A very bad day for Rob Whalen. A good day for Austin Schulfer. Max Smith goes 5-for-5. A doubleheader sweep for the Mighty Mussels.
IOWA 12, ST. PAUL 2 IN ST. PAUL
The cool little Bears scored five in the first and six in the fourth.
Batting star: Daniel Descalso was 2-for-4 with a home run (his second) and a walk.
Pitching stars: Ian Gibaut struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit. Andrew Vasquez struck out three in two shutout innings, giving up two walks.
Opposition stars: Ex-Twin Tyler Ladendorf was 2-for-4 with a home run, a double, a walk, three runs, and three RBIs. Michael Hermosillo was 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs. Adrian Sampson struck out eight in seven innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks.
Starter: Rob Whalen pitched 3.1 innings, allowing nine runs on ten hits and three walks and striking out one.
Good stats: None.
Bad stats: Descalso raised his average to .099. Keon Broxton was 0-for-4 and is batting .165. Damek Tomscha was 0-for-4 and is batting .174. Whalen has an ERA of 7.71. Gibaut has an ERA of 8.84. Yennier Cano allowed three runs in 1.2 innings and has an ERA of 16.20.
Record: The Saints are 18-21, in fourth place in the AAA East-Midwest, 9.5 games behind Omaha.
SPRINGFIELD 5, WICHITA 3 IN WICHITA
Delvin Perez hit a two-run homer in the ninth to break a 3-3 tie.
Batting stars: Andrew Bechtold was 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Jose Miranda was 2-for-5.
Pitching stars: Austin Schulfer pitched six shutout innings, giving up six hits and no walks and striking out four.
Opposition stars: Alec Burleson was 3-for-5 with a double. Perez was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk, and two runs. Nick Dunn was 2-for-4.
Good stats: Miranda is batting .316. Jermaine Palacios was 1-for-3 and is batting .305. Ernie De La Trinidad was 1-for-5 and is batting .303.
Bad stats: Yeltsin Encarncaion was 0-for-4 and is batting .100. Jordan Milbrath allowed three runs in one inning and has an ERA of 12.60.
Record: The Wind Surge is 22-17, in first place in the AA Central-North, a half game ahead of Tulsa.
CEDAR RAPIDS 12, SOUTH BEND 4 IN CEDAR RAPIDS
The Kernels scored three in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead and added four in the seventh to put the game out of reach.
Batting stars: Max Smith was 5-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. Wander Javier was 2-for-3 with two runs. Spencer Steer was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer (his ninth), two walks, and three runs.
Pitching stars: Derek Molina struck out six in 2.2 scoreless innings, giving up one hit. Owen Griffith pitched a scoreless inning, giving up a hit and a walk and striking out one.
Opposition stars: Nelson Velazquez was 2-for-4. Yonathan Perlaza was 1-for-2 with a two run homer (his fourth) and two walks.
Starter: Andrew Cabezas pitched 5.1 innings, giving up four runs on four hits and two walks and striking out four.
Good stats: Smith is batting .341.
Bad stats: Chris Williams was 1-for-4 and is batting .114. Daniel Ozoria was 0-for-5 and is batting .190. Molina has an ERA of 6.55. Griffith has an ERA of 6.62.
Record: The Kernels are 19-20, tied for second with Beloit in the High-A Central-West, 6.5 games behind Quad Cities.
FORT MYERS 3, LAKELAND 1 IN FORT MYERS (GAME 1--7 INNINGS)
Misael Urbina hit a two-run homer in the third to give the Mighty Mussels as 2-1 lead.
Batting stars: Yunior Severino was 2-for-3 with a double. Urbina was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. Charles Mack was 1-for-2 with a home run (his third) and a walk.
Pitching stars: Denny Bentley struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, giving up one walk. Steven Cruz struck out five in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
Opposition star: Joey Wentz pitched five innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks and striking out four.
Starter: Sean Mooney faced just three batters before being removed from the game, apparently due to injury. He pitched a third of an inning, giving up an unearned run on a hit and a walk.
Good stats: Edouard Julien was 1-for-2 and is batting .300. Mooney has an ERA of 0.56.
Bad stats: Nick Anderson was 0-for-3 and is batting .100. Mack is batting .162. Aaron Sabato was 0-for-3 and is batting .172. Urbina is batting .189. Ruben Santana was 0-for-2 and is batting .189. Justin Washington is 0-for-2 and is batting .192.
FORT MYERS 9, LAKELAND 4 IN FORT MYERS (GAME 2--7 INNINGS)
The Mighty Mussles built a 5-0 lead, had it cut to 5-4, and then scored three in the sixth to put it out of reach.
Batting stars: Edouard Julien was 3-for-4 with a home run (his third), a double, three runs, and three RBIs. Jeferson Morales was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs. Willie Joe Garry, Jr. was 2-for-3.
Pitching star: Erik Manoah, Jr. struck out four in two shutout innings, giving up one hit.
Opposition stars: Kingston Liniak was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer. Williander Moreno struck out five in three innings, giving up one run on one hit and one walk.
Starter: Miguel Rodriguez struck out seven in five innings, giving up four runs on five hits and no walks.
Good stats: Julien is batting .315. Kyle Schmidt was 1-for-3 and is batting .304. Manoah, Jr. has an ERA of zero. Rodriguez has an ERA of 2.74.
Bad stats: Will Holland was 0-for-4 and is batting .130. Garry, Jr. is batting .170. Aaron Sabato was 1-for-2 and is batting .177. Misael Urbina was 1-for-3 and is batting .193.
Record: The Mighty Mussels are 22-17, in third place in the Low-A Southeast-West, 5.5 games behind Tampa.
TODAY'S TILTS
6:00 Lakeland at Fort Myers (Brent Headrick, 2-2, 3.04)
6:35 South Bend at Cedar Rapids (Ben Gross, 0-0, 3.86)
7:05 Iowa at St. Paul (Andrew Albers, 2-2, 7.03)
7:05 Springfield at Wichita (Josh Winder, 2-0, 2.16)