was 0-for-4 and is batting .364. Ernie De La Trinidad was 1-for-3 and is batting .316.
Andro Cutura pitched six shutout innings, giving up five hits and a walk and striking out five. Ryan Mason struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk. His ERA is 2.94. Alex Phillips made his professional debut with a perfect inning, striking out one.
CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS
No game scheduled.
ELIZABETHTON 8, PULASKI 5 IN ELIZABETHTON
The Twins scored six in the third to take an 8-0 lead. The Yankees came back with four in the fourth but got only one more in the eighth.
Jared Akins was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, scoring two. Lean Marrero was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Gilberto Celestino was 2-for-4 with a double. Trevor Casanova was 0-for-3 and is batting .331.
Andrew Cabezas was the opener and pitched a perfect inning, striking out two. His ERA is 2.74. It was a bullpen game from there, with no one pitching more than 2.2 innings. Jacob Blank pitched a perfect inning, striking out two.
PENNANT RACE UPDATE
Fort Myers remains second, but closes to within a half game of Charlotte with five games to play.
Cedar Rapids remains first, leading Peoria by 3.5 games with six games to play. The Kernels have clinched a playoff spot.
Elizabethton remains first, leading Kingsport by seven games. The E-Twins have clinched the division with one game to play.
TODAY'S TILTS
6:00 Pulaski at Elizabethton
6:00 Bradenton at Fort Myers
6:05 Buffalo (Shawn Morimando, 2-4, 6.68) at Rochester (Chase De Jong, 1-3, 3.81)
6:35 Burlington at Cedar Rapids (Blayne Enlow, 3-5, 3.24)