A fine debut for Kody Funderburk. The Blue Wahoos prove that solo home runs don't hurt you.
ROCHESTER AT SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE
Rained out.
MISSISSIPPI 6, PENSACOLA 4 IN PENSACOLA
Tyler Neslony hit a three-run homer in the fifth to give the Braves a 5-1 lead.
Batting stars: Ben Rortvedt was 3-for-3 with two home runs (his second and third) and a walk. Jaylin Davis was 2-for-3 with two home runs (his sixth and seventh) and a walk.
Pitching star: Sam Clay struck out six in three innings, giving up one run on four hits and no walks.
Opposition star: Jasseel De La Cruz struck out eight in six innings, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks.
Stats: Rortvedt is batting .382. Travis Blankenhorn was 0-for-4 and is batting .303.
Record: The Blue Wahoos are 31-22, first in the Southern League South, one game ahead of Biloxi.
FORT MYERS 3, FLORIDA 2 IN FLORIDA
Lewin Diaz homered in the eighth to break a 2-2 tie. He also broke the team record for home runs in a month with ten.
Batting stars: Diaz was 3-for-5 with a home run (his tenth) and two RBIs. Jose Miranda was 2-for-4. Aaron Whitefield was 2-for-5.
Pitching stars: Tyler Watson pitched 6.1 innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and no walks and striking out one. Alex Phillips struck out six in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
Opposition stars: Kevin Josephina was 3-for-4 with a double.
Stats: Diaz is batting .319. Phillips has an ERA of 0.46.
Record: The Miracle is 31-21, tied for second with Bradenton in the Florida State League South, one game behind Palm Beach.
BURLINGTON 7, CEDAR RAPIDS 5 IN BURLINGTON (7 INNINGS--COMPLETION OF SUSPENDED GAME)
Justin Jones hit a two-run homer in a three-run fourth that gave the Bees the lead to stay.
Batting stars: Michael Davis was 2-for-3. Estamy Urena was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, and three RBIs.
Pitching stars: None.
Opposition star: D. C. Arendas was 2-for-2 with a home run, a walk, and three RBIs.
Stats: Jared Akins was 1-for-4 and is batting .352. Austin Schulfer struck out six in three innings but allowed three runs on six hits and a walk to make his ERA 2.95.
Record: The Kernels are 25-27.
CEDAR RAPIDS 4, BURLINGTON 0 IN BURLINGTON (SCHEDULED GAME--7 INNINGS)
Two Kernels pitchers limited the Bees to three hits.
Batting stars: Yeltsin Encarnacion was 2-for-3 with a walk. Gabriel Maciel was 2-for-3. Jacob Pearson was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. Jared Akins was 1-for-4 with a home run, his fifth.
Pitching stars: Kody Funderburk struck out four in four shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk. Derek Molina struck out six in three shutout innings, giving up two hits and a walk.
Opposition star: Cristopher Molina struck out seven in five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and three walks.
Stats: Akins is batting .345. Maciel is batting .301. Funderburk made his Kernels debut and has an ERA of zero.
Record: The Kernels are 26-27, fifth in the Midwest League Western, 8.5 games behind Quad Cities.
TODAY'S TILTS
5:30 Fort Myers (Jordan Balazovic, 3-0, 2.25) at Lakeland (Garrett Hill, 1-0, 1.50)
6:05 Buffalo (Shawn Morimando, 2-3, 7.20) at Rochester (Lewis Thorpe, 3-3, 6.31)
6:30 Cedar Rapids at Beloit (Chase Cohen, 4-5, 7.54)
6:35 Mississippi (Ian Anderson, 2-3, 3.38) at Pensacola (Andro Cutura, 0-2, 6.87)