ST. PAUL SAINTS 9, OMAHA STORM CHASERS 8 IN OMAHA
Mickey Gasper doubled home a run in the first, but Jac Caglianone hit a two-run homer in a three-run bottom of the first to put Omaha in front. Armando Alvarez hit a three-run homer in the fourth to put St. Paul back up 4-3, but Diego Castillo hit a two-run homer in a three-run bottom of the fourth to make it 6-4 Omaha. Yunior Severino doubled home a run in the sixth, but Omaha got the run back in the seventh to once again lead by two. The Twins scored three in the eight to regain the lead at 8-7 and Alvarez singled home an insurance run in the ninth. The Saints needed it, as Omaha scored one in the ninth and had men on first and second with two out before a strikeout ended the game.
Batters: Mickey Gasper was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Jeferson Morales was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs. Ryan Fitzgerald was 2-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI. Armando Alvarez was 2-for-5 with a home run (his fourth), two runs, and five RBIs. Anthony Prato was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Yunior Severino was 2-for-5 with a double.
Pitchers: Starter Marco Raya struck out seven in 3.2 innings, but allowed four runs (three earned) on two hits and no walks.
Opponents: Jac Caglianone was 2-for-4 with a two-run homers (his sixth), a walk, and three runs. Cavan Biggio was 2-for-5 with a double, a run, and an RBI. Diego Castillo was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, his second.
Stats: Mickey Gasper .365/1.194. Anthony Prato .318/.879. Ryan Fitzgerald .845. Mike Ford .809.
Record: 28-24, tied for fifth with Iowa, three behind Nashville.
WICHITA WIND SURGE 7, TULSA DRILLERS 1 IN WICHITA
Wichita scored five in the first and that was more than they would need. Tanner Schobel homered and Rubel Cespedes hit a two-run double in the inning. Jose Ramos singled home a run in the third but Wichita got it back in the bottom of the third. Kyler Fedco capped the scoring with a home run in the seventh.
Batters: Noah Cardenas was 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run, and two RBIs. Gabriel Gonzalez was 3-for-5 with a triple and a run. Tanner Schobel was 2-for-5 with a home run, his seventh. Kyler Fedco was 1-for-2 with a home run (his eleventh), two walks, and two runs.
Pitchers: Christian MacLeod struck out five in 3.2 innings, giving up one run on six hits and three walks. Mike Paredes struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk. Joel Cesar struck out three in two shutout innings.
Opponents: Jose Ramos was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Taylor Young was 2-for-4. Christian Suarez struck out two in two shutout innings, giving up one hit and two walks.
Stats: Gabriel Gonzalez .368/.981. Tanner Schobel .302/.851. Kyler Fedco .947. Aaron Sabato .856. Noah Cardenas .811. Christian MacLeod 1.31. Mike Paredes 2.06.
Record: 25-24, tied for second with Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas, one behind Springfield.
CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS 6, LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS 5 IN CEDAR RAPIDS
Lake County scored in the first, but Nate Baez singled home a run in the bottom of the first to tie it. Estaban Gonzalez hit an RBI single in the second to put Lake County back in front, but Cedar Rapids scored two in the third to take their first lead at 3-2. Kyle Dernedde singled home a run in the fourth to tie it, but Baez singled home another run in the fifth to give the Kernels a 4-3 lead. Kyle Hess hit a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 6-3. Jose Devers hit a two-run homer of his own in the seventh to cut the lead to 6-5. But Lake County did not put a man past first after that, and the lead held.
Batters: Peyton Eeles was 3-for-4 with a double, two runs, and an RBI. Nate Baez was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Kyle Hess was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer.
Pitchers: Ty Langenberg struck out five in 4.1 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and three walks. Jeremy Lee struck out three in 1.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits. Paulshawn Pasqualotto pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit.
Opponents: Jonah Advincula was 2-for-2 with two walks and a run. Ralphy Velazquez was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. Esteban Gonzalez was 2-for-4 with a walk. Jose Devers was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer, his sixth. Alfonsin Rosario was 2-for-5 with a double and a run.
Stats: Peyton Eeles .750/.1750 in his season debut in Cedar Rapids. Nate Baez .345/.956. Kaelen Culpepper .301/.895. Kyle Hess .821. Kyle DeBarge .818. Paulshawn Pasqualotto 1.17.
Record: 28-20, second, 2.5 behind Quad Cities.
TAMPA TARPONS 9, FORT MYERS MIGHTY MUSSELS 3 IN TAMPA
Tampa scored three in the second and one in the third to jump to a 4-0 lead. Caleb McNeely homered to put Fort Myers on the board in the fourth, but Tampa responded with four in the bottom of the fourth to take control of the game.
Batters: Blaze O'Saben was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Ricardo Pena was 2-for-4 with a run. Caleb McNeely was 1-for-4 with a home run.
Pitchers: Starter Dylan Questad pitched just two innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks and striking out two. Jakob Hall struck out three in three shutout innings, giving up two hits.
Opponents: Cam Eden was 3-for-5 with a triple, two runs, and an RBI. Brian Sanchez was 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Dillon Lewis was 2-for-5 with a run and two RBIs. Edgleen Perez was 2-for-5 with a run.
Stats: Ricardo Pena .500/1.000 in his Fort Myers debut. Jay Thomason .947. Caleb McNeely .875. Maddux Houghton .804. Blaze O'Saben .804. "Blaze O'Saben" is an awesome name.
Record: 21-26, sixth (last), eight games behind Lakeland.
FCL TWINS 3, FCL RED SOX 2 AT TWINS (7 INNINGS)
Irvin Nunez circled the bases on a triple-plus-error to put the Twins on the board in the second. The Red Sox got the run back in the fourth, but Javier Roman put the Twins back in front with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth. Luis Fragoza doubled home an insurance run in the fifth, and the Twins needed it, as the Red Sox tallied one in the sixth. But the last six Red Sox were retired and the victory was preserved.
Batters: Eduardo Beltre was 2-for-3 with a double and a run.
Pitchers: Juan Cota pitched three shutout innings, giving up one hit and striking out two. Brent Francisco pitched a perfect inning.
Opponents: Yhoiker Fajardo struck out five in three innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and a walk.
Stats: Irvin Nunez .375/1.059. Javier Roman .940. Juan Cota 0.00.
Record: 12-8, second, two behind the Rays.