Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 10, Buffalo Bisons 6
The Tides scored 2+ runs in each of the first four innings, racing out to an early lead they would not relinquish in their series-opening win vs. the Bisons.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. started the Norfolk rally in the 1st, leading off with a single before scoring on a Reed Trimble triple. Heston Kjerstad then grounded out to bring home Trimble and give Norfolk an early 2-0 advantage.
In the 2nd, the Tides loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a HBP. Bradfield and Trimble turned run producers yet again,
with Bradfield lifting a sac fly to left to make things 3-0 before Trimble singled through the right side to give Norfolk a four-run cushion. Buffalo then tried to pick off Bryan Ramos at third, only for an errant throw to allow him to score.
An inning later, the Tides had runners on first and second with two outs, and Luis Vázquez doubled down the left field line to increase the Norfolk lead to 7-1. Bradfield and Trimble kickstarted yet another rally in the 4th, with the former working a leadoff walk before the latter doubled him to third. Like the 1st, Kjerstad then drove him on a run on an RBI ground out, before Creed Willems singled to put Norfolk up 9-1.
The Tides would get one last run on another RBI single by Willems in the 6th. After five innings of one-run ball from starter Trace Bright, the Norfolk bullpen imploded a little, allowing four runs in the 7th and another in the 9th to make a dominant victory look a little closer than it was.
Double-A: Harrisburg Senators 2, Chesapeake Baysox 1
The Baysox got an excellent start out of top prospect Caden Hunter, but the offense couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain in Chesapeake’s loss to Harrisburg.
Hunter got off to a dominant start, striking out the first two batters he faced before a line out completed a scoreless 1st inning. The 2nd didn’t go quite as smoothly, as Harrisburg’s Kervin Pichardo sent the first pitch he saw over the center field fence to give the Senators a 1-0 lead. Hunter would rebound, finishing the inning with another two strikeouts to give him four Ks through two innings.
The 22-year-old left-hander worked around a leadoff triple in the 3rd to keep the deficit at one, before striking out the side in the 4th. Hunter finally got some run support in the bottom of the 4th thanks to some quick-strike offense. Thomas Sosa led off the inning with a double. Wehiwa Aloy then singled up the middle and an errant throw allowed Sosa to score with ease, tying the game at 1-1.
Hunter pulled off another highwire act in the 5th, stranding runners at second and third by ending the inning with back-to-back strikeouts. After another scoreless inning in the 6th, Hunter went out for the 7th for only the second timet his season.
It did not go well, however, as he allowed back-to-back singles before being relieved by Jeisson Cabrera. The right-hander couldn’t strand the runners, though, balking both runners into scoring position before allowing an RBI groundout that gave Harrisburg a 2-1 lead. Hunter finished with a final line of 6+ IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and 10 Ks. The Baysox would get the tying run into scoring position in the 8th, but couldn’t capitalize to tie the game.
High-A: Frederick Keys 10, Jersey Shore BlueClaws 7
The Yasmil Bucce and the newly acquired Enddy Azocar each tallied three hits as the Keys won a back-and-forth affair against the BlueClaws.
With Frederick already up 2-0 in the 1st, Bucce came up with two outs and the bases loaded. The 21-year-old DH responded by lining a double into right field to bring home two and double the Keys’ lead.
Bucce helped propel another rally in the 4th, singling to right to move Colin Yeaman to third. Braylon Whitaker then hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring home Yeaman and break a 4-4 tie. Two batters later, Azocar picked up his first hit with the Orioles’ organization, singling home Bucce to double the Frederick advantage.
Azocar turned run producer again in the 6th. After Whitaker reached on a one-out single and stole second, the O’s new No.8 prospect singled to center to give Frederick a 7-5 lead. Yeaman hit a solo HR in the 7th to grow the Keys’ lead to 8-5. Two innings later, Fernando Peguero reached on a one-out double to give Azocar another chance with RISP. The 19-year-old outfielder stepped up once again, doubling to left to pick up his third hit and third RBI, putting Frederick up 10-7.
Low-A: Fredericksburg Nationals 10, Delmarva Shorebirds 8
The Shorebirds raced out to a 3-0 lead, but they quickly gave that lead up and lost an offensive shootout to the Nationals.
Jaiden Lo Re led off the top of the 1st with a single and then moved to third on a DJ Layton double. Both runners then got to trot home when, two batters later, Jordan Sanchez blasted a three-run homer to left to give Delmarva an early lead.
That lead quickly evaporated in the bottom of the 1st, as top pitching prospect Esteban Mejia continued his disastrous season. Mejia walked the first four batters he faced and was relieved without getting an out. All four of those runners would come around to score as the Nationals scored six runs on six walks and two hits in the 1st inning.
The Shorebirds would cut the Nationals’ lead down to one on a two-run homer from Andrew Tess in the top of the 4th. That homer would be rendered moot half an inning later, when Coy James hit a two-run blast of his own to restore Fredericksburg’s three-run advantage. Two innings later, with the Shorebirds now down four, Stiven Martinez launched Delmarva’s third homer of the day to cut the deficit to 9-6.
In the 7th, Lo Re reached on a one-out double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch. Martinez would help engineer another in the 8th. He led off the inning with a double, stole third and came home to score when the throw to third sailed past the 3B. That’s as close as Delmarva would get however, as they failed to complete their comeback.
Wednesday’s scheduled games
Norfolk Tides at Buffalo Bison, 1:05pm ET (Nestor German vs. Richard Gallardo)
Chesapeake Baysox vs. Harrisburg Senators, Game 1, 5:35pm ET (Sebastian Gongora vs. Alex Clemmey)
Chesapeake Baysox vs. Harrisburg Senators, Game 2 (Christian Herberholz vs. Blake Brown)
Frederick Keys at Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 12:05pm ET (TBD vs. Cade Obermueller)
Delmarva Shorebirds at Fredericksburg Nationals, 6:35pm ET (Andrew Herbert vs. Landon Harmon)
